Three Summers

A gorgeous Greek modern classic about three sisters coming-of-age over the course of three summers, introduced by Polly Samson

‘That summer we bought big straw hats. Maria’s had cherries around the rim, Infanta’s had forget-me-nots, and mine had poppies as red as fire. . .’

Three Summers is a warm and tender tale of three sisters growing up in the countryside near Athens before the Second World War. Living in a ramshackle old house with their divorced mother are flirtatious, hot-headed Maria, beautiful but distant Infanta, and dreamy and rebellious Katerina, through whose eyes the story is mostly observed. Over three summers, the girls share and keep secrets, fall in and out of love, try to understand the strange ways of adults and decide what kind of adults they hope to become.

Margarita Liberaki (1919-2001) was a Greek novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Her acclaimed novel Three Summers is still taught in Greek schools and tops lists as one of the country’s favourite books of all time. It is also widely beloved in France, where it was first published on the recommendation of Albert Camus, who wrote to Liberaki- \”The sun has disappeared from books these days… You are one of those who pass it on.\”

Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Imprint: Viking Penguin
Publication date: 17/12/2021
Series: Penguin European Writers