The Last Summer
A wild, romantic tale of opposites attract . . .
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
The Last Summer
Buy Now for £12.99
-
Narrated by:
-
Katie Leung
-
By:
-
Karen Swan
About this listen
'Meticulously researched and beautifully told . . . a wonderfully satisfying read' – Santa Montefiore
The Sunday Times Bestselling Historical Fiction
Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island. In the 1930s, two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .
Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.
Three months later, St Kilda lays silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl’s estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows . . .
Then, when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.
Opposites attract in this epic and spellbinding novel, which transports us from the untamed beauty of St Kilda to the glamour and intrigues of high society in the 1930s.
The Last Summer is the first book in the Wild Isle series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and its small island community. It is followed by The Stolen Hours.
'The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I’ve ever read. I truly loved it' – Cathy Bramley
'Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it' – Jill Mansell
'A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer' – Rachel Hore
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
Effie Gillies has lived there all her life, working hard to support herself and her dad. Because her brother died and her father is getting older, she has to take on the chores they would have normally done and she becomes a very independent, wild and free spirited young woman. Shortly before the evacuation, she guides one of the visitors to the Island, the Earl of Dumfries, and her son Sholto for a birding tour. There is instant connection but they are from such different worlds. She is pursued by the unpleasant factor Matthieson and Sholto goes back to Scotland. The evacuation brings Effie and her father to Scotland and the employ of the Earl of Dumfries. Effie has one foot in the past and her eyes set on the future. Where will her new life take her?
This well researched story gives us a glimpse of the life on St Kilda in 1930. An island inhabited by 36 people who were still living in the old ways. Fetching eggs, birds and puffins to feed themselves, having very little material comfort and very isolated. The visit of tourists like the Earl of Dumfries gave the St Kildans an idea that they could have a better life and they decided to ask for their evacuation. But their new lives were not simple either. The story is full of really strong and interesting characters. St Kilda is beautifully depicted in its roughness and natural beauty, the contrast of the love St Kildans have for it and the wish they have to leave it because their life is so harsh there. The story also illustrates the strength they draw from their simple and mindful life.
I was totally absorbed in this novel and felt sad when the last page came a little abruptly. I was not ready for the end and I felt there were still so many questions left hanging. And then, I learned that this is the first novel of a series. I cannot wait now to read the next ones.
A very good novel and enjoyable read.
The audiobook is excellent. The story is narrated with an accent that brings it really to life. It is read at a good pace, with a pleasant voice that clearly switches between the characters. The narration really made me feel part of this group of people and it was very immersive.
A moving story in beautiful St Kilda
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A great story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A story of hardship and love
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.