Reviews

Summer by Ali Smith

Only show reviews with written explanations

eva_sophie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

jlllzz's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

If i am only allowed to read this series for the rest of my life, i would be content !!!

Thought this was the weakest of the seasonal quartet, which I haven't loved anyway. It set up something really interesting in the first section -- a teenage alt-righter who hates his sister who is a climate striker-type -- but it gets lost in the mire of the quartet's own mythology, as every major character from the plot recurs: the incredibly boring Charlotte and Art from Winter who temper down the could-be interesting veteran activist Iris -- they have also, by some unseen conversion, adopted Smith's own semi-radical politics since we last saw them; and the ancient Daniel Gluck, who serves as an emblem for the quartet because "he's seen a lot of seasons". (Spring - which was my favourite, with the most realistic and troublesome right-wing foil - is present mostly in letters one of the new characters sends to a migrant in a detention centre.) The alt-right kid is resolved to an uneasy apoliticicism through a crush he gets on Charlotte, who gently corrects him when he says something offensive. (What happened to the fact that he attempts to commit serious assault on his sister?) Smith has always been a bit like this -- preachy, unsubtle -- but here she admits no ambiguity, except where it slips out by the fact that she is, in fact, a good writer.

kez's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

chrxstzne's review against another edition

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5.0

Reading this quartet in order from Autumn to Summer was amazing.

The real life element of Covid/quarantine felt like rushed into the novel for me, especially that I’m reading this two years past the start of the pandemic. Nonetheless it doesn‘t miss the slight activism/contemporary writing of Smith’s.

I loved the comeback of Daniel from the first book of this series and how complete and full circle the story was. Characters from the last novel meeting the new family and such the new story begins is a lovely concept, made very well use of in this.

If I were you I’d read this series in order, following the flow of the seasons :)