Customer Reviews

Song for Summer

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my all-time favourite books, the kind of comfort-blanket you can turn to when ill, dull or depressed, and almost as good as Jane Austen in that respect. The story is conventional, in the sense that a pretty young girl goes to work as matron in a boarding school and falls in love, but it's the writing, the details and the characters which give it a kind of magic. (Anyone new to Ibbotson's work should also check out her superb children's novels, especially The Star of Kazan, which has a similar heroine). Ellen is the daughter of a trio of fierce feminists, who are horrified when, instead of pursuing a serious career and finishing her degree at Cambridge, she becomes an expert on matters domestic - cooking espeically. Ellen leaves England to work at a progressive boarding school in Austria, where sensitive children are dumped by rich parents and taught to be forks in drama classes. (The author attended Dartington School in the 1930s). Unfortunately, Hitler's rise to power is impingeing even on the demi-paradise of rural Austria, and it turns out the mysterious Marek is rescuing Jews who manage to escape the camps. A composer who wins your heart instantly because he hangs bullies and Nazis out of windows and refuses to let his music be played by the Reich, he falls reluctantly in love with Ellen, but almost loses her thanks to the coming War.
Steeped in good jokes and high culture, this is the kind of romantic novel that like puff pastry looks light and feathery but is the most difficult of all to make - and find. The wit is delicious. Ellen's serious aunts in Bloomsbury, puzzled and mortified by their relation's femininity, the absurd idealism of the school, and Ellen's quiet battle with disorder are like Cold COmfort Farm only without the snobbishness and anti-Semitism.

If you haven't discovered Eva Ibbotson, give her a try now. For sheer warm, lyrical beauty, I think there are few authors who can match her. Every sentence is a gem. I find myself trying to read slowly because I know how unhappy I'll be when the book is finished. This book--dealing with the rise of the Nazis and the coming of WWII--was inevitably darker than some of Ibbotson's, but she handles the subject matter beautifully.

This is the first Ibbotson book I had read and it ties with A Countess Below Stairs as my favorite. The author creates such memorable characters that you can't help wanting the story to go on forever. I loaned this book to a friend and we laugh over the characters like Andromeda, the self regulating baby. I could not put it down. I love to tell my friends about Ibbotson, but it seems like all her books are out of print so you have to get them at libraries. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story mixed with a little romance.

I read this book, and I did enjoy it very much. There were elements of the book that I found truly touching, or funny, or gripping, but I found that there were also some flaws. Ellen is a thoroughly likeable character, and her love and concern for everyone around her make it clear why the characters would all fall under her charm. Marek was definitely a winner, and I fell in love with him through Ellen for all of the beautiful nuances of his character. I felt that many of the other characters were underdeveloped. As I read I found myself losing track of names and who was who. A constant shifting of perspective also made the story a bit difficult to follow. I sometimes had to look back a sentence or two for the name of the person that was now being referred to as 'he' or 'she'. I also found it difficult to buy into some of the decisions made by Ellen and Marek towards the end of the book. These characters didn't really seem to stay true to themselves. At first the plot twists and turns had me truly surprised, but by the end of the book I felt like the pattern was getting way too predictable. Overall I would say it is worth reading, but it would not go on my list of great books.

Finally! The highly acclaimed author Eva Ibbotson, (whose books were reviewed decades ago to justifiable superlatives of every sort known to readers everywhere have returned to print). No one writes like Ms. Ibbotson or perhaps ever will. "A Song For Summer, A Novel" will be among the best books you have ever had the honor (and I sincerely mean this...*honor*) to read and own. I do not know of any other author who creates such profoundly deep and complicated characters amid a sentence or two (when reader first meets the heroes and villains) creating the lightest of anecdotes that utterly defines them for one of the best stories you have ever read in your life. Also, in this masterpiece, I would defy anyone to match a wow-of-an-ending that will live as long as you do. In troubled times like ours, we all need a novel like "A Song For Summer" (certainly grand for all ages) not just because it is penned by this unique master of literature; or a fantastically appropriate summer book - but because the novel is so utterly gorgeous from its opening line, to the last sigh - conveying that Ms. Ibbotson brilliantly understands how to utilize art itself to keep us sane when seemingly one's world has gone beyond awry to the virtual reality of insane. I can only thank Amazon.com for bringing back books like this one and making it available at a giveaway price for the treasure it is, and always has been...beyond priceless.

Classic light romance. As usual, Ibbotson's characters are quirky and charming. All her heroines are similar to Anne of Green Gables in their imaginative appreciation of what most of us consider the mundane things in life, and Ellen is no exception. The hero is a true hero, and defenestrates Nazis--what more could you ask for?

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. It takes its time in concluding--yet seems rushed at the same time--as the lovers encounter obstacle after obstacle, overcoming them over the years in the space of a few pages. Its excellent qualities notwithstanding,_The Morning Gift_ suffered from this to a lesser degree.

Nevertheless, Ibbotson is the sort of author who holds up to repeated rereadings, and I think _A Song for Summer_ will prove no exception.

I am an avid fan of Eva Ibbotson's children's books, whose descriptions are in between JK Rowlings's and Edith Nesbitt's. This book was slightly less enchanting as her children's fantasies, but there was still that wonderful rich description. I do have to argue against the reviewer who said that few could match her warm, lyrical style; Jane Austen's and Charlotte Bronte's comes close. The plot is a fairly straightforward tale of a young woman who goes to work at a boarding school, so it isn't the most gripping tale, but it's still a wonderful beautiful story. Read it if you love Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, or Ms. Ibbotson's fantasy books, or if you love the English language, or just spend a sophisticated, enjoyable few hours with a great book. Email me if you want more info or have a specific question.

The author uses language wonderfully, evoking a real sense of that period in time and place (Austria, 1930s). One can almost see the mountains and the castle 'Schloss Hallendorf' in one's mind. The rapport between the characters is heartwarming and sentimental. It is like its title : it is like a warm, drowsy summer day which is permanently etched in one's mind.

Ibbotson brings depth and wit to her characters, and when you finish the book, you are left with a feeling of warmth. Definitely for romantics, thi book. I warmly recommend this book to anyone who wants a light yet filling read.

My favorite scene? When Ellen orders mineral water and Marek orders alcohol. She asks how he can drink so early in the morning. He replies, "Water is for the feet."

This is a really lovely romance in Eva Ibbotson style. I read from another reviewer that she writes the same stories - and you may get a sense of that. This is sort of the Countess Below Stairs mixed with The Dragonfly Pool. But it is a great story with characters that I found really easy to like, understand or relate to.

It is set in pre World War 2 - the shadow of the Nazi's and war is hanging over Europe in the 1930's when Ellen, intelligent, hardworking and lovely, sets out to be the new matron at a liberal boarding school in Austria.

She meets Marek, who is the handyman at the school, but obviously there is something more to him, along with a cast of great characters. There are a stream of other stories which are all interlinked. That of Kendrick, the rather wet Englishman who loves her and wants her to marry him, of the Vienesse Opera Singer who Marek has been involved with in the past.

Ibbotson manages to tie in a host of themes of the time, the Nazi's and their persecution of the jews, the Eastern European bloc formation through Czechoslavakia and the love of Vienesse for for Opera!

I really like the way that Ibbotson blends her storylines. I love the main characters who manage to create good in their environment and I love the way she sets these books in slightly different circumstances each time.

While I found some story lines promising at first they often just petered out. I wondered if there was to originally be a larger role for the Suffragist Mother and Aunts. I am sure Isaac the violinist was meant for a larger role, but again, that just faded away. There were also slightly annoying things, while the theme of a mother who delivered a camel on the way to church was mildly funny, I didn't think it warranted the attention it got. I also felt a bit disappointed that the Kohlroserl didn't have the attention it seemed to warrant at the start

All these were minor disappointments, or issues - the book was a wonderful read, which I really enjoyed and will definitely enjoy again on re-reading - as I do with all Ibbotson's books. They are warm, friendly and inviting stories about humanity and love.

This book was my least favorite out of all Ms.Ibbotson's books. I couldnt keep my attention and the ended was kinda boring. Although i like the lead male, the main character really annoyed me. I don't think we found out what her true character is. The storyline and plot confused me cause it jumped around. I forgot who the people were most of the time. I really didnt like the storyline. I found it kind of boring. Though it wasnt predictable, I was confused on what was happening. If you want a good read, read Countess Below Stairs, The morning Gift, or a companny of swans. (that's in order ffrom my most favorite!)