The Perfect Summer - by Juliet Nicolson (Paperback)

About the Book

Topping the charts in Britain, this witty, dishy, and smart ("Entertainment Weekly") bestseller chronicles a glorious English summer a century ago, when the world was on the cusp of irrevocable change.

Book Synopsis

The Perfect Summer chronicles a glorious English summer a century ago, when the world was on the cusp of irrevocable change. Through the tight lens of four months, Juliet Nicolson's rich storytelling gifts rivet us with the sights, colors, and feelings of a bygone era. That summer of 1911 a new king was crowned and the aristocracy was at play, bounding from one house party to the next. But perfection was not for all. Cracks in the social fabric were showing. The country was brought to a standstill by industrial strikes. Temperatures rose steadily to more than 100 degrees; by August deaths from heatstroke were too many for newspapers to report. Drawing on material from intimate and rarely seen sources and narrated through the eyes of a series of exceptional individuals--among them a debutante, a choirboy, a politician, a trade unionist, a butler, and the queen--The Perfect Summer is a vividly rendered glimpse of the twilight of the Edwardian era.

Review Quotes

"A hugely interesting portrait of a society teetering on a precipice both nationally and internationally . . . As page turning as a novel." -- Joanna Trollope

"A wonderfully evocative portrait of English society on the brink of a changing world. Juliet Nicolson has invented a new kind of social history." -- Tina Brown

"Buried deep within this deliciously evocative book, there is a single story that involves a grand country house and a lord, a man, not his wife, a cry of celebratory sexuality. This story alone makes the volume's purchase price worthwhile. And there are hundreds more like it. Juliet Nicolson has fashioned for us a treasure-trove, doubly perfect for winter." -- Simon Winchester

"Detail makes Juliet Nicolson's portrait of a single Edwardian year such a fascinating read. . . . I felt transported into what Nicolson felicitously describes as 'one of the high sunilt meadows of English history.'" -- Antonia Fraser

"Juliet Nicolson transports us back to the enchanted and enchanting summer of 1911. She guides us through its four months in company with some of the most delightful people imaginable. It is a wonderful and poignant tour that proved to be a farewell appearance to their world." -- David Fromkin