Summer (1917) by Edith Wharton is often called her “hot-weather” counterpart to Ethan Frome. It follows Charity Royall, a young woman living in a small New England town, who longs to escape the narrow, stifling life shaped by her guardian, Lawyer Royall. Her desire for freedom intensifies when she meets Lucius Harney, an educated young architect visiting the town. They begin a passionate romance that awakens Charity’s sense of love and possibility. However, the affair leads to disillusionment when she discovers Harney’s engagement to a woman of his own social class. Struggling with poverty, shame, and her limited choices, Charity ultimately resigns herself to a life with Royall, marrying him for stability and security rather than love. The novel explores themes of passion, social constraints, class divides, and the difficult choices faced by women in a restrictive society.
