The Solitary Summer

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About this book

The Solitary Summer is by Elizabeth von Arnim. An entry dated May 2nd has the speaker say in the garden after dinner, “I want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life.” The speaker adds that nobody shall be invited to stay, and that if anyone calls they will be told that the speaker is out, or away, or sick.

The text describes beds of tea roses round a sun-dial and, on the lawn behind the roses, two big beds of every coloured tulip rising above a carpet of forget-me-nots. The text says that last year, on the recommendation of sundry writers about gardens, the speaker tried beds of scarlet tulips and forget-me-nots. The text says that, as the Frau Inspector instructed on a first round, the proper thing is to ask the woman who lived behind a door what she had given the family for dinner.

About the author

Elizabeth von Arnim

Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941) was an Australian-born British writer known for witty, gently satirical novels of women's lives. Her best-loved books, including The Enchanted April, blend social comedy with a deep feeling for gardens and freedom.