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William Trevor's Last Stories is forthcoming from Viking. A New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book From the winner of the 1999 David Cohen British Literature Prize comes an unforgettably chilling novel, written with the compassion and artistry that define Trevor's fiction. There were three deaths that summer. The first was Letitia's, sudden and quite unexpected, leaving her husband, Thaddeus, haunted by the details of her last afternoon. The next death came some weeks later, after Thaddeus's mother-in-law helped him to interview for a nanny to bring up their baby. None of the applicants were suitable--least of all the last one, with her sharp features, her shabby clothes that reeked of cigarettes, her badly typed references--so Letitia's mother moved herself in. But then, just as the household was beginning to settle down, the last of the nannies surprisingly returned, her unwelcome arrival heralding the third of the summer tragedies. "William Trevor is an extraordinarily mellifluous writer, seemingly incapable of composing an ungraceful sentence. . . . His skill is very real, and equals his great compassion. With Death in Summer, these two qualities combine in a beautiful and resonant way."--The New York Time Book Review "Possibly the most perfect of Trevor's novels . . . Astonishing."--Los Angeles Times Book Review "Beautifully paced and mesmerizing . . . Offering us a compelling mystery on many levels through . . . finely drawn, perfect glimpses of touchingly imperfect lives."--The Washington Post Book World Nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize… (more)
User reviews
Although they come from two different worlds, Thaddeus and Pettie have one thing in common: an inability to love, at least in a normal way. Thaddeus's upper class parents were distant and critical while Pettie, raised in an orphanage, only knew the kind of love extended by a "Sunday uncle." Surprised by his own feelings for his new daughter, Thaddeus begins to open his heart and to feel for others, including Pettie and a former mistress who calls him to her deathbed. Pettie's obsession, however, takes them all into darker, more dangerous territory.
Trevor is a master at depicting the broad divide between the upper and lower classes as well as the depths of the human heart and the psychological effects of a loveless childhood. Part of his mastery is that he is able to unfold all this subtly, without whacking his readers over the head with a purpose and a moral. While Death in Summer may not be his best novel, it is certainly worth reading.
Despite this quality of writing, I didn't really engage with the
Another thing I didn't like about the book (which reflects on my own inadequacies) was the way Trevor would change the setting (e.g. into a dream, imagination, or recollection) without 'explanation', and being a fairly simple person I had to re-read or read closely and carefully to work out what was happening. I suppose I tend to prefer books that are written for a more down-market audience - you know, the Oprah Winfrey audience or similar.
Death in Summer revolves around Thaddeus Davenant, whose young wife, Letitia Iveson, was killed in a freak accident on a bicycle. Letitia leaves
Not William Trevor at his best, this short novel is still worth a read if you like his other books. Trevor’s prose is easy on the ear, and even at his most mediocre he manages to keep the reader interested.
There’s a garden, am old house, a loveless marriage and a
I recommend this book for readers who enjoy Trevor’s writings, but it’s not for those experiencing a Trevor novel for the first time.