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Summer is a 2020 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith, first published by Hamish Hamilton.

Plot

Each novel in Smith’s seasonal series is juxtaposed with a work of Shakespeare – in this one, it is A Winter's Tale. All of the books also topically examine everyday life in Britain. Summer, written between January and summer 2020, covered the conclusion of the Brexit process, and takes in COVID-19 lockdown, and Black Lives Matter protests, alongside continuing focus on immigration. Each novel references work of a female artist, in this case, Lorenza Mazzetti.

Summer focuses on teenagers Sacha, a young activist, her brother Robert, a disaffected individualist, children of Grace Greenlaw, a former actress. It brings back characters from the first two books in the quartet, exploring the youth of Daniel Gluck, who compares immigration detention centres to his internment in WWII, as well as the return of Charlotte from the periphery of Winter.

Reception

According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on twenty-nine critic reviews with eighteen being "rave" and eight being "positive" and three being "mixed". In Books in the Media, a site that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.19 out of 5) from the site which was based on fourteen critic reviews. On Bookmarks November/December 2020 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "A commanding capstone to her quartet".

References

1. Collins, Sara (8 August 2020). "Summer by Ali Smith review – clear-sighted finale to a dazzling quartet". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
2. "Summer". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
3. "Summer Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
4. "Summer". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
5. "Summer". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
6. "Summer". Bibliosurf (in French). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.

• Scottish novels
• Hamish Hamilton books
• 2020 British novels