
Summer Half
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $13.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Penelope Freeman
-
By:
-
Angela Thirkell
About this listen
A captivating comic novel from Angela Thirkell's much-loved 1930s Barsetshire series: trainee barrister Colin Keith makes an ill-advised foray into teaching at Southbridge School.
To his parents' dismay, Colin Keith - out of the noble but misplaced sense of duty peculiar to high-minded young university graduates - chooses to quit his training for the Bar and take a teaching job at Southbridge School.
Little does Colin imagine that he will count among his pupils the demon in human form known as Tony Morland; or that the master's ravishing, feather-brained daughter Rose will, with her flights of fancy and many admirers, spread chaos throughout school and village. Humorous, high-spirited and cleverly observed, Summer Half is a comic delight.
©1937 The Estate of Angela Thirkell (P)2015 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
High Rising
- A Virago Modern Classic
- By: Angela Thirkell, Alexander McCall Smith - introduction
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son, Tony, set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbor, George Knox, has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village.
-
-
Beginning of a journey
- By Jerri C on 11-04-16
By: Angela Thirkell, and others
-
The House on the Cliff
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elfrida Jane, accustomed to the energetic life of a small-part actress, finds life at Mountain Cross very different. At first her mother's old cliff-top house seems lonely and bleak, compared to the glitter and bustle of the theatre. But Elfrida has plenty of courage and soon settles down to enjoy herself. Then, suddenly, her peace is shattered. To the house on the cliff come unexpected visitors from the world of the theatre - a world Elfrida thought she had left behind forever.
-
-
Another Delight
- By Jerri C on 06-03-23
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Excellent Women
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman's daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women - the smart, supportive, repressed women whom men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors - anthropologist Helena Napier; Helen's handsome, dashing husband, Rocky; and Julian Malory, the vicar next door - the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived.
-
-
Still Waters Run Deep
- By Sara on 04-13-16
By: Barbara Pym
-
A Quiet Life in the Country
- A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1
- By: T E Kinsey
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...
-
-
excellent!
- By J.L. on 02-27-17
By: T E Kinsey
-
Anna and Her Daughters
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When their father dies, none of the three Harcourt girls are particularly upset. The loss of the family's income, however, is not something so easily overcome. When their mother Anna discovers that they have been left penniless, she decides to move them out of London and back to her hometown in Scotland.
-
-
Sisters in Scotland
- By Jerri C on 06-10-22
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
A great reading of the wrong book
- By P on 11-24-15
By: J.K. Rowling
-
High Rising
- A Virago Modern Classic
- By: Angela Thirkell, Alexander McCall Smith - introduction
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son, Tony, set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbor, George Knox, has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village.
-
-
Beginning of a journey
- By Jerri C on 11-04-16
By: Angela Thirkell, and others
-
The House on the Cliff
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elfrida Jane, accustomed to the energetic life of a small-part actress, finds life at Mountain Cross very different. At first her mother's old cliff-top house seems lonely and bleak, compared to the glitter and bustle of the theatre. But Elfrida has plenty of courage and soon settles down to enjoy herself. Then, suddenly, her peace is shattered. To the house on the cliff come unexpected visitors from the world of the theatre - a world Elfrida thought she had left behind forever.
-
-
Another Delight
- By Jerri C on 06-03-23
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Excellent Women
- By: Barbara Pym
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman's daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women - the smart, supportive, repressed women whom men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors - anthropologist Helena Napier; Helen's handsome, dashing husband, Rocky; and Julian Malory, the vicar next door - the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived.
-
-
Still Waters Run Deep
- By Sara on 04-13-16
By: Barbara Pym
-
A Quiet Life in the Country
- A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1
- By: T E Kinsey
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...
-
-
excellent!
- By J.L. on 02-27-17
By: T E Kinsey
-
Anna and Her Daughters
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When their father dies, none of the three Harcourt girls are particularly upset. The loss of the family's income, however, is not something so easily overcome. When their mother Anna discovers that they have been left penniless, she decides to move them out of London and back to her hometown in Scotland.
-
-
Sisters in Scotland
- By Jerri C on 06-10-22
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
A great reading of the wrong book
- By P on 11-24-15
By: J.K. Rowling
-
Something New
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here, we have a glorious ensemble of Woodhousian characters knocking elbows to foreheads in the elegant and grand Blandings Castle. Meet Freddy Threepwood, the vagrant son of doddering old Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle. Freddy has recently become engaged to Aline Peters, the American heiress of an irascible father. The snag is that Freddy seems to have at one point become enamored of a struggling actress, Joan Valentine, and written some impetuous and imprudent letters to her.
-
-
Same book as Something Fresh
- By customer on 03-07-15
By: P. G. Wodehouse
-
Cold Comfort Farm
- Penguin Classics
- By: Stella Gibbons
- Narrated by: Pearl Mackie
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at 19, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex. At the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving with remorse for unspoken wickedness; Amos, preaching fire and damnation; their sons, lustful Seth and despairing Reuben; child of nature Elfine; and crazed old Aunt Ada Doom, who has kept to her bedroom for the last 20 years. But Flora loves nothing better than to organise other people.
-
-
Very, very amusing, a go to if one needs cheering
- By Laura G. Marcantoni on 11-05-20
By: Stella Gibbons
-
Mrs. Tim of the Regiment
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vivacious, young Hester Christie tries to run her home like clockwork, as would befit the wife of British Army officer, Tim Christie. However hard Mrs Tim strives for seamless living amidst the other army wives, she is always moving flat-out to remember groceries, rule lively children, side-step village gossip and placate her husband with bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade. Left alone for months at a time whilst her husband is with his regiment, Mrs Tim resolves to keep a diary of events large and small in her family life.
-
-
Life as a military wife
- By Jerri C on 03-09-13
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Charlotte Fairlie
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Hilary Neville
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Fairlie is a successful, elegant career woman. Still in her 20s, she has landed a job as headmistress of her old school. She is admired and liked by both staff and pupils - but she begins to feel there is something missing in her well-organised life. Then one summer she goes to stay with a young pupil on the remote Scottish Isle of Targ. In the romantic atmosphere of the Highlands, anything can happen - and even the cool, efficient Charlotte surprises herself.
-
-
Career or romance
- By Jerri C on 05-23-10
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
The Lightning Thief
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1
- By: Rick Riordan
- Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself.
-
-
Loved the story - but.....
- By Julia on 02-28-10
By: Rick Riordan
-
Lord of the Flies
- By: William Golding
- Narrated by: William Golding
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marooned on a tropical island, alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, and devoid of adult supervision or rules, a group of British boys begins to forge a society with its own unique rules and rituals.
-
-
Great story - bad narration
- By A Mom on 03-05-08
By: William Golding
-
Sarah Morris Remembers
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With the help of her old diaries, Sarah Morris recounts her life story. The daughter of an English vicar, she begins by telling of her happy childhood with her brothers and sister in their country village. As a teenager, Sarah’s brother brings home a friend - Charles, a charming Austrian to whom she quickly becomes close. Over the years they fall in love, but when war breaks out Charles must return to Austria. While she awaits his return, Sarah quietly continues working hard and caring for her family. But she can’t stop wondering if she will ever see her sweetheart again…
-
-
Lovely story
- By Hearth on 08-08-15
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Bel Lamington
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bel, an orphan daughter of an Army colonel, is brought up in an English village and flung into the whirl of London life to earn a hard living as a secretary while attempting to navigate romance, unexpected friendships and urban life. Shy and sensitive, she is unaware of the pitfalls that surround her. When Bel is offered a chance to leave London and venture to a fishing hotel in Scotland for a much needed holiday with an old school friend, things begin to change. There she learns that you cannot escape from your troubles by running away from them....
-
-
Gentle reading from an era long gone
- By Chelle on 04-21-21
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz Bundle (Annotated)
- By: Lyman Frank Baum
- Narrated by: Whitney Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Book 1: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known and loved today as simply The Wizard of Oz, is a tale that has been cherished by readers and listeners throughout the years. This timeless story has inspired Broadway shows, cartoon series, and many films over the past few generations. I hope that this book has inspired your sense of creativity and wonder as much as it has mine.
By: Lyman Frank Baum
-
Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Starcatchers, Book 1
- By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.
-
-
A fast paced frolic on the high seas!
- By Deborah on 12-19-08
By: Dave Barry, and others
-
The Next Always
- Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Nora Roberts
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The historic hotel in Boonsboro has endured war and peace, the changing of hands, and even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major face-lift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect in the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen.
-
-
You need to Set your MP3 Playback to FASTER!
- By Lynne Phelps on 05-04-12
By: Nora Roberts
-
The Musgraves
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tangled destinies of an unusual family are played out against the backdrop of the English countryside where two pretty sisters and a beautiful widow take centre stage in a drama of dangerous flirtation and backstairs gossip. Esther Musgrave, an attractive widow, has her hands full trying to keep her energetic family together – and on speaking terms! Her three daughters, prickly Delia, sensible Meg and carefree Rose, mean everything to her, especially since the death of her husband, Charles.
-
-
Sibling rivaly
- By Jerri C on 08-01-11
By: D. E. Stevenson
What listeners say about Summer Half
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Beth B
- 10-22-18
Humour and irony
Obviously written in the thirties before the war, it is a window into the lives of various people, both rich and poor. It is a life that stopped during and after the war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- robert d gregory
- 03-09-16
Guilty Pleasure!
Would you consider the audio edition of Summer Half to be better than the print version?
Yes, the reader was wonderful and does the different voices of kids and adults, schoolmasters and servants, clever people and fatheads, so well I laughed 3x as much as I would have reading it for myself
What other book might you compare Summer Half to and why?
Not quite Barbara Pym but definitely Anthony Trollope as Thirkell herself thought, given she named the area Barsetshire.
Which scene was your favorite?
The one where Rose, the spoiled brat, throws a tantrum upstairs, while her father and her fiancé are downstairs discussing the engagement and trying to be serious, ignoring her cheering and the moment when a bath sponge flies out the window
If you could rename Summer Half, what would you call it?
The novel I wished I'd read before I thought I was in love at 16
Any additional comments?
Wonderful reader! If only she'd do Barbara Pym (or Jane Austen for that matter).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alexandra S. Evans
- 12-06-20
Wonderful
Absolutely wonderful story and performance. I highly recommend whether a thirkill fan or first time reading her works.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James
- 09-05-18
Pleasing comedy of bygone England
Essentially a comedy of manners with stock characters, enlivened by the school setting and occasional wit. The narrator gives a finely modulated performance, adroitly catching both female and male voices. The novel does not rise above the ordinary but it’s an entertaining piece nonetheless. Excellent bedtime or mid-afternoon listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Douglas
- 08-24-16
I Have Taught College English...
for twenty six years, and I have to say Thirkell captures every comical nuance of the teaching profession in this charming novel of the "accidental professor. " Goodbye Mr. Chips after a few shots of scotch.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia
- 02-13-19
Thirkell makes me laugh.
Her characters are so much fun. Please bring more of her books to Audible; I own all the current list and listen to them when I need stress relief.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Suea
- 08-18-16
Charming and light, just the way I like it
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, especially for light reading or going to sleep by
What was one of the most memorable moments of Summer Half?
The family interaction over the cleaning of the pond
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Way, way, way too fast! What was she in such a hurry about? A few of the characters spoke extra slowly but these were few and far between and way too slow. Pace is really important to my enjoyment of a book. I found the narrator irritating because of her speed. I had to pay extra attention just to maintain my understanding of the story which detracted from my enjoyment. I won't listen to this reader again.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. It was easy to pick up whenever I needed to.
Any additional comments?
This is not heavy, engrossing material but it is entertaining and offers a look into another world, another time, hardly Jane Austen but a worthwhile read for me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TX lilbit
- 06-11-20
Love this
One of my favorite cosy books. Angela Thirkell writes boys so well. By today's standards the tween to teenage boys in this book seem really innocent, but it makes sense in the context of the era and prep and public schools, etc. Narrator Penelope Freeman gets Angela Thirkell's humor so well!! The different voices/characters are fantastic. I wish Hatchett would have her do more similar novels, Barbara Pym's especially. Unfortunately the other books she's narrated don't appeal to me, and I can't help thinking they waste her comic talent.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- uptowngirl
- 08-11-19
Very funny and accurate accents by this narrator.
The narrator does the Barsetshire world of Angela Thirkell, and its between the wars life in country society in England, a tremendous favor by adding wonderfully funny but accurate accents. In particular, the school boys are perfectly delineated and add a great deal of enjoyment to this period piece.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Van Daviss
- 10-03-18
The narrator ruins the story
This book is a charming, light comedy of manners. The reader is the worst of any Audible book I have heard. She makes all women and girls speak in a squeaky, babyish voice, regardless of the personalities the author has given them, and she makes all her men sound like little children pretending to be grown-ups. At no time did her voice sound at all natural. I found it so distracting that I stopped listening after about one-third of the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!