'Music flowed with the lightness and flash of water under the striped awnings and from the balconies; while beyond the open, illuminated windows ! the young men, about to be slaughtered, still feasted, unconscious of all but the moment' -- Osbert Sitwell Listed as number three of six in the 'Bookseller's Chart' by Phoebe Bentick of Henry Stokes & Co. -- The Times 20060603 'With the gifts of a great storyteller, [Nicolson] rekindles a vision of a time when the sun shone, but cast long shadows.' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20060501 Nicolson on swimwear from Victorian times through Brigitte Bardot to today. -- The Spectator 20060603 'Juliet Nicolson has taken this perfect summer as the backdrop for an ambitious work of multiple biography, which sets the extravagance of the upper classes against the increasingly desperate lives of the poor.' -- Observer 20060521 'I wanted to evoke the full vivid richness of how it smelt, looked, sounded, tasted and felt to be alive in England during the months of such a summer' -- The Lady 20060530 'Juliet Nicolson does not pretend to offer a close political analysis, but rather a thoroughly entertaining portrait of the period, full of memorable detail' -- The Spectator 20060527 'There is an unpretentious directness about Nicolson's approach to her subjects that gives the book a freshness and vitality. Happily, she also has an eye for the amusing or the ironic.' -- The Scotsman, Rachel Billington 20060603 'A fascinating read! I did indeed feel transported' -- Mail on Sunday: Antonia Fraser 20060618 'Hugely interesting! It's also -- and this is a compliment -- as page-turning as a novel' -- Guardian Holiday Read Choice: Joanna Trollope 20060617 'Nicolson writes with grace and humour' -- Guardian Holiday Read Choice: Antonia Fraser 20060617 'A charming mix of gossip column, commonplace book and popular history, sure to delight readers for many summers to come.' -- International Express: Michael Arditti 20060531 'An accomplished and engaging piece of social history' -- Daily Telegraph 20060624 '[Nicolson] sweeps across voices and classes to assemble a mosaic of sunlit impressions' -- Independent: Boyd Tonkin 20060623 'Elegant and witty . . an enjoyable read without pretensions from a rather well-connected writer' -- Jad Adams, Sunday Telegraph/Seven 20060521 'Nicolson conjures a moment when the unchanged rituals of English existence began to collide with modern life' -- Olivia Laing, Observer 20060521 'She cuts a slice through Edwardian life at the end of the Edwardian age to create a richly atmospheric read' -- Kate Chisholm, Daily Mail 20060512 'Nicolson has pulled together many strands in a graceful evocation of one particularly long summer' -- Rachel Billington, Evening Standard 20060515 'Entertaining and informative, it's packed with unforgettable characters and vivid descriptions' -- Sainsbury's Magazine 20060601 'This is a peach of a book. It is full of good things, sparkling, elegant and often funny' -- Jane Ridley, Literary Review 20060501 'Social history of a high order, which may make you glad you live nearly a century later.' -- Melvin Bragg, Daily Mail 20060707 'Society history written with skill, a sharp eye and a sense of humour'TLS, Susie Harries -- TLS, Susie Harries 20060630 'A clever, insightful and ultimately moving account' -- BBC History 20061001 'A tiny chapter of English history ! a perfect lightness of touch' -- Katie Law,Evening Standard 20061001 'Elegantly poignant ! Nicolson has an eye for prescient anecdotes.' -- Ruth Scurr, The Times 20061001 '1911, the period which Juliet Nicolson writes about so beautifully ! rich and marvellously researched evocation of the Edwardian age at its doom-laden apogee' -- Barry Humphries, Sunday Telegraph 20061001 'A cleverly crafted story of the hot, frenetic summer of 1911 which works because of the sparkling writing' -- Jane Ridley, The Spectator 20061001
