Summer of Love

by Caro Fraser

"The dark days of the war are over, but the family secrets they held are only just dawning.

In the hot summer of 1949, a group of family and friends gather at Harry Denholm's country house in Kent. Meg and Dan Ranscombe, emerging from a scandal of their own making; Dan's godmother, Sonia; and her two young girls, Laura and Avril, only one of whom is Sonia's biological daughter. Amongst the heat, memories, and infatuations, a secret is revealed to Meg's son, Max, and soon a terrible tragedy unfolds that will have consequences for them all.

Afterwards, Avril, Laura and Max must come of age in a society still reeling from the war, haunted by the choices of that fateful summer. Cold, entitled Avril will go to any lengths to take what is hers. Beautiful, naive Laura finds refuge and love in the London jazz clubs, but Max, with wealth and unrequited love, has the capacity to undo it al

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

496 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2020

About the author

Caroline Georgiana ("Caro") Fraser was a novelist.

Fraser began her career as an advertising copywriter. She became a commercial and maritime lawyer, and practised until 1992, when she became a full-time writer.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer of Love is billed as a standalone sequel to Caro Fraser’s earlier book, The Summer House Party.   It definitely can be read as a standalone but if, like me, you still have a lovely copy of The Summer House Party sitting unread on your bookshelf, be aware that the opening pages of Summer of Love reveal a lot of what transpired in the first book.  For this reason I would recommend that, if you intend to read The Summer House Party, you read it before Summer of Love.

The book opens in a country house in Kent in a seemingly idyllic setting.  However, somehow you know that the complicated history of those gathered there and the secrets some of them possess mean all will not end well.    Early on in Summer of Love, one of the characters remarks, ‘The past is the past.’   But how easy is it to consign unpalatable events and actions to the past?  Not easy it turns out because before long a comment made in a moment of cruelty reveals a secret from the past that sets in motion a chain of events that will end in tragedy.  This will open up wounds that seemingly may never be healed, setting a pattern for later events in which actions have unintended consequences creating rifts that will endure for years.

The main focus of the book is the younger members of the family – Max, Avril and Laura – as they navigate life beyond school and family and the transition from childhood to adulthood.    The dynamic between the three of them is complicated and has a bearing on what follows.  In wider society, times are changing although, in certain aspects of life and social attitudes, rather slowly it seems.  Laura is the character most directly affected by this and it is her story that I found the most compelling.

The author skilfully evokes the London of the 1950s and 1960s but focused on a particular section of society.  It’s a world of drink, drugs, increasing sexual freedom, wild parties, avant garde art and basement jazz clubs.   I loved the references to and occasional walk-on parts by now well-known figures in the world of art, poetry, music and film.

I can’t say that I found myself caring about the main characters in Summer of Love, except perhaps Laura who came across as the most likeable.  I was also shocked by some of their attitudes and prejudices and the decisions they make as a result, which reflects perhaps how far we have come as a society since the events depicted.  However, I was certainly gripped by the stories of their lives and eager to learn how events would play out for them.

Summer of Love is a compelling depiction of how secrets, even those hidden for years, will eventually find their way into the light.  As one character in the book perceptively observes, ‘Pretending was the worst part.  A lie happened on its own, but pretending – pretending went on and on.’  It shows how small actions, albeit well-intentioned, can have unintended and long-lasting consequences.  And it asks the question: “Must people go on suffering for their mistakes for ever?”

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Head of Zeus, in return for an honest and unbiased review. 

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the shock towards the start of this story, I wondered whether I was going to like it as much as The Summer House Party (or whether to continue at all). I should not have worried. Superb continuation of the saga and I can thoroughly recommend it.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dazzling Downton Abbey in post-WWII England. Perfect beach read! 5/5

Cheers to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the Arc. Opinions are mine.

#SummerOfLove #NetGalley

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer of Love follows Max Avril and Laura in their adulthood during the years 1948-1963 and is a thrilling book about life, love loss and overcoming adversity in London and other areas of England during these years. The images and descriptions are faultless and the pace is so quick yet easy to follow. There is a book before this, The Summer House Party, which I also have the ARC of, but it is not essential to read them in order. Avril was the character I found hardest to like. She only wants things for herself and was never concerned about Laura or her life.

Max seemed to have developed into someone who was able to move his life forward after tragedy when he was yonger. Avril and Laura also experienced the same but in different ways. Of the three, I liked Laura the most and her relationship with Ellis, a black jazz player from the States, was engaging, realistic and drew me in. Max seems sensitive and honest towards Laura's life decisions. All the characters are strong- minded in what they want in life though.

The atmosphere in London, the housing the clubs and social haunts was very realistically portrayed. I was hoping that things would work out for the characters and felt included in their individual plights for happiness and fulfilment in life.

I adore the cover of this book, it has such a refined vintage look to it. Don't be fooled by the title. I thought at first (just from the title) that the book would just be a romance, but there are so many more layers to the story. Summer of Love is about secrets, learning to move on whatever reality you live. It is about overcoming criticism and society's expectations as well as how you deal with the opinions and actions of those closest to you. It's about finding the best life you can for yourself. There are year-long family secrets and scandals which appeared when Max Avril and Laura were young but the consequences of which they have to live out into adulthood.

As I was listening to this, I felt like I was living it and that, to me, is the mark of a historical romance that is nothing short of amazing. Summer of Love never drags and there are so many twists and turns that I finished it in a few hours. 5 sparkling stars!

Thanks to Caro Fraser and Aria, Head of Zeus for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review and an opportunity to take part in the blog tour for this title.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I really loved this book. A fictional story set in post-war London and surrounds, it tells the story of an extended family whose lives over the following 15 or so years are caught up in secrets, scandals, love and loss. I felt immersed in 50's and 60's life and loved reading about the jazz clubs, the parties and the lifestyles from that time. I liked all of the characters and at various different times was probably rooting for them all over one incident or another.

This is absolutely my favourite genre and I devoured it, reading it over a couple of days. I understand this book is a follow on book to The Summer House Party, which I haven't read. That said it absolutely didn't hinder my enjoyment of Summer of Love, and I will definitely go back and read The Summer House Party. A 5*+ from me. A terrific read. I loved it.

[Juliet Bookliterati · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Summer of Love covers the years 1948 - 1963 and follows the lives of Max, Avril, and Laura as  they grow from teenagers to adults and have to face that they have all been lied to by their parents about different things.  When I started this book I didn't realise that Caro Fraser had written a previous book to this focusing on the lives of the parents of Max, Avril and Laura and the secrets of the past.  You can read The Summer of Love as a standalone, the history of the characters and previous events are explained so you miss nothing.

Max is eleven at the start of this book, his father died a hero in the war and his mother Meg, has remarried Dan who Max has a fantastic relationship with, until Avril interferes.  Avril tells him his mother and Dan were in fact having an affair before his father died.  This destroys Max's world and has devastating consequences for nearly twenty years.

Avril is a cousin to Max and a very unhappy and troubled young woman.  Her father was a famed artists who died when she was young and she was brought up by her mother Sonia.  Sonia also took in the child of their nanny, after she fell pregnant, and brought her up like Avril's sister.  Avril resented Laura as she was pretty, had a loving nature and was everything Avril wasn't; but this caused jealousy and resentment.  After her mother's death she takes her revenge on Laura, she feels Laura got all the love and attentions that she deserved as her biological daughter so deprives her of what was rightfully hers.

Laura only knows the her mother was the nanny and nothing about her father but Sonia has brought her up like a daughter, which causes the jealousy of Avril.  After Sonia's death Avril stops her education, and makes life very difficult for her.  Laura is a person who needs to be loved and false in love with Ellis Candy, a coloured Jazz Saxophone player and moves out.  Laura's early adult life is spent looking for love and falling in and out of some very dubious relationships; she wears her heart on her sleeve.  Of all the characters it is Laura who touched me the most. She has a big heart and is treated very unfairly in life by Avril and in a way by Max himself.

Caro Fraser writes with ease so the prose is fluid and meanders along at a steady place, following each character as they face the trials of life; love, death, sadness, happiness. Her detailed descriptions and research give a wonderful sense of place and make the characters and settings very natural. There are some very difficult issues raised in the book that were very relevant in the 1950's 1960's; racism, drugs, unwanted pregnancy, homosexuality.  All are dealt with realism and empathy, and in keeping with that period of history.

Summer of Love is a beautifully written, engaging and intelligent read.  The characters were memorable and drew you into their stories, and the plot had me engrossed.  The ending left a lot of open ends but I presume this is because Caro Fraser is going to write the next chapter in the lives of Max, Avril and Laura.  An atmospheric and encompassing read, perfect for those summer holidays.

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rather fond of books set in the post-war period - perhaps because it's a time I haven't lived through, and this lived up to my expectations. It's a very appealing read.

Harking back to different days, this is a novel which takes us through the transition in society from the post-war formal times with household staff to the swinging sixties. Covering several summers, we follow Laura, Averil, and Max from childhood through to full adulthood, but this is more than a coming-of-age story. It's the tale of family and friends entwined and entangled, with love, lust, desire, secrets, lies and hate all rearing their ugly heads from time to time.

Time passes quickly in this book; it's a character led tale. The individuals are all from privileged backgrounds at a time when changes meant that young women were no longer expected to just find a way to spend their time until a suitable (wealthy) young man snapped them up for marriage. It's a charming and delightful portrayal of the time in which it is set, as well as being a very engaging read. There is a good mix of characters and a few eye-opening events which certainly gave me food for thought.

If you enjoy a good post-war family saga, this is a read I would recommend. It is true to the period, and the story heads in several unexpected directions.

My thanks to publishers Head of Zeus for approving my request on NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

[Julie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of Caro Fraser’s books for years, her Caper Court series being books I return to time after time for unbeatable plotting and characterisation so I was delighted to be offered the chance to review her latest novel Summer of Love. This is in a different vein from the contemporary Caper Court books being, as the title suggests, set in the post-war period from 1949 until the swinging sixties.

The book centres around the lives of Max, Avril and Laura from their childhood until their coming of ages. The tragic events of one sultry summer day in 1949 leave a mark on each of them and their relationship to each other that continues to affect them all in to adulthood.

This book is an affecting exploration of how the circumstances of our birth and childhood and how our parents choose to raise us and what they let us believe about ourselves can have unforeseen consequences that ripple out endlessly throughout our lives, affecting all of our future decisions and relationships. The ideas raised are absorbing and thought-provoking and I know it is a book I will continue to think about long after I have closed the pages and placed it to one side in favour of something new.

The characters in this book are multi-dimensional and complicated and quickly draw he reader into their world, making us eager to know and understand them. Not all of them are likeable – one of the main characters is largely downright unpleasant – but are written in such a way that we still want to try and work out what has made them that way, what makes them tick and realise that their behaviour is perhaps holding them back from making them as fulfilled and contented as they could be.

The main draw of this book for me is the time period in which it is set and the frenetic and complicated social change taking place in that era. The years from just after the war to he mid-sixties was a time of immense transfiguration in Britain as the country rebuilt itself after the war and decided where its future lay. The younger generation were sometimes at odds with their parents, shaking off the shackles of propriety and restraint and searching for freedom and expression but there were still boundaries that could not be crossed, certain types of behaviour that would not be tolerated. This book explores brilliantly the contrast between the freedom and experimentation the youth were indulging in by way of new art and ideas, drugs, music and casual sex and the stigma still attached to homosexuality, inter-racial relationships, unmarried mothers etc. In this novel, Caro adeptly demonstrates how confusing it was for the people trying to navigate this uncertain time period when all social boundaries were being tested and where rejecting guidance and discipline from the older generation lead not only to freedom but also a sense of being alone in any plight the exercise of those freedoms brought on themselves.

The setting of he novel, between the quietness and staidness of the post-war English countryside and the grittiness of urban London emphasised this contrast and the author brings both settings vividly to life through enticing and eloquent descriptions. There is also a demonstration of the beginnings of the blurring of class distinctions during this period, with modern art and music encroaching on the upper crust echelons of the art world and the upsurge in popularity of fashion and music paving the way for the lower classes, who were making their mark in these fields, to mix with the monied set. It was a time of huge opportunity and this book manages to embody all the excitement and potential, as well as uncertainty that people must have felt at that time. For those of us too young to have lived through it, it is an enticing peek in to a world long gone but one that has paved the way for so much of what we take for granted today.

This book is not only a beautifully written and complex story of family relationships and personal exploration but also an intelligent snapshot of an exciting period of social history. The writing makes you think and leaves you with a feeling that you have gained a huge amount from the time investing in reading it and maybe a slightly better understanding of a huge stepping stone on the way to the society we have today, together with some ideas about how much further we may have to go. I revelled in every word of it.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer of Love is the follow on from Caro Fraser’s brilliant The Summer House Party from last year. That was a book I adored, and I’ve found Summer of Love to be just as good if not better.
Summer of Love starts in the summer of 1949, a few years after the previous book ended. Meg and Dan Ranscombe have gone to visit their friend Harry Denholm at his new country home in Kent along with son Max and Sonia Hardon’s two daughters Avril and Laura. One fateful day a secret is revealed which leads to a horrible accident which has dreadful consequences for Max, Avril and Laura. As the story unfolds Max, Avril and Laura shake off the bonds of childhood and go their separate ways in life, only to be drawn back together a few times over the years.
This is a beautifully written novel which explores the effects which our parents and our experiences and feelings from our younger days mould us as adults. Max traumatised by his feelings towards his mother leads a sheltered life pouring himself into his work in the hope this will keep his demons at bay. Laura, knowing she was abandoned by her mother as a baby longs to be loved and her naivety leads her into some difficult situations. Avril, always feeling pushed out by Laura takes the ultimate revenge when she has the chance but is still left feeling she’s alone and on the side-lines.
I loved reading how each of these characters changed over the years experiencing love, loss, betrayal, revenge and forgiveness. Caro Fraser has written a novel which is wonderfully character driven and guides us effortlessly from the restrained end of war years to the emergence of the vibrant atmosphere of the sixties. It’s a novel which covers attitudes to many social factors including racism, feminism, homosexuality to drug taking and unwanted pregnancies, all with such eloquent and engaging writing.
This is a novel not to be missed and judging by the way the ending has been left fairly open ended I’m hoping there is more to come from the lives of Max, Laura and Avril.
Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of the blog tour, Summer of Love by Caro Fraser has been a pleasure to read.

[Jane Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an atmospheric book, immersing you in the post-war decades of the 1950s and 1960s. 'Summer of Love' is the sequel to ' The Summer House Party', which I haven't read but it is a complete story, and there is an adequate backstory to make this read well as a standalone.

A tragedy, a mystery and oodles of deceit and passion make this an absorbing story. The vivid setting provides the perfect backdrop for Avril, Laura and Max to find out who they are as adults.

Avril is the least empathetic character, she has a dark nature, which threatens to blight both hers and Laura's lives. Laura lacks self-esteem, a symptom of her parentage and upbringing as the 'poor relation', in the Haddon household. Her lack of self-worth coupled with naivety makes her vulnerable to manipulation. Max discovers a secret that changes his life, reaching adulthood, he is confused about his identity and who indeed to love.

Full of fateful decisions, decadence and prejudice, the story vividly portrays Avril, Laura and Max's Summers of love, against the evolving times of the 1950s and 1960s. Their character development is believable, and although flawed they are compelling and make the reader eagerly turn the pages to find out what they do next.

A perfect escapist read for the summer.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to The Summer House Party, this story starts in 1949, once again at a Summer house party, where tragedy strikes when Meg and Dan's affair during her marriage is revealed to her young son, Max. We then follow the fortunes predominantly of the younger generation through the 50's and 60's, as the repercussions of Henry Haddon's affair with his child, Avril's, nanny in the preceding book play out for Avril and Laura. Some of the plot points are clunky but overall the story is very satisfying and I love Caro Fraser's cool, somewhat detached narrative voice and her gift of embracing moral ambiguity.

[Lizp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have long been a fan of Caro Fraser, having found the Caper Court series to be engrossing. Summer of Love is a great read. The characters are well drawn and the plot is engaging. The turbulent waves that emerge from the tragedy of Meg’s death are long ranging. Avril is a mendacious person; a truly nasty piece of work. Philip, a bit of a Ripley, is a perfect partner for her. Now there’s a match hatched in hell.

I highly recommend Summer of Love.

It’s come up as Kindle edition for my review. I actually read the hardback. I’d never read a kindle book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book was a saga that followed the lives of three main characters. Avril is a young jealous girl when this story begins. She is a character you will love to hate and feel sorry for at the same time. Laura is the character who you will feel like wanting to jump into the book to give advice. Max's character is troubled. I found the end of this story ending with many questions. Is there going to be a sequel?

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soapy, compelling family saga that tracks the lives and loves of the younger generation featured in The Summer House Party, with a fun 60's London setting, characters to root for and against, and a perfectly calibrated ending. I love a book about rich people behaving badly and this made for a stellar summer read.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caro Fraser’s Caper Court series always struck the right balance for me - and traces of those characters can be found in her other books. Her trademark light touch in dealing with sexual freedoms, coming of age, of dealing with secrets and the tangled webs that these create always makes me wonder how much was written from real life.

[Rachel Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a different book from what I’d normally read , having read books by Caro Fraser over a decade ago where it’s all about the law and inner temple goings on I thought this might be as good . It was not it was dry and dusty and didn’t really go anywhere. Set in the swinging sixties it certainly didn’t swing !!!!
So I’m back to find a good psychological drama to get my teeth into .

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: the 1950s/1960s setting, a time of great change here in Britain.
the dynamics and relationships between the characters

What I disliked: in some parts it was predictable and cliched.

[Stephanie Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

I have read all of Caro Fraser’s books and enjoyed everyone of them, it’s always disappointing when I finish one.

[Donna Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this, finished it in one day. Although predictable in places, an enjoyable read

[Jill Shortt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read the first in the series, The Summer House Party, before this one. I will read it anyway.

[talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely breathless. Each successive event is just the craziest possible next thing. Somehow I managed to read this 500-page book in essentially a single sitting.

[Ashleighaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of an abrupt ending

[Linda Louch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex and compelling read