I read William Trevor's Summer and Love some time ago and can't remember much about it except I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. But now I'm going to go back and re-read it, because I happened to pick this up, really because of William Trevor's recent death, and my goodness, I LOVED this.
I love its understated quiet story about Irish aristocrats gone to seed. There is a mystery, but interestingly this isn't at the heart of the book, when all is revealed at the end there was no big aha! moment, and I liked the book all the better for it.
I love the focus on the detail - the building of the bridge that will join the island Carriglas sits on to the mainland, the blousey boardinghouse landlady who counts her money, Tom who hides in the trees and watches the wedding guests, and tries to avoid 'Holy Mulligan' who says no one will want to touch Tom because he is illegitimate.
The novel meanders slowly upstairs and down, over the island and across to the mainland, so lazily, so beautifully.
I would like to reread this immediately, but first I'm going to go and find Summer and Love.
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