Summerhills continues the story of the lives and loves of the Ayrton family, in particular that of Major Roger Ayrton M.C., his brother, and three young half-sisters.
Roger has made the Army his career. Anne has settled down as housekeeper to old Mr Orme, the rector. Nell looks after the old house, and it is upon her that the comfort and well-being of the family depend.
A new generation is growing up. The story begins as Roger flies home to Amberwell on leave, full of plans for his family and home.
This is the glowing story of the Ayrton family’s loves and triumphs at Amberwell, their beautiful estate in Scotland, in the years after World War II.
“Finding a re-issued novel by D. E. Stevenson is like coming upon a Tiffany lamp in Woolworth’s. It is not ‘nostalgia’; it is the real thing.â€â€” The New York Times Book Review
D. E. Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of civil engineers who designed many Scottish lighthouses. Her father was a first cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson. She was educated privately and travelled widely in France and Italy with her parents. She married a major in the Highland Light Infantry and moved with the regiment from place to place gaining valuable experience of life and people. Her first really successful novel, Mrs Tim, was published in 1933.