Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer

Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer / Molly Clavering
London: Dean Street Press, 2021, c1953.
192 p.

I was in need of a quiet read recently, so turned to Dean Street Press, always a reliable source of comfort reading. I found this one off my to read list, and thought that "quiet" and "summer" described what I was looking for. 

I'm so glad I picked it up! I really enjoyed this one. We find Mrs. Lucy Lorimer (loosely based on the author's friend D.E. Stevenson) getting ready to welcome her children home for a visit. She's disappointed that a local house has been sold, as she had been pondering buying it so that all the children could fit when they visit. As it is, two of the children will be staying at her best friend Grace "Gray" Douglas' house down the road (a character loosely based on Molly Clavering). 

This quiet summer is not so quiet; it does have small domestic upsets. The four children are all grown, three married and the youngest, Guy (Mrs. Lorimer's favourite) is nursing heartbreak. All four (plus spouses, grandchildren and assorted locals) cause many quiet fusses over the summer visit -- some are more nerve-wracking than others, including sudden illness, a car accident, a growing attachment by Guy to an unsuitable local girl, and more. 

Also in the mix is Mrs. Lorimer's husband Jack, who seems blustery and comical at the beginning, but grows on the reader as he proves he is good at solving a crisis, and everything he does is aimed at making Lucy's life easier. 

This is a gentle read, with three lovely main characters (Lucy, Jack and Gray). The wide range of other characters give motion and event to the book (including a wonderful summer fair) but these three are at the heart of it. I felt carried away, entertained, and satisfied by this read. I will definitely look for more Molly Clavering.