'Meticulously researched and beautifully told . . . a wonderfully satisfying read' – Santa Montefiore
The Sunday Times Bestselling Historical Fiction
Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island. In the 1930s, two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .
Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.
Three months later, St Kilda lays silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl's estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows . . .
Then, when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.
Opposites attract in this epic and spellbinding novel, which transports us from the untamed beauty of St Kilda to the glamour and intrigues of high society in the 1930s.
The Last Summer is the first book in the Wild Isle series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and its small island community. It is followed by The Stolen Hours.
'The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I've ever read. I truly loved it' – Cathy Bramley
'Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you'll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it' – Jill Mansell
'A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer' – Rachel Hore
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
July 1, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781529084399
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781529084399
- File size: 998 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from March 14, 2022
A promising new series from Swan (Midnight in the Snow) opens on an island in St. Kilda in 1930, the year the remote, inhospitable Scottish archipelago was evacuated. Effie Gillies, at 18, is content with her isolated life. Eager to show that she’s as capable as any man, Effie works to be the island’s fastest cliff climber and expands her knowledge by reading and studying the local birds. When the Earl of Dumfries and his son, Lord Sholto, visit, Effie is tasked with guiding them around. She’s unaccustomed to romantic attention from men and confused by her own attraction to Lord Sholto—doubly so when her landlord, Frank Mathieson, accuses her of inappropriately flirting with Lord Sholto. As Effie’s calm life grows complicated by her blossoming relationship, the government makes a surprise decision to evacuate all islanders to the mainland. Effie accepts the earl’s job offer to serve as curator to his ornithological collection at Dumfries House, but there, Lord Sholto pulls away, leaving Effie heartbroken. Meanwhile, Mathieson’s body is discovered on St. Kilda and all former residents are targeted for questioning. The vivid beauty and danger of St. Kilda only enhances Swan’s effortlessly intricate plotting. Toeing the line between romance and historical fiction, this gorgeous story and its unconventional heroine are sure to win hearts.
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