A Song for Summer

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, enchanting characters, ending a little odd.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Found Ibbotson by accident, loved her immediately. The descriptions are amazing, not to mention the odd combination of characters from every walk of life...you'll love it.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Ibbotson!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I thought
Review: Ive read Countess Below Stairs a hundred times and it's one of my favourite books ever, so when I bought this one I thought it would be as good as that one. But it wasnt. It was kind of boring. I enjoyed, it was good to spend the time, but it was not so great.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Ibbotson!
Review: 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."

Rating:
Summary: Review - A song for Summer
Review: 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."

Rating:
Summary: romance for the intelligent reader
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Romance and Excitement
Review: 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.