The Summerhouse Trilogy

by Alice Thomas Ellis

Margaret and Syl are getting married. Alas for Margaret, who views her impending union with the odious Syl in the same way a ship must view a shipwreck. Alas for Mrs. Monro, Syl's mother, who harbours severe doubts about the entire male gender -- not least of all her son. Alas for Lili, the high-spirited temptress who is willing to do anything to prevent this disastrous misalliance, even if that means sacrificing herself. And hooray for The Summerhouse Trilogy, which follows the ominous weeks before Margaret's wedding through the eyes of these three highly biased narrators. Fizzing with wit and the rueful wisdom of women who have seen -- and borne -- every species of masculine misbahaviour, this delectable and unexpectedly serious comedy was the inspiration for an acclaimed BBC TV film.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Paperback

First published November 28, 1991

About the author

Alice Thomas Ellis was short-listed for the Booker prize for The 27th Kingdom. She is the author of A Welsh Childhood (autobiography), Fairy Tale and several other novels including The Summerhouse Trilogy, made into a movie starring Jeanne Moreau and Joan Plowright.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thank my GR friends for sending this lovely novel my way. Set in England in the 1950’s, this book is structured in the form of three separate retellings of the same events. These retellings are referred to in the title of the novel as a trilogy, and are not interspersed as is often the case with multiple narrators. This structure worked extremely well, as the reader sees the entire story as told by one, then a second and then a third woman – and, of course, each narrator has a completely different and completely subjective view of the events. The first narrator is Margaret, a sad, introverted young woman, who is engaged to a man almost her mother’s age (his name is Syl). Margaret has clearly been damaged by events in her life (but they are not fully disclosed to the reader by her), and it is clear that she has no interest in marrying Syl. The second narrator is Syl’s mother, an older woman who is known for being difficult. Her descriptions of aging (including the reactions of other to an aging person) were some of the best I have ever read. The last narrator is Lili, who (with her husband) is staying with Margaret and her mother before the wedding. Lili was an absolutely wonderful, quite complex character. What a wonderful combination of good and bad the author has created in Lili.
I thought this novel would be about three very English women living somewhat complacent lives. Well I was completely wrong. There is a lot going on here – secrets galore, deceit, revenge, love and lots of present and past physical relationships. I enjoyed every page!

[Penny Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite novels by a writer who is not that well known in The United States. Alice Thomas Ellis is incredibly gifted with creating characters who intrigues and a plot that unfolds by the narration of three very different women. Lili is one of the most magnificent female characters I have come across in fiction in a long time. Half English, half Egyptian, half whore and half saint, her voice and her philosophy of life are remarkable. I don't want to give away too much of the plot but the trilogy is about a marriage that should not happen and why it should not happen and if it will really happen at all. There is Catholicism, child abuse, murder, sex, infidelity and secrets everywhere - all in the boring town of Croydon. I saw the film which absolutely avoided the book's dark sections and focused more on the sexy side. Disappointing. This is a novel where you have to pay very careful attention to details and you may have to read it twice. I read this once every year.

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book and I can't recommend it enough for thinking women everywhere. It's listed as a "Trilogy," but don't be scared. It's not so much a trilogy, as three short novellas which are set around the same dreaded wedding.

The first novella, "The Clothes in the Wardrobe," is absolutely thought-provoking and inspiring (and a bit surprising). Had you attempted to take the book from my hand during this section, I'd have simply hit you over the head with it.

The second, "The Skeleton in the Cupboard," deals with the subject of aging, and facing one's death, and I dog-eared approximately 40 pages. The author, Ms. Ellis, went out of her way to tackle our most challenging topics, and she did so brilliantly. I was quite spell-bound.

The third, "The Fly in the Ointment," was the only one I found tedious, and, for me, it was the part of the book that brought my review down from five stars to four. I found it redundant and unnecessary, though the writing and intriguing quality of this novel still shine through.

Very British, and better than most books. If you are a fan of either Graham Greene or Penelope Lively, you will most likely love it.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to think about this book for a while to sort it out. Sort of brilliant, certainly compulsively good reading. Three stories but all surrounding the impending wedding of one girl, each of the so-called "trilogy" told by a different character, and while covering much of the same ground, the different perspective enlightens like layers of an onion, and just as tart. The overlay of the culture and sexism of Egypt, where they had previously lived, is perhaps the most interesting subtext. Some wonderfully insightful, often profound statements on love, marriage, friendship, etc. but all with an edge - nothing sentimental or even what you might usually consider "female" as women betray each other, save each other, silently understand each other. It's grand reading.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

DON’T be fooled by the lovely stack of tea cups on the cover of “The Summer House Trilogy”, by Alice Thomas Ellis! I was expecting a “veddy” British satire on marriage, but this story goes DARK. Horrifying secrets are revealed! All three narrators are deliciously unreliable, and there are twisty shocks in each section.

Ellis has wonderfully executed a “Roshomon”-structured novel about the impending marriage of nineteen-year-old, Margaret to forty-year-old, Syl.

The first part is from Margaret’s point of view. Gradually we learn why she has agreed to this mismatch (she doesn’t love Syl; in fact, she detests him) due to something traumatic that happened to her in Egypt. In her section we are introduced to her overbearing mother Monica, her mother’s best friend, Lili, (both former friend of Syl’s for they are contemporaries) and to Syl’s elderly widowed mother Mrs. Monro. The end of this section provides quite a shocking turn.

The next section is from Mrs. Monro’s point of view which is full of brilliant insight into the male/female roles, infidelity, and the institution of marriage. She provides us another dimension of the story as Syl’s mother. Her opposition to the marriage isn’t for the reasons you might think. And MORE dark secrets are revealed!

In the final rendition of the story, Lili speaks directly to the reader to explain why she did what she did. This section is rich with confessional details that bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.

Each of the three narrators have distinct voices, and all are totally unreliable! That’s most of the fun!

[Terri Vlasak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I like the way the author structured it. She tells a story from three different perspectives. The story we follow is the planning of an English wedding. This event is the 'stage' that allows us to learn more about the 'players' involved. The perspectives are that of the bride herself - Margaret; the bride's mother-in-law to be - Mrs. Munro (I can't recall her first name); and Lilli, a school friend of the bride's mother. The wedding is a mistake - Margaret's intended is 20 years her senior and still lives with his mother. Margaret feels no love for him and in fact, does not even like him. The story unfolds as each perspective shares histories of the past and present, trying to reconcile themselves to a marriage that appears to be wrong. As they intersect, they quietly plot to stop the unblessed event. The book is written very well and transported me to the modern English countryside. The characters were very well drawn - I recommend this book highly. Don't be put off by the slow beginning - that's just Margaret. Note: this one would be a good one for a book club - have individuals read only one section of the trilogy, which at least one member reading all three. It would make an even stronger reading impression to experience the impact perspective has on the readers perceptions and sympathies.

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the movie* first but the book closely follows it. The Summer House is a modern Gothic tale made up of all sorts of eccentric characters, with perhaps one of the most bizarrely memorable endings in all literature. Read this over ten years ago. First heard of Ellis through the literary magazine-like catalogue, The Common Reader, which is now defunct, to my very great sorrow.

Just thinking about The Summer House makes we want to read the book or watch the movie again. Ellis captures all the idiosyncratic behaviors and dialogue of British family and too-intimate-neighbor life oh-so well. It's a book almost best appreciated on subsequent readings, but reading the ending first still wouldn't help.

Ellis and The Summer House are a treat!

* The 1995 version starring Jeanne Moreau and Joan Plowright NOT the 2009 version.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece. I've just finished the first book and cannot wait to continue it. The writing is superb. The first story captures the voice and the essence of a 19 year old. Full of that overarching angst, painful self analysis, and inner turmoil of youth. There are many paragraphs to savor, reasons for pause and contemplation.

"I had drunk too much and woke in the night knowing I was damned. There is nothing to do about being damned. I lay in the darkness but my soul lay, the insect's child, washed in endless light. Light made me powerless. In the dark I could maneuver, hide in the alleys of incomprehension, crouch behind walls of indifference, know that I existed, and hope because I couldn't be seen. Only perfection can flower in the light. It is eternal and it illuminates despair. Hell is the absence of God, the absence even of his shadow. Much grief, much pain is experienced in the shadow of God, but despair comes where he is not. You can pray, you can say the words, but there is no communion, and you cannot close your eyes."

Do not let me leave you the impression that this is a dark and depressing novel. Au contraire! It is an absolute delight! Witty and sage. The other two tales are narrated by an elderly and a middle- aged woman so I am really looking forward to the contrast of their voices.

I enjoyed the second and third books too. Some people might think the author was too long winded, but I enjoyed it very much.


SEMI-SPOILER ALERT: The ending of the first story was a total surprise. That is such a rare gift for an avid reader and I want you to enjoy the experience too!

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may wonder why it took so long for me to finish a book I've given five stars. Sometimes life just gets in the way of pure pleasure, made only more so because there are more to be read. I have discovered a buried treasure, Alice Thomas Ellis.

Margaret is 19 and engaged to Syl who is 46. Syl, Monica, (Margaret's mother), and Lili met and became friends while living in Egypt for some years when Margaret was a little girl. The Summer House is a trilogy. First narrated by Margaret, second by Mrs. Munro (Syl's mother) and lastly by Lili, three very different women tell their story of this farcical marriage-to-be. Three generations, three perceptions of love, life, marriage, sex, relationships, aging, social norms, and I could go on. The language is spot on. I dare anyone to read this and not recognize some of themselves in one or all of the characters. The humor moves from ridiculous to dark to poignant. I will read this again with a highlighter as there are too many turns of phrase to leave to my failing memory.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writer reminds me so much of Dorthy Parker without the sarcastic wit. She created three brilliant voices for her three characters in this trilogy - the bride who'd rather become a nun than married, the aging mother of the groom who sees that her son should not marry the bride, and the old college friend of the mother of the bride who is dances through life hoping to make everyone fall in love with her but finds herself wanting to do her first selfless act and stop the wedding. The voices come through so strong and clear. Loved the three voices telling he same story. I'll admit the beginning was terribly dull until the bride finally began to reveal herself. Absolutely a joy to read.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this book, and had to work to make myself stick with it to the end. It was well written, but the story line did not grab me and I found myself getting bored with the characters. The most interesting person was Syl's elderly mother, and I was disappointed when her section of the book ended. I can't say I would recommend this book to anyone, unless you enjoy reading about people who think and talk about themselves constantly.

[Bookslut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I thought I was getting. Far, far better. I wanted and expected a frothy summer novel, but British and therefore a little smarter. There's a wedding involved. I thought it would be a cross between Bridgit Jones's Diary and My Best Friend's Wedding. Wow, it is not. Not frothy (anti-froth), not anywhere near that Best Friend's Diary hybrid, and a great deal smarter than I thought I was getting (or possibly wanted). Once I adjusted, I knew I'd stumbled onto a new author Relationship. I think she's written about 15 books!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A literary tryptych of sorts, with same story told from three points of view, each one filling in details missing from the others. The first two, told from perspective of Margaret, intended bride, and mum-in-law to be, Mrs Monro, were by far the best. Formally, Magaret's was most intriguing, as Ellis provides glimpses of key events in oblique, sudden fashion, an approach that reflects damaged psyche of M.. Narrative in Mrs M's section was quite traditional, almost dully so, coming right after M's, but written in wonderful, at times, page-stopping prose. All of which made Lilli's obnoxious, hyper, whiny voice in last section all the more annoying, nearly enough to ruin the entire book for me -- except for last two paragraphs, which had a kind of incantatory profundity (ech, that's a mouthful, but best i can do)that made me rethink my view of L's character and her role in book. I should add, though, that I was only one in our local book club to argue for significance of this abrupt shift. Everyone else was so annoyed with L by the end that they thought nothing could redeem her purpose.

I did not expect to like this book at all, and at times, I found it simultaneously boring and interesting. Not much happens in the present, but Ellis is such an engaging stylist that she won me over, no small feat for a book with which I was losing patience quickly. Rest of group rated novel "2/3 brilliant, 1/3 disaster." I wouldn't go that far on either count. Even if L's section had matched first two, I probably would not have given the book 5 stars. More like 4 to 4.5 stars. So, I'll settle for a wishy-washy 3.5 to 4 stars. Certainly liked it enough to want to read more of Ellis in future.

[Rohase Piercy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This my umpteenth reading of The Summer House Trilogy, which I originally knew as three separate novellas - it's one of my all-time favourites despite the rather dated language and sentiments. I do love it when the same sequence of events is presented from different perspectives, and that's exactly what this trilogy does - an impending marriage between a nineteen-year-old girl and a forty-something man (a neighbour and friend of the family) is presented firstly from the bride's point of view, then from that of her prospective mother-in-law, and finally from the perspective of one of the guests, an old friend of the bride's mother who's staying with the family in the run-up to the nuptials.
It's set in the late 1950s/early 1960s in the dull, respectable suburb of Croydon, and there's very little surface action, but lots going on underneath - lots of introspection, retrospection and observation, which I'll admit does at some points get a little repetitive ... but I'm still drawn in every time, and even though having read the first story we know how everything's going to pan out in the other two it's fascinating to see it all unrolled again from a different point of view.
It's not even as though the characters are likeable - the only two I can warm to are Mrs Monro (the bridgroom's mother and one of the narrators) and Mrs Raffald (the cleaning lady) - both of whom are treated with a certain amount of contempt by most of the others. But that's part of Alice Thomas Ellis' genius - you can fling the book away in exasperation at the self-indulgence, snobbery and arrogance of one of the narrators but you know that you're hooked and you'll have to take it up again. It's a clever, shocking, understated story and it improves with every reading.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trilogy aspect of this story is that the same story is told by three different characters- each with her own perspective of the same period of time. Margaret is engaged to be married to man she doesn't love. However, lacking the backbone and gumption to take on the life she dreams of, she moves along in the torrent of her mother's enthusiasm for the wedding. Mrs. Monroe is the soon-to-be mother-in-law. She sees that the marriage is a mistake but on some levels is relieved to see her middle aged son finally settling down. Lilly is visiting from Egypt and is a friend from way back. Her narcissistic behavior creates doubt in everyone's minds and brings color to otherwise dull and predictable people's lives.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Monroe's point of view, Lilly's was fascinating and as I said, Margaret is such a drip, she just made me impatient... Well written though - so much so, that I wished for a pen to underline certain parts for reference.

[Anna Mussmann]

So. . . I read this, and I’m not sure WHAT I think. Perhaps I need someone to discuss it with, or, really, someone to explain it to me.

The author is an English Catholic whose work I’ve seen compared to that of Flannery O'Connor. She does not provide a nice, tidy, Christian ending or even tidy Christian answers. If I had read this book in my youth, I think I might even have interpreted it as anti-Christian. As an adult I can see some aspects of the author’s faith coming through--she handles her cast of damaged, sometimes-sordid characters with too much compassion to be a nihilist.

The book is certainly witty. The writing is deeply engaging. I need to think more about it all before I can provide anything more coherent, however.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author brought a lot of skill to this story told from multiple points of view, but none of the characters or their perspectives held much appeal for me, personally. Once the story received its third retelling, it became tedious for me and I was just turning pages to get it over with. I appreciated the author's technique, which was to craft three stand-alone novellas focused on the same event, and it was remarkable how exceptionally well she so clearly delineated each narrator's unique voice. Still, I just couldn't care much about what they were telling me.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a trilogy! This novel, told in three parts, takes you into the heads of three very different women. Which is a good thing because no one would ever guess the subversive thoughts going on inside them. The basic plot gets told in the first narrative, which starts off a bit slow, but the juicy details only come out in the two subsequent tales.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blecchhhh! I can't believe I finished reading this book, or that anyone would think it was interesting enough to make a movie out of! I hated it to the very last page.

[Mamama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oppressively Depressing. Got it because someone on NPR loved it.
Thanks a lot, NPR.

[Jean Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride.

I love Alice Thomas Ellis. Is there any other writer I feel so connected to? God willing, we both make it to heaven because damn it, I want to meet her.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a quirky read! I enjoyed the three perspectives and how it brought the odd little tale to life.

[Sophie Glazer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been at a wedding (or funeral, or other fraught family rite) and witnessed something so extraordinary that you absolutely KNOW there must be a story behind it—but then everybody hastily covers it up and explains it away so that you end up doubting your own memories? Alice Thomas Ellis’s “The Summerhouse” invites us to a wedding at a large house in a wealthy London suburb; the groom goes missing, and is found in the summerhouse in a remarkably compromising situation with a guest, a little tale we are invited to see through the eyes of three women: the bride-to-be, the groom’s mother, and the naughty wedding guest . . . except, is she, in fact, so naughty? Or has she sacrificed herself on the altar of sisterhood? The three stories dovetail so subtly that it’s not until the end of the last that we see the complex biblical imagery of Eve and Lilith, the stories of very different women, very different forms of temptation and purity, love and lust, all intertwining amid the vines and cacti in the summerhouse.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to do with this book. The first section didn't capture me at all. Margaret did not strike me as an interesting character, and her narrative voice wasn't sufficient to make any of the other characters interesting either. Then the second part came, and Mrs. Monro made it a little better. Pieces of the plot came together in this second telling that made it more coherent and intriguing. And then....part three. Lili's voice was initially a disappointment because she was the only bright spot in the story through Margaret's eyes, yet her actual storytelling is not as unique as I'd hoped. Here, though, Alice Thomas Ellis finally drops in the last few pieces that make the story itself not only comprehensible, but worthwhile. I'm still not sold on the characters. But I'm going to give Ellis the benefit of the doubt and do four stars instead of three.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two thirds of this book was great! It reminded me of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris. Both books are from the perspective of three different women in succession. However, in Michael Dorris' book, the final third and last narrator tied it all together with missing information that was very compelling. In Summer House, I felt like I knew it all already and the third narrator was also disappointing.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in three parts - each part from the perspective of a different female character in the story. I really enjoyed the writing style and seeing how each woman interpreted the goings-on. There were some excellent surprises in the story that made me reconsider character points that I thought were established. The one thing I find odd is that some reviews describe it as a comedy. I did not find it particularly funny - maybe I had a chuckle or two. For the most part, I just enjoyed the plot and the perspectives of the different women.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book for me to rate. It has three long chapters about the same timeframe and events from 3 different people in the story. The first was from the perspective of a damaged dishrag of a young woman that I found boring and tedious. Perhaps that is exactly what the author intended. The next two chapters had me captivated, and I loved the ending. If the first chapter had been better I would have rated the whole book 4 stars. The book was made into a movie that I'd like to see.

[Lifeinbetweenwords · Rating 4 out of 5]

The same event (an engagement and a wedding) described in three parts, from three different perspectives.

I loved it for its sharp observations about love and aging, and the almost wistful nostalgia with which the book treats loneliness and longing among women in different stages of their lives.

[Amanda Del Brocco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept of hearing different parts of the story told different characters but it was really slow.

[Deborah]

I had heard of Alice Thomas Ellis but somehow never comes across her books as a reading proposition, perhaps because of my very long affair with American fiction in the period when she was popular in the late 1980s. However, a book club recommendation meant it landed in my lap and I read this trilogy over just a few days.

Telling the same story three times from different perspectives is pretty bold, but it somehow holds together. The strongest part for me was the middle section, narrated by Mrs Monroe, the aspirant groom's mother, who first appears in his fiancée Margaret's account. Thomas Ellis skilfully reverses the negative impression we have formed of Mrs Monroe to produce a sympathetic and nuanced character, and I really enjoyed that slow revelation of how someone's outer manner can belie a very different interior life. Margaret I found quite insipid (which I am sure is intentional) and by the time I reached Lili, I was finding it a bit wearing.

Thomas Ellis has a spiky, satirical style that is also insightful, and I enjoyed that, especially some one-liners from Lili, who, for example, in response to Margaret expressing her fear of growing old, states "I always wanted to die young and now it's too late". Sounds pretty banal on its own, but in the context of the book's dark humour, it works. In some respects, the books' comedy of manners now feels a bit dated - even for its time - but the sprightly writing mostly compensates for that.

It was the elderly Mrs Monroe's monologues that kept me there, however:

"I was extremely careful as I poured the boiling water into a jug, and careful as I walked back to the table. I had to be very cautious now of heat and height and distance. Ordinary things, all part of the world as it was made for humans, had become dangerous and threatening. Fires and steps and floors waited for me to pitch myself against them: not with malice, but with an unpleasant, alien patience. The world, it seemed, grew passively hostile as death looked closer. I no longer felt at home in it."

Later, Mrs Monroe stirs a stew with "a wooden spoon I had had all my life", a "Christmas present from an aunt long ago, with a pudding bowl and a checked apron,". I have many such kitchen utensils myself and found this detail strangely moving.

Fortunately, there is a coda to the story because Rohase Piercy has just published 'The Cat in the Bag', which re-tells Thomas Ellis' story from the perspective of Cynthia, second wife of Margaret's father Derek. So for me, it's on to the next chapter in this strange hall of kaleidoscope mirrors!