Description

Set against the backdrop of gathering war, A Song for Summer is an unforgettable love story from master storyteller Eva Ibbotson, with an introduction from Ella Risbridger.

When Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, she soon knows she’s found her calling.

Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her. But it’s the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her – Marek, who has a dangerous secret. As Hitler’s troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness . . .

‘I have binged on Eva Ibbotson . . . her elegantly written, witty and well-observed fables’ Nigella Lawson, The Times

Publisher Review

Ibbotson, as always, manages to transport the reader, if not to a fantasy world, at least to a world full of enchantment, where it seems anything could happen. Her portrayal of all the characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, is fantastically unconventional, and throughout the book, her scene setting is truly perfect . . . Ibbotson is evidently a master at knowing just how much description to put into a scene, and this is what makes the book so special. -- Children's Books Review * Guardian * Eva Ibbotson is so clever at capturing moments in history and weaving a story around them and her characters too are so real you feel you can reach out and touch them. Here in A Song for Summer is absolutely no exception. * LoveReading4Kids * Beautiful and perplexing, the book is an absolute masterpiece, that's mystery and flawless description ignites the imagination -- Elinor Gray * LoveReading4Kids * A deliciously old-fashioned story, which encompasses love, adventure and a host of memorable characters. * BookTrust * This year (thanks to a recommendation by Ella Risbridger on Instagram, of all places) I have binged on Eva Ibbotson, not her children's books, but her elegantly written, witty and well-observed if (after a few) formulaic fables of emigrees with beautiful burnished hair fallen on hard times. I read one after another, and rather feel your Christmas might be brightened by doing the same. So may I suggest A Song for Summer, followed by The Morning Gift, then The Secret Countess, A Company of Swans, Magic Flutes, Journey to the River Sea, and The Star of Kazan. -- Nigella Lawson * The Sunday Times * Discovering Eva Ibbotson's books is one of the nicest things that's ever happened to me. The most beautiful, delicious, wry read -- Marian Keyes