As of right now this is my least favorite book by Eva Ibbotson. Its good but the clichés that were ok in the other two books, were obvious here and went in to contrived. But I should probably talk about the rest of the book firstSo this is the story of Ellen Carr, a young woman from England who comes to help a school in the years before WWII. She meets a man named Marek and they slowly fall in love as Hitler becomes prominent. Ok I like Eva Ibbotson but what drew me to this book was the characters name, she shares mine. I know that is weird but I love reading stories where I share a name with a character. I build a special relationship with that book and that character. Ellen Carr is no different, while at times she was a bit of a bore, she is really likable and I love her interactions with all the characters who were great, I loved all the kids and most of the side characters from this book. I also really liked the story and how it was a natural turn of events. But there are several problems with this book. The first is clichéd writing that borders on contrived. Too many problems that go wrong to keep Ellen and Marek apart. Also the teachers at the school, they blended together and were kinda boring, save for the one who had a baby, she stuck out because she wanted her BABY to be SELF-REGULATING aka SELF RELIANT. Bull Crap no baby can be self-reliant, they need care from a parent this lady gave none and I wanted to scream at Ellen to take that baby away from her.Marek was a jerk. At first he was ok but then he punches a kid and throws him into the lake this kid is maybe 12. Did not deserve that.But the biggest problem in my eyes is the ending. (view spoiler)[ So After Marek’s parents are killed, he pushes Ellen away she returns to England and gets married to Kendrick a guy who has been wanting to marry her since the first chapter. They never make love ( which is weird) But he begs her to stay and not leave him alone. She promises to stay. A year later she runs into Marek. They go back to his room and “talk” ( ok they do have a conversation) But as soon as Marek learns that Kendrick never made love to her he says “ You’re mine” and they make love ( Twice) but she refuses to leave Kendrick. She arrives home, finds Kendrick sleeping with another character, packs her stuff and leaves as Kendrick isn't alone. So I have many problems; the first being that it is stated that this would be a marriage of convenience but the second Ellen learns that Kendrick is making love to another woman she leaves as he does not need her. What about all the sanctuary things you were doing Ellen, you know the people and young moms your just going to leave them?! Second, Ellen feels betrayed but how does she think Kendrick would feel if he found out about her and Marek making love just before she found him and his lady friend? He would have felt the same way and probably done the same. But its such a double standard. Also She PROMISED to not leave him alone but upon learning of his indiscretion- BAM instant leaving to be with the man who was a HUGE JERK to her and pushed her away all on his own. But that’s ok because they still love each other. It bugs me that this is the author’s view of marriage, in her book the morning gift, the two main character find it so difficult to annul their marriage. But her its so easy, no its not. Marriage is very important and It bugs me how easily Ellen tosses a year and half marriage out the window to a jerk! Also it is never stated that Kendrick or his lady friend knew she found them. So we never get an explanation behind their tryst. We don't know if its thier first, second or 14th time sleeping together. We don't know why they are sleeping together. Sure one could say as Ellen did, he just couldn't make love to his wife but this lady he could. But personally what if she was showing him how to make love to Ellen? yeah they are still sleeping together but I noticed that they were in a room he didn't like and not in his bedroom. I say all this to say this whole scenario hurts Ellen's character and the book as a whole. (hide spoiler)]
Originally posted here.Eva Ibbotson is one of my favorite YA authors. She writes historical fiction novels with romance in them. I've read all of her YA novels except for A Song for Summer and I've been saving it up for when I feel like getting cozy with a good book. That time came up last week and I finally got to read this.I mentioned this in my review of A Company of Swans last year but I want to say it again: there's something about Eva Ibbotson's writing that makes her novels comfort reads even when you're reading them for the first time. Maybe because she usually writes about bright, happy, young women - all of them intriguing in their own way. They're the kind of girls that everyone loves and Ellen is no exception. She's young but has very motherly traits because her passion lies in taking care of the household and everything involved in that - cooking, baking, cleaning, doing the laundry and making everyone else more comfortable. At first, her liberated mother and aunts were disappointed because they wanted bigger things for her but they eventually accepted that Ellen is bound to excel in whatever she does. I love that Ellen was brave enough to go after what she really wanted even when it meant that she can't be a doctor, lawyer or professor like her relatives wanted. She's such a sweet person but with a backbone of steel that becomes evident when the need arises. It's not surprising that all of the characters in book are drawn to her.A Song for Summer is a charming novel but the latter part of the book was a bit frustrating. I wanted Ellen to get her happy ending, she deserved that and more for being the kind of person she is. I felt like she had to go through so much for it to happen. There were several bumps in the road when it comes to the romance in this novel and I think I would have loved the book more if there was less conflict. There were times when I wanted to knock some sense into the guy and tell him that he shouldn't be hurting her feelings. But I guess that's what happens when romance gets complicated because of war, everyone suffers although you can't help but hope that things would eventually work out. Overall, an enjoyable read that I would probably pick up again but A Countess Below Stairs and The Reluctant Heiress are still my favorite Ibbotsons. I feel kind of bad that I've finished reading all of her YA novels because I want more of them! Oh well, I still have to go through her children's novels and I have a feeling they're good too. If you're a YA fan and you've never heard of Eva Ibbotson, you should definitely remedy that situation. Her novels are lovely and something that can be enjoyed by any reader. Oh and if you have recommendations similar to her work, feel free to let me know. I would love to discover more authors like her.
What do You think about A Song For Summer (2007)?
I was a bit disappointed with this one. There was so much potential, but it fell flat on its face. You have your typical Ibbotson heroine - an utter Mary Sue - and your typical Ibbotson hero - dashingly handsome and charming, but haunted and mysterious. This formula worked well enough in The Secret Countess - a strong cast of secondary characters balanced out the cliches nicely. A Song For Summer didn't work nearly as well. Marek's resistance work, something I think should have been given much m
—Susannah
I was underwhelmed by this one, especially after how much I enjoyed A Company of Swans. I found Ellen's "thing" (the oft-underrated domestic arts) far less interesting than Harriet's (ballet!). I found it odd that the romance seemed to be relatively unimportant to the story until the very end, when it became the only part of the story.And what a cop out that was, too. The drama and conflict felt so manufactured, which is ridiculous - there was a perfectly good way to have realistic drama throughout the book, using Marek's mission (without going into any detail, here...) and the dangers connected to it. Instead, Ibbotson saved all the action for the very end, and basically all of it happens off-"screen".Blah. This one gets a three because Ibbotson is very good at creating charming, likable characters, which saved her from her plot in this one.
—Chelsea
I love all novels that attest to music's incomparable power, and A Song for Summer does so brilliantly. The story's heroine, young Ellen, relocates from England to Austria, partly to escape the expectations of her suffragette mother and aunts. She lands a job as matron at an eccentric arts school, where she's allowed to bask in her favorite activities, namely cooking, observing nature, and lovingly tending to the school's largely dysfunctional student body and staff. Ellen's life soon becomes entangled with that of the elusive Marek, the school's grounds keeper, who is in fact a gifted composer/conductor acting undercover to rescue his violinist friend from the clutches of Hitler's Third Reich.The book's title and cover may give the impression that it's no more than a sappy teenage romance. On the contrary, this story is rich with a host of colorful characters, complicated love triangles, political intrigue, and fascinating historical and cultural detail. Highly recommended!
—Sarah
