Skip to content
Cécile Sune Cécile Sune
  • Blog
  • Authors
  • About me
  • Contact
Cécile Sune
Cécile Sune

The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater

June 3, 2016December 9, 2018

The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater

Jane and Luc have been married for several years. Jane is a shy translator from England, and Luc is a passionate French documentary filmmaker. They share their time between London and the South of France where Luc’s mother is running a wine estate. When he suddenly has an accident, Jane discovers that her husband had a few secrets of his own. Now she has to piece her life back together, while dealing with her very difficult mother-in-law, Clarisse, a Pied Noir who settled in France after the Algerian War of Independence.

I loved Carol Drinkwater’s Olive series where she wrote about her experience moving to France and buying an olive farm in Provence. So I was curious to read one of her books of fiction. In The Forgotten Summer, the author’s love of Provence shines through, as she writes beautiful descriptions of the South of France. However, these descriptions sometimes run a tad too long, and repetitions drag down the story.

The book deals with the Algerian War of Independence from France (1954-1962), a pivotal moment in French history. I found this part of the novel especially interesting, and I would have liked to know more about the Secret Armed Organization, a far-right movement that carried out bombings and assassinations in order to try to keep Algeria under French rule. Nevertheless, even though the book was uneven, I was genuinely interested in Jane’s fate, and the ending was satisfying. I must say though that I preferred Carol Drinkwater’s Olive series.

The Forgotten Summer was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

About the author and her work: Carol Drinkwater’s Website.

Fun facts about the author and the book:

  • Carol Drinkwater is also an actress. She appeared as Helen Herriot in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small (1978–85), and she also had a role in A Clockwork Orange (1971).
  • Her favorite book is The Lover by Marguerite Duras.
  • The author usually writes 6 drafts, and it takes her about 18 months to finish a book.
  • Her husband, like Luc in the novel, is French and a documentary filmmaker.

If you liked this book you might also like:

The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

My Life in France by Julia Child

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

Carol Drinkwater Review accidentactressalgeriaalgerian war of independenceall creatures great and smallassassinationsbbcbombingscarol drinkwaterclockwork orangedescriptiondocumentaryenglandfilmmakerforgotten summerfranceliesmarguerite durasolive seriesolive treesprovencesecret armed organizationsecretswine estate

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Cecile

Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).

Related Posts

Liza Perrat Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat

Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat

March 4, 2016December 9, 2018

Victoire Charpentier is a young woman living in Lucie-sur-Vionne, France, at the end of the 18th century. When her father dies in a coach accident and her mother is drowned for witchcraft, she has no choice but to go to Paris to work as a scullery maid for a noble family. Overwhelmed by the big city and abused by the Marquis who employs her, life doesn’t get any easier for…

Read More
Alexander Chee The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

February 19, 2016December 9, 2018

Lilliet Berne is a famous opera singer in 1882 Paris when an author approaches her to ask her to star in an opera he has just finished writing. When she reads it, she realizes that the story relates her own secret past. As she tries to discover the person who betrayed her confidence, she remembers her humble beginnings as an orphan from Ohio, her travels in Europe with a circus and her…

Read More
Liza Perrat Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat

Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat

October 30, 2015February 9, 2022

The novel starts in 1943, when the German army is occupying France. In Lucie-sur-Vionne, a small village near Lyon, the enemy has requisitioned everything that can be of use or that can make a profit. Because her father has been sent to a work camp in Germany, Céleste Roussel wants to be more involved in the Resistance, especially as her sister, her brother and his best friend are active members….

Read More

Goodreads Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Cecile has read 70 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide
70 of 100 (70%)
view books
©2025 Cécile Sune | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes