Summer Lightning (Severn House Large Print) - Hardcover

Pamela Oldfield's books have been translated into Spanish, German and Russian. Her adult novels are described as a blend of historical fiction and family saga, each one thoroughly researched with the help of her husband, Joseph, who photographs and videos the various locations necessary for the backgrounds.

Lucy is Andrew's loving fiancee, but Andrew flirts with her best friend, who is married to Andrew's best-man-to-be. The year is 1913, and the English expatriates living in the small Portuguese copper-mining town of San Domingos are singularly self-absorbed, uncomprehending, and unappreciative of the people among whom they live and work. Threatened uprisings among the miners and a dangerous underground explosion, combined with the depradations made by wolves and the eternal heat and scarcity of water, are merely irritants to their pleasure-seeking way of life. Oldfield's historical novel provides an intriguing look at the culture of indulged young Brits in the heyday of the British Empire. It is a sad commentary on that society that her most perceptive and insightful character is young Leo, sent home early from boarding school because of a chicken-pox outbreak. Charming in his lack of sophistication, he brings compassion to his dealings with both Portuguese and English adults during this most difficult summer. Lynne Welch
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