One Summer

One Summer

by RachelBillington (Author)

Synopsis

K, a middle-aged painter, has returned from a hermit-like existence in Chile to attend the wedding of a girl he once loved to the point of obsession. He arrives at the English country church to find it empty and silent. The wedding has been postponed. He drives back to his hotel - a place he'd visited many years before - opens a bottle of champagne and with it, a door to the past. When K first saw Claudia fifteen years before, he fell instantly and dangerously in love. He managed to forget. He had a wife and a life already full. It was a coup de foudre; he became consumed by her. But Claudia was little more than a child then, twenty-four years his junior, beautiful but unformed. Perhaps it was no surprise that their love proved to be so destructive and ultimately tragic. Now, years later, he returns to find this new bride, his old love, is on the verge of a very different future. But the past, inevitably, awaits them both - and he is determined to take her back there...

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 16 Mar 2006

ISBN 10: 0752868535
ISBN 13: 9780752868530
Book Overview: Rachel Billington has for years been writing fiction with warmth, substance and memorable characters for a literate female readership Wonderful reviews for Rachel: 'I beg you to read it ... the female characters are so superbly drawn, so real, that you are reminded of the skill of the female novelists of the 19th century' Daily Telegraph; 'This novel is a reflection of the characters' lives - vivid, dramatic and sometimes chaotic, with the emotional volume turned up to full blast... a narrative of striking exuberance and generosity' The Times Rachel Billington is a 'name'. Former president of English PEN, she is well connected and popular with the media An author who brings style and class to the Orion list

Media Reviews
'Writing with grace and unflinching intensity, Billington acknowledges the complexity of cause and effect in a novel that is as much about the sufferings of expiation as the joys of passion.' SUNDAY TIMES 'One Summer is a real emotional roller-coaster of a read, and Billington expertly sustains the suspense.' DAILY MAIL 'A heady literary cocktail that hurtles towards its tragic denouement with this author's characteristic flair.' EASY LIVING '...heightened emotionalism worthy of Iris Murdoch...prose that is supple and lyrical but never self-indulgent.' -- Matthew Dennison SPECTATOR 'This great romance reads like a thriller.' BELLA 'Billington handles the tension well and her main characters are well-formed... intense, brooding and self-destructive.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'An unusual and compelling story.' LANCASHIRE EVENING POST 'Predictably good storytelling from Billington' BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book... the characters are totally believable. The countryside and the weather are beautifully described and the evocation of the gardens of the house in masterly. I can strongly recommend this.' NEW BOOKS MAG
Author Bio
Rachel Billington has published many novels. She has been President of PEN, and is co-editor of INSIDE TIME, the national newspaper for prisoners. She is married to the film and theatre director Kevin Billington and has four children.