In a Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor was first published in 1961.

Kate Heron is a wealthy middle aged English woman, married for the second time to Dermot, a handsome and much younger Irishman. Her first husband had died and Dermot had been mooching around the house when her husband was ill, despite the fact that the husband didn’t like him. The friends from her first marriage obviously don’t approve of Kate’s remarriage and so she ends up spending her time accompanying Dermot to the pub. He drinks far too much and gambles too, he’s shiftless, sticking at no job for more than a few weeks and now seemingly not even looking for work, but Kate is besotted with him, it seems she’s in lust with him which is un-Taylor like, although it’s a good long time since I read any of her books so I may be mis-remembering.

I began this book thinking it wasn’t as good as I had remembered Elizabeth Taylor’s other books to be but ended up enjoying it nonetheless. I think the lust put me off for a wee while!

There’s a book which is mentioned often in this one called The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James, but I kept thinking to myself – if only Kate had read Elizabeth von Arnim’s book Love – she would have known not to marry a much younger man. Of course now I’m going to have to read the Henry James book.

Elizabeth Taylor’s books are beautifully written and should be read closely so as not to miss the little details, such as the family aversion to charm bracelets and the type of woman who wore them.

Kate’s children Tom and Louise and various other characters, not forgetting Aunt Ethel all add up to a good read.

There’s a Guardian article Rediscovering Elizabeth Taylor, if you’re interested.