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The Last Summer

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The Last Summer

By: Judith Kinghorn
Narrated by: Jane Wymark
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About this listen

A sweeping debut, perfect for reading groups and fans of Kate Morton and Downton Abbey - a beautiful and haunting story of lost innocence and a powerful, enduring love.Clarissa is almost seventeen when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party.

When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled. Tom is handsome and enigmatic; he is also an outsider. Ambitious, clever, his sights set on a career in law, Tom is an acute observer, and a man who knows what he wants. For now, that is Clarissa.

©2012 Judith Kinghorn (P)2012 Headline Digital Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt Tear-jerking

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All stars
Most relevant  
It's not often the end of a book makes me cry but this one did. I loved it from start to finish. The story of Tom and Clarissa and their love for each other against the background of class and war was such a lovely story. This was my first audio book and I found it so relaxing to just sit back and listen. It was beautifully read and Jane Wymark made the story so real. Can't wait to get my next credit so I can listen to another. Now I'm off to search for the rest of Judith Kinghorn's books and if they are as good as this one then I will be very happy.

Wonderful

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I love this book so much and I am so sad that nothing the author has written since even comes close to this. The writing is beautiful and the narration is perfect. I just want it to go on and on each time I listen.

My favourite ever audiobook

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Lovely novel about the time before, during and after Wotld War I. Reads like a fictional version of Vera Brittain's "Testament of Youth". The plot twists and turns in psychologically plausible ways, allowing characters to unfold realistically but with a romantically satisfactory result.

The echoing voice used for letters is however a little annoying but perhaps necessary to signal shift in genre and narrator in an audiobook. Still, it seems like unnecessary use of technology.

Romantic & idyllic

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loved this book. Well written . The author took you on a journey.. Great performance. couldn't put it down.

Absolutely fantastic from start to finish

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A beautifully told story that marks history and life and love. I was completely veiled by the prose and the narration was captivating. I absolutely recommend this book to those who like a gentle bimble through ti!e, gorgeous descriptions of landscapes and venues with enough grit to make you gasp at some points. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Utterly sublime

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I don't have much patience waiting for an audio book to get better, so I am very happy to say that I found this audio book very easy to listen to right from the start.
The narration, the characters, and the storyline were really good too .
A story of true love and circumstances,
it has you wondering if two people who are clearly made for each other will ever get together .
I listened to this story with ease and it kept me listening to it right till the very end. It has lovely descriptions and I found myself wanting to listen to it to find out what happened next.
A tale of true love and those old fashioned class rules that create the type of sadness which pulls on the heartstrings and makes a person sigh.

A good old fashioned enjoyable listen.

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Every character in the book sprang to life from the very first page. A very poignant story of a love that endures even though it is thrown a few curved balls. Portrays the gentleness of the era as well as the horrors and loss. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story and even shed a tear!

Beautiful Story, Beautifully Read

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This book is a great listen. I can safely say it has totally taken over every waking moment, and have found myself listening to it, while cooking, walking, shopping! A must. A wonderful love affair and beautifully read.

The Last Summer, by Judith Kinghorn

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If you could sum up The Last Summer in three words, what would they be?

Moving, evocative, frustrating

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Summer?

The picture of an idyllic pre-war life for those with money - but underneath it proved not so perfect as the story reveals

Have you listened to any of Jane Wymark’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to the narrator before but I thought she was superb. Faultless narration and her pace and diction captured the era for me and took me to another time and place. I am going to look for other books Jane Wymark has narrated now.

Any additional comments?

I so enjoyed this book which I bought knowing nothing about the author but thought it was a moving story. I, like other reviewers got frustrated with Clarissa and her inability to follow her heart but you realise the constraints of the era and their finality as the book progresses. It was agony and ecstasy perfectly combined. Thoroughly recommend!

Beautiful, gripping, heart-wrenching

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Really enjoyed the story, tho quite sad at times. The narration was smooth all the way through with no glitches.

Brilliant

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