Summer

The story follows eighteen-year-old Charity Royall, a librarian in the dull town of North Dormer, as she experiences a sexual awakening after meeting the visiting architect Lucius Harney. Living under the guardianship of the town's prominent lawyer, Charity's life transforms as her emotions and desires clash with her mundane surroundings. The novel explores themes of longing and societal constraints, drawing parallels to Wharton's more famous work, Ethan Frome.