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Cover of Farewell Summer

Farewell Summer

Ray Bradbury

312 pages

A wistful, sun-drenched lingering at the edge of childhood, where the playful battles of youth meet the inevitable march of time.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like standing in the deceiving warmth of early October, caught between the endless play of summer and the inevitable chill of growing up. It unfolds at a leisurely, lingering pace, steeping the reader in a deeply nostalgic and bittersweet atmosphere. The narrative balances hilarious, youthful rebellion with profound, poignant reflections on aging and the relentless ticking of the clock. Its prose is evocative and verdant, capturing the sensory richness of a small town where generations clash over the desire to freeze time. It is a perfect read for those who appreciate a wistful, beautifully written exploration of the threshold between boyhood and manhood, culminating in the sweet, sad surrender to life's inevitable changes.

Mood
  • nostalgic
  • autumnal
  • bittersweet
  • sun-warmed
Tone
  • wistful
  • poignant
  • hilarious
  • earnest
  • evocative
Pace
leisurely
Themes
the passage of time · coming of age · youth versus age · loss of childhood innocence · the inevitability of change
The writing
Evocative and deeply nostalgic, painting a verdant, wistful portrait of small-town life with profound emotional resonance.
The arc
Moves from the playful, rebellious energy of endless summer to a poignant, bittersweet acceptance of growing up and the passage of time.
Who it's for
Readers who cherish lyrical, nostalgic reflections on childhood, the bittersweet transition to adulthood, and the timeless clash between generations.
Content notes
  • aging
  • loss of childhood

About the book

Sequel to Dandelion Wine

In a summer that refuses to end, in the deceiving warmth of earliest October, civil war has come to Green Town, Illinois. It is the age-old conflict: the young against the elderly, for control of the clock that ticks their lives ever forward. The first cap-pistol shot heard 'round the town is dead accurate, felling an old man in his tracks, compelling town elder and school board despot Mr. Calvin C. Quartermain to marshal his graying forces and declare total war on the assassin, thirteen-year-old Douglas Spaulding, and his downy-cheeked cohorts. Doug and his cronies, however, are most worthy adversaries who should not be underestimated, as they plan and execute daring campaigns—matching old Quartermain's experience and cunning with their youthful enthusiasm and devil-may-care determination to hold on forever to childhood's summer. Yet time must ultimately be the victor, with valuable revelations for those on both sides of the conflict. And life waits in ambush to assail Doug Spaulding with its powerful mysteries—the irresistible ascent of manhood, the sweet surrender to a first kiss...

One of the most acclaimed and beloved of American storytellers, Ray Bradbury has come home, revisiting the verdant landscape of one of his most adored works, Dandelion Wine. More than fifty years in the making, the long-awaited sequel, Farewell Summer, is a treasure—beautiful, poignant, wistful, hilarious, sad, evocative, profound, and unforgettable... and proof positive that the flame of wonder still burns brightly within the irrepressible imagination of the incomparable Bradbury.

Description from Open Library.

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