Summer: A Novel (Seasonal Quartet)

SUMMER is the best book I’ve read in a long, long time. I read the Season Quartet, four beautiful books, but SUMMER spoke directly to my heart in such dificult times. I read it twice without pause and I think that Ali Smith’s poetic prose will resonate in me for a long time.

So Ali Smith, who set out to write the first Brexit novel in her Seasons tetralogy appears to have positioned herself to stake the claim for the first Covid novel. And why not? A convincing argument can be made that the strange brew of populist and reactionary politics that led to Brexit, also resulted in the ongoing tragedy of Covid-19. It has struck me that the seasonal titles of these novels have little to do with the physical time and place described. The “present” for most of these characters is in the early spring. Yet their dreams and memories carry some to past summers, while others embark on a “summer” of their own making, through newfound relationships. What makes this so apropos of the moment, however is the sense of summer imprisoned, whether in the physical restraint of detention and lockdown, or the mental blinders of habit and worldview. My takeaway is that the golden happiness of summer has been replaced in the current polity by a sense of foreboding and restraint, around which some of the old happiness can still find moments.

If only I had the talent and skill to praise this book in the manner and style it was written. Alas, that is what makes Ms. Smith the artist and inspirer and me, just the admirer! Best of the quartet, all excellent

As emotionally compelling as “Spring” and even more resonant because of the extremely contemporaneous themes. The immediacy and relevance may fade somewhat over time, but the beautiful writing will remain.

This book is confusing and certainly not as spirited or punchy as Spring and Winter. I loved Spring. I do not think this is a great pandemic novel or a great novel. A lot of the critics try to say getting lost is okay but my impression from their reviews is that they only read half through. I thought the last 50 pages brought disparate threads together, and I could remember them from earlier in the book. not her best one.

Least liked of all the books in the series, which were terrific.

Disjunctive and hard to read unlike previous novels in this quartet

I LOVE getting lost in the narratives Ali Smith Weaves. The interrelated stories, the connected lives. A reading experience I truly delight in.

Ultimo romanzo di Ali Smith legata alle stagioni. Chi ha letto i romanzi precedenti troverà personaggi e situazioni già conosciuti, tuttavia anche chi non li ha letti può apprezzare questo lavoro, in cui si trovano temi cari all’autrice inglese come lo stato della nazione (UK) post brexit insieme a un riferimento di stringente attualità alla cattiva gestione della pandemia nel Regno Unito. Con una nota di speranza alla fine.

This is the brilliant culmination of Ali Smith's Seasonal Quartet. It is probably the best stand alone novel of the four. But it is also great because it 'stands on the shoulders of giants', the other three previous novels. It is a multi viewpoint narrative, which merges history and the present, to excellent and poignant effect.

Op aanraden van Sander Kollaert kocht ik het 1e deel van deze serie van Ali Smit, een mij onbekende schrijfster. De boeken zijn alle vier prachtig eloquent geschreven en zeer verrassend wat verhaallijn betreft. Een grote vreugde om te lezen.

Final book in the quartet brings the stories together. Thought-provoking and memorable. My favourite two characters from “Autumn” re-appear and the back story emerges in a way that is elegaic and immediate. Smith deals with heavy issues but in a subtle way. She writes like a poet at times. Her political concerns are fairly visible but not to the detriment of the human story. At the end one wonders how she could pack so many stories into such a short space, as there is enough material for 500 pages but it is over in about 200.

Just finished Summer and am going back to read Autumn, Winter, Spring. Joining the dots, as Ali’s Smith does divinely