Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer

The two were friends and had been for many years before Miss Douglas a little battered by war experiences had settled down in Threipford to Mrs. Lorimers quiet content. ... Both wrote; each admired the others work. Lucy possessed what Gray knew she herself would never have a quality which for want of a better name she called saleability.In what is surely Molly Claverings most autobiographical novel two middle-aged women writers close friends and neighbours offer one another advice and support while navigating life in a lively Border village. Lucy Lorimer the more successful author with her four children in-laws and grandchildren gathered for a summer reunion must try to avert disaster in one daughters marriage help a daughter-in-law restless with mundane married life after flying planes in the war and deal with the awkward reappearance of an old flame. Unmarried Grace (Gray) Douglas meanwhile has struggles of her own but is drawn delightfully into her friends difficulties.In real life Molly Clavering was herself for many years a neighbour and close friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson. First published in 1953 Mrs. Lorimers Quiet Summer is not only an irresistible family story but undoubtedly provides some indication of the inspiring friendship between these two brilliantly talented women. This new edition includes an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.