LibriVox recording of Indian Summer by William Dean Howells.
Read by Leonard Wilson.

This novel is a mellow but realistic story that captures the feel of that delightful time of the year. Theodore Colville, a sophisticated American gentleman, has just entered his middle years as he returns to a scene, Florence, Italy, that played an important part in his early manhood. It was here nearly twenty years earlier that he first fell in love, seemingly successfully until a sudden and harsh rejection. Now that his career as a newspaper editor has ended, he is barely ensconced in the Italian city when he meets a lady from his past, a close friend of his lost love. Lina Bowen, now a widow with a young daughter, is an attractive and charming socialite among the American residents of Florence. Also living with her at this time as a temporary ward is a beautiful young girl just blossoming into womanhood, Imogene Graham.

Colville, formerly rather shy, has become an exceedingly witty conversationalist. He quickly becomes a favorite with young Effie Bowen and Imogene Graham. Miss Graham indicates a disdain for the shallow young men that she has met and is highly attracted to the urbane, intelligent Mr. Colville, who becomes a regular member of the congenial little coterie. However, Imogene seems to be too devoted to this older gentleman, and Colville does not discourage her. Mrs. Bowen, who apparently is captivated by his charm as well, begins to feel overshadowed by her lovely young ward. This is the core of the intriguing plot.

Howells’ characters are totally believable in their thoughts, their motivations, their words, and their actions. The dialogue is delightful, both in the lighter conversations and in the more passionate speeches. Aided by the social milieu of expatriates in a historic city of art and culture, the story moves at first slowly and pleasantly, but begins to build inexorably toward an emotional crisis. This novel is a very engrossing and satisfying tale of people that we become truly interested in.
( Summary by Leonard Wilson )

For further information, including links to online text, reader information, RSS feeds, CD cover or other formats (if available), please go to the LibriVox catalog page for this recording.

For more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader, visit LibriVox.org.

Download M4B 01-11 (150MB)
Download M4B 12-24 (144MB)

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews