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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. After losing her mother and her brother it is just her and her father, with poor health, surviving and she is desperate for her father's attention as not being his son Effy has to compete with the male islanders to provide for her father. Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island. In the 1930s, t wo strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . . They meet again a few months later when Effie accepts a job offer from the Earl of Dumfries. Now, Effie has the opportunity to see Sholto in the society which he is part of. The status differences are now more obvious, and their story seems impossible, even before it really begins. Santa Montefiore, author of An Italian Girl in Brooklyn This sweeping love story gripped us from the start, so we can’t wait for the next in the series. Best historical romance of 2022
Waar dat mee te maken heeft? Met twee dingen: de schrijfstijl van Karen Swan die ervoor zorgt dat alle beschrijvingen van het prachtige eiland tot leven komt en de unieke karakters. Je volgt namelijk de onverschrokken, dappere en eigenzinnige Effie die haar hele leven tot nu toe heeft doorgebracht op het afgelegen eiland St. Kilda - ver weg van de buitenwereld en de ontwikkelingen die zich op het vasteland hebben afgespeeld (zoals de Industriële Revolutie). Maar dan komt de rijke en vooral enorm aantrekkelijke Lord Soltho op het eiland, die haar hart voor het eerst in haar leven sneller laat kloppen. En als haar dat al niet genoeg stress oplevert, verandert haar leven nóg meer als zij - samen met de 35 andere inwoners van dit eiland - wordt geëvacueerd naar de bewoonde wereld. Plots moet ze zien te wennen aan 'simpele' dingen die zij nog nooit heeft gekend als trappen in een huis, spiegels om jezelf in te bewonderen tot veel keuze bij de slager. Oh my goodness I absolutely adored this book. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read one of her books. I went on such an amazing journey with Effy and just fell in love with all the wonderful characters. The book is told in two halves. Before describes Effy’s life on St Kilda before the evacuation and After details Effy’s life after the evacuation as the villagers adjust to life on the mainland. I initially felt very sad when the story switched to After as I had really enjoyed the fabulous descriptions of life on St Kilda but I actually ended up loving following life at the house and all the fabulous people Effy meets. The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I’ve ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second instalment' - Cathy Bramley, author of The Summer That Changed UsWhat a great adventure! The perfect way to tell the tale of the St Kilda's population in fiction form. History fans will love the fascinating St Kilda detail woven throughout this thrilling romance. Wonderful! -- Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir and The Kitchen Front Wonderfully romantic and epic in feel, this beautiful historical novel is a fascinating and deliciously escapist read -- Tasmina Perry, author of Guilty Pleasures and Perfect Strangers 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. During her last summer on St Kilda, Effie had been Sholto’s guide, and their attraction had seemed irresistible but, in the glamorous polite society of Ayrshire, it is clear they are worlds apart. When a body is discovered on the island, soon after the evacuation, a scandal erupts as she is implicated. Sholto knows she’s keeping secrets – but are they even her own?
The Last Summer is an absorbing tale that sweeps you away to 1930 and into the life of Effie Gillies, an eighteen-year-old girl who, along with her family and closest friends, is one of thirty-six inhabitants of the isolated St. Kilda archipelago who is content with her isolated existence, living a simple life amongst the birds and the cliffs, until things start to get a little more complicated and she falls for a man way above her station, the government decides to evacuate the island villagers to the mainland, she takes on a new job curating the ornithological collection of Lord Dumfries, the father of the man who stole her heart, and the deserted island is left with more than just empty dwellings and whispered secrets, but the body of a man who wasn’t all that kind or liked and had more than one person who wished him dead. I'm a fan of Karen Swan's books, always enjoying her flowing prose full of descriptive sentences that allow readers to really immerse themselves in the setting, as well as the story. She is an author that I am very glad to have discovered. This sweeping love story gripped us from the start, so we can't wait for the next in the series. Best historical romance of 2022 * Independent * I really enjoyed reading The Last Summer. It is mostly set in St Kilda and it was so interesting to read about that community. I cannot imagine living somewhere so isolated and cut off from everywhere for a large part of the year due to the weather. You get a good sense of what it would be like living in such a close knit community where everyone obviously knew everyone’s else’s business and everyone had to support each other. At the time we meet the islanders, it is the last few months before St Kilda was evacuated and at that point there were only 36 people living on the island.I’m a fan of Karen Swan’s novels, enjoying the flowing prose filled that allows the reader to lose themselves in the setting as well as the story and appreciate a real sense of place. In The Last Summer the setting is St Kilda and the Scottish mainland in the 1930s. The tale is told through the eyes of Effie (Euphemia) Gillies, young and strong-willed who, when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries visits, shows him around the isle as his guide, imparting her knowledge of the birds and nature. Admiring Effie, Lord Sholto finds her more than a source of information, and Effie, too, is smitten; they are drawn together until circumstances force them apart.
The islanders are begrudgingly (by some) evacuated to the mainland in light of a harsh winter approaching and this new life brings unimaginable developments. I preferred the first part of the book, mainly due to its historical research and slower pace, but I can see other readers will prefer the faster paced second part developing the characters and their relationships. I believe this is the first in a series and I look forward to meeting up with Effie and Sholto again. On another note, I did not feel the cover matches the book, I would have preferred a more accurate representation of St Kilda- the bird life, the cliffs and the rugged sea. Dinsdag 14 maart '23 stond voor mij in het teken van de verschijning van 'Het wilde eiland', van Karen Swan, het allereerste deel in haar gloednieuwe, gelijknamige en vooral historische reeks. Ik mocht van de uitgeverij al een exemplaar ontvangen en ik kan je zeggen: de auteur stelt wederom niet teleur!Throughout the many hours listening I was kept hooked and I didn't want this to end! Especially like it did! Literally a cliff hanger - excuse the pun! The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I've ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second installment. -- Cathy Bramley
Initially I thought I would struggle with the narration being such a strong Scottish accent, however, within minutes I was hooked and I feel that it actually bought more delight and realism to the characters in this already delightful book. The story starts on a small remote island off the North of Scotland called St kilder, set in the 1930s, with the inhabitants living in a manner we could not even imagine with no idea of mainland life. They are all controlled by a few misely characters and currency is materials.
Summary
The first thing I did was to Google “ St Kilda” to get an idea of the setting of “The Last Summer”. I found the history of this island quite interesting, and as a fan of historical fiction I love the fact that you always end up learning a bit more than what you expected. That bit of a visual idea was extremely useful in setting the scene for this book – which is rumoured to be the first in a series of three or is it five? When a unique visit from the mainlands Earl and his son throws Effy into being a guide for a week she easily impresses with her knowledge of the island and the bird inhabitants and obviously her amazing climbing skills! Of which will never be forgotten. Effy also has her first experience of that loving spark but sadly once again Effys actions are not well received by her father and the others!
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