Summer

Recommended by Charlotte Lellman, Processing Archivist

While the title is fitting for a summer reading recommendation, the content is not light; the novel’s protagonist, Charity Royall, confronts the lack of choice and opportunity available to her because of her gender and social background. Like another Wharton novella, “Ethan Frome,” this story features romance in small-town Western Massachusetts, and Wharton allegedly referred to this book as “Hot Ethan.” An added bonus: Charity is the town’s (very indifferent) librarian.