The acclaimed author of Letters from Skye returns with an extraordinary story of a friendship born of proximity but boundless in the face of separation and war.
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Formats: hardcover – ebook
ISBN: 9780345547897
Luc Crépet is accustomed to his mother’s bringing wounded creatures to their idyllic château in the French countryside, where healing comes naturally amid the lush wildflowers and crumbling stone walls. Yet his maman’s newest project is the most surprising: a fifteen-year-old Scottish girl grieving over her parents’ fate. A curious child with an artistic soul, Claire Ross finds solace in her connection to Luc, and she in turn inspires him in ways he never thought possible. Then, just as suddenly as Claire arrives, she is gone, whisked away by her grandfather to the farthest reaches of the globe. Devastated by her departure, Luc begins to write letters to Claire—and, even as she moves from Portugal to Africa and beyond, the memory of the summer they shared keeps her grounded.
Years later, in the wake of World War I, Clare, now an artist, returns to France to help create facial prostheses for wounded soldiers. One of the wary veterans who comes to the studio seems familiar, and as his mask takes shape beneath her fingers, she recognizes Luc. But is this soldier, made bitter by battle and betrayal, still the same boy who once wrote her wistful letters from Paris? After war and so many years apart, can Clare and Luc recapture how they felt at the edge of that long-ago summer?
Bringing to life two unforgettable characters and the rich historical period they inhabit, Jessica Brockmole shows how love and forgiveness can redeem us.
At the Edge of Summer, out now from Ballantine Books.
Also available in:
Italian, as Non ti dirò mai addio (Casa Editrice Nord, 3/16)
German, as Ein französischer Sommer (Diana Verlag, 8/16)
Praise for At the Edge of Summer
“With its lyrical prose and moving plot, Brockmole’s WWI novel touches readers. Compassionate yet realistic, richly detailed and emotionally stirring, this story of friendship, love, retribution, redemption and art beautifully captures the era. It is Brockmole’s stirring portrait of her characters and their heartfelt letters that set this novel apart. This is the type of historical fiction readers will want to savor.” —RT Book Reviews
“Jessica Brockmole has a gift for evocative historical detail, and her latest work is a richly drawn, almost cinematic excursion to the magnificent French countryside, the hectic streets of Paris, and the muddy trenches of World War I. At the Edge of Summer is a romantic portrait of two young people coming-of-age in a time of war. An exquisite story of love, betrayal, and the healing power of art.“ —H.P. Wood, author of Magruder’s Curiosity Cabinet
