A Song for Summer

By: Eva Ibbotson

Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins

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

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....

©2006 Eva Ibbotson (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Beautiful and comforting

Listened on 2x speed. Gentle sweet romantic. Perfect for when you need a little lift.

I had high hopes, but it didn't live up to them.

The narrator was GREAT. I could listen to her all day. I was so excited to find this book because I have been a big fan of some other of Ever Ibbotson's books. A Company of Swans, which I think must be out of print, since I can't find an audiobook version anywhere, is one of my favorite books. The Countess Below Stairs may have suffered a similar fate as I can't find a non-abridged version of that anywhere either. The Magic Flutes is wonderful and still available. In those books, Ibbotson creates characters that are quirky, unique, and quite funny in such a dry British way that the books are utterly charming. The heroines are always very sweet and innocent, the heroes, very powerful and strong men, but it is the secondary characters, with their silly, quirky, oddities that charmed me so much. I think she came close in this book, and there are definitely many great moments, but overall, I am disappointed - it is just not her best book, particularly the last four or five chapters, which seemed to be not very well thought out to me.