Farewell Summer
Encyclopedia
Farewell Summer is a novel by Ray Bradbury
, published on October 17, 2006. It is a sequel to his 1957 novel Dandelion Wine
, and is set during an Indian summer
in October 1929. The story concerns a mock war between the young and the old in Green Town, Illinois, and the sexual awakening of Doug Spaulding as he turns 14. With Something Wicked This Way Comes
, they form a trilogy of novels inspired by Bradbury's childhood in Waukegan, Illinois
.
The first chapter, also titled Farewell Summer, appeared in The Stories of Ray Bradbury
in 1980. Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce discuss a draft of the unpublished novel in some detail in their book, Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction (2004).
Publishers Weekly
called the novel a "poignant, wise but slight 'extension' of the indefatigable Bradbury's semiautobiographical Dandelion Wine
" and concluded, "Bradbury's mature but fresh return to his beloved early writing conveys a depth of feeling." Kirkus Reviews
found it "a thin work, heavily reliant on dialogue, but one that serves as an intriguing coda to one of Bradbury's classics." Booklist
said, "A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death, and a fitting capstone, perhaps, to a brilliant career."
(Sources: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/ray-bradbury/farewell-summer.htm as of 11dec07)
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, published on October 17, 2006. It is a sequel to his 1957 novel Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine is a 1957 novel by Ray Bradbury, taking place in the summer of 1928 in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois — a pseudonym for Bradbury's childhood home of Waukegan, Illinois...
, and is set during an Indian summer
Indian summer
An Indian summer is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost...
in October 1929. The story concerns a mock war between the young and the old in Green Town, Illinois, and the sexual awakening of Doug Spaulding as he turns 14. With Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr...
, they form a trilogy of novels inspired by Bradbury's childhood in Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
.
The first chapter, also titled Farewell Summer, appeared in The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
The Stories of Ray Bradbury is, as the title suggests, an anthology containing 100 short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury and was first published by Knopf in 1980. The hundred stories, written from 1943 to 1980, were selected by the author himself...
in 1980. Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce discuss a draft of the unpublished novel in some detail in their book, Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction (2004).
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
called the novel a "poignant, wise but slight 'extension' of the indefatigable Bradbury's semiautobiographical Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine is a 1957 novel by Ray Bradbury, taking place in the summer of 1928 in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois — a pseudonym for Bradbury's childhood home of Waukegan, Illinois...
" and concluded, "Bradbury's mature but fresh return to his beloved early writing conveys a depth of feeling." Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
found it "a thin work, heavily reliant on dialogue, but one that serves as an intriguing coda to one of Bradbury's classics." Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
said, "A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death, and a fitting capstone, perhaps, to a brilliant career."
History
In the afterword to Farewell Summer, Bradbury ... contends that the novel was actually intended to follow what became the Dandelion Wine story arc as a complete book tentatively titled Summer Morning, Summer Night. "When I delivered it to my publishers they said, 'My God, this is much too long. Why don't we publish the first 90,000 words as a novel and keep the second part for some future year when it is ready to be published'" (pp. 207–208).http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2006/12/farewell_summer.shtmlEditions
- October 2006 : Hardback; ISBN 0-06-113154-7 / 978-0-06-113154-7 (USA edition); Publisher: William Morrow
- November 2007 : Mass Market Paperback; ISBN 0-06-113155-5 / 978-0-06-113155-4 (USA edition); Publisher: Harper
- November 2007 : Paperback; ISBN 0-06-147095-3 / 978-0-06-147095-0 (USA edition); Publisher: Harperluxe
- 2006 : Paperback; ISBN 0-7394-8134-7 / 978-0-7394-8134-9 (USA edition); Publisher: Harper Collins
- November 2006 : Audio CD; ISBN 0-7927-4519-1 / 978-0-7927-4519-8 (USA edition); Publisher: Sound Library
- November 2006 : Audio Cassette; ISBN 0-7927-4542-6 / 978-0-7927-4542-6 (USA edition); Publisher: Sound Library
- November 2006 : MP3 CD; ISBN 0-7927-4565-5 / 978-0-7927-4565-5 (USA edition); Publisher: Sound Library
(Sources: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/ray-bradbury/farewell-summer.htm as of 11dec07)
