7 classics to read in the sun
a few more books to add to your summer reading list
The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway
Set against the sun-drenched backdrop of the Mediterranean coast, this is a bold and quietly provocative novel that explores love, identity, and obsession. With Hemingway’s signature elegance we follow the unraveling of a young couple’s marriage, it masterfully captures the restless energy of summer and the complexities of desire.
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
A golden English summer, a grand country estate, and a young boy caught in events far beyond his understanding. Through the innocent eyes of a young boy caught up in secrets of the adult world, this beautifully written story masterfully explores memory, class, and lost innocence. Lush, nostalgic, and quietly devastating, it’s a compelling novel about how a single summer can change a life forever.
This lesser-known gem by Wharton offers a powerful portrait of a young woman yearning for freedom in a small New England town, as passion collides with social expectations. Wharton exposes the double standards facing women and the high price of desire, with vivid scenes of rural life and a quietly simmering tension, Summer is a sharp, emotionally rich novel.
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Written when Sagan was just 18, this slim novel pulses with youthful longing, detachment, and rebellion. Set on the glittering French Riviera, it follows a precocious teenager whose carefree summer spirals into a quiet tragedy. Stylish, provocative, and effortlessly cool, here we have a bittersweet meditation on love, freedom, and consequences.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Adventure, resilience, and solitude take center stage in this timeless story of survival on a remote island. With vivid detail and philosophical undercurrents, Robinson Crusoe is a thrilling tale of survival and self-reliance, this is the original castaway adventure. Stranded on a deserted island, Crusoe must use his wits and resourcefulness to build a life from scratch. More than just an action story, it’s a meditation on civilisation, and the human spirit.
A Month in the Country by J.L Carr
This quiet, exquisite novella captures the healing power of art, nature, and companionship in the wake of war. Set in a Yorkshire village during a hot summer, a war veteran restores a medieval mural in a church and, in doing so, rediscovers hope. Understated yet deeply moving, A Month in the Country is a gem of a novel - both subtle and poetic, it’s a story about the peace found in stillness.
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
A poetic and profound exploration of time, memory, and the inner lives of its characters, this novel is one of Woolf’s greatest achievements. Set during a family’s visit to a seaside house, the novel moves fluidly through thoughts and decades, capturing the impermanence of life with breathtaking insight. Challenging yet deeply rewarding, it’s a lyrical masterpiece that drifts through a summer by the sea, capturing the rhythms of family life, art, and time itself. Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style immerses you in the characters’ inner worlds with breathtaking beauty.
previously on the reading list…
