The Solitary Summer

The Solitary Summer is a witty, lyrical account of a rejuvenating summer. Descriptions of magnificent larkspurs and burning nasturiums give way to those of cooling forest walks—and of clambering up a mud bank when the miller is not in view. Rainy days prompt a little philanthropy, until the sun returns the gardener to the refuge of her beloved plants. In her introduction, Deborah Kellaway writes: "All of von Arnim's heroines are escapists. They escape from riches to the simple life, or from...