Non ti dirò mai Addio,
english title of At the Edge of Summer by Jessica Brockmole is one of the most delicate, sophisticated, erudite romantic books that I have every read.
There is a preciosity of words, terms, an expressive elegance (I read it translated by Giuseppe Maugeri, a great well done job!) that will capture all of you, like also the ability of the author in filtering feelings with extreme class, sincerity and humanity.
The story the one of Clare Moss, a girl abandoned by the mother. Being alone, a close friend of the mother, Madame Crepet decides of keeping her in her castle. Madame and Monsieur Crepet are wonderful people. In particular Monsieur Crepet is a painter and Clare finds fascinating Mille Mots, their mansion and the stunning beautiful colors and light of France.
Being scottish, she has always seen the world under a different light, in the real sense of the word; weather in his scottish corner of the world changed "mood" constantly. France knew a stability that pleasantly shocked her. She fell in love for food, language.
Luc, the son of the couple becomes her best friend. He is a bit more old than her, but he is a wise boy; he is intelligent, he is patient, educated, a bit shy, he is a young boy of great culture. He studied to Paris and every week-end returned home.
One day Clare's grand-father, a man of culture, and a passionate traveller and writer will ask to the Crepet of having back Clare. Clare wouldn't want to leave Mille Mots, and she wouldn't want to leave Luc, because she has always felt special feelings for him.
They will remain in contact, once separated via letters. It's a frantic and continuous exchange of letters and not just of these two teen-agers; Luc very often included also letters, long long letters, of his parents to Clare.
The war and the same fact that Clare and his grand-father will live in exotic, wonderful and sunny places, changes the cards on the table. At a certain point this correspondence ends although Luc will continue to write to Clare also when in war.
A story of betrayal during the years of war for soldier Luc will mean a real devastation: a story of false friendship the one lived by this sunny, intelligent and pacific boy will mean a profound sadness, lack of trust and a great interior pain.
Changed, once returned home, nothing will be as it was; Luc preferred to live in Paris, distant from his family and from a sunny place like Mille Mots was. His first necessity now was to re-discover the old and new Luc, to re-put the pieces of the puzzles together.
World War I had changed the world, souls, spirits of people.
Clare was to Paris. Once she received a touching letter from an important esponent of the American Red Cross embracing their cause.
This lady wanted to fix some of the scars left by the war in soldiers's bodies.
She accepted to work for that institution with great enthusiasm.
Clare hadn't never forgotten Luc and she didn't know his aspect. Eight years...A long time was passed by; Clare was also changed. Thanks to his grand-father she discovered the world, learnt several languages, and was a strongest person than not the shy teen-ager of Mille Mots.
She studied art, she loved to be free and she wanted to realize firstly her life, not depending by a family or a man.
One day in that institution she will meet Luc again....
I don't want to leave you the pleasure of reading this book spoiling too much. I loved this book for its class and elegance; I loved words choosen by the author for describing, for let us know feelings of the characters; the way she describes technicals of painting gives the idea of someone in love for the matter; characters are few, centered and memorables; also the letters of Clare and Luc are elegant, sophisticated in the writing and plenty of good feelings.
Highly recommended.
Anna Maria Polidori
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