Three Summers

If you love Lucinda Riley and Santa Montefiore, don't miss this sweeping and escapist new summer romance - preorder now! 
 
'Transported me to Italy . . . very evocative' Fern Britton, Sunday Times bestseller 
 
Every summer tells a story 
 
1957: The summer of innocence 
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family. 
 
1958: The summer everything changed 
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures… 
 
1961: The summer they met again 
And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had… 
 
Readers LOVE Karen Swan 
'I utterly consumed this book as quickly as it consumed me!' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'It’s been a long time since I so thoroughly enjoyed a novel with the turn of every page' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'A fabulous book, almost impossible to put down' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'Reading this novel was a joy!' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088;

A wonderful, immersive page-turner threaded with secrets and sacrifice

A tale brimming with passion, betrayal and the complex desires of the heart - Three Summers is a novel to indulge all of the senses!

Rich in drama, detail and description, Three Summers is a gloriously evocative tale of love and loyalty that will transport you to sun-drenched Puglia. Complex, emotional and of course heart-wrenchingly romantic, it is the perfect escape. Swan is sublime!

Sweeping, sun-soaked, and dazzlingly romantic, Three Summers captures the ache and hope of first love in a way that only Karen Swan can. It’s a story to lose yourself in, glittering with passion, beauty, and heartbreak — all so evocative, I could almost smell the lemon-scented air of 1950s Italy as I eagerly turned the pages.

Marissa Stapley, NYT-bestselling author of Lucky

The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric, Rafaella Parisi is torn between two loves in post-war Italy, and must choose between tradition and her own heart's desire. True love and redemption await her when the truth is revealed. Bellissima!

Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy... 
 
1957: The summer of innocence 
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Giannelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo – son of the wealthy Franchetti family. 
 
1958: The summer everything changes 
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures . . . 
 
1961: The summer they meet again 
When Rafa and Cosi’s worlds collide, Rafa faces an agonizing choice. Is she willing to risk the life she has for the future she once dreamed of? 
 
UK £16.99 
CAN $35.99

Karen is the Sunday Times and international best-selling author of twenty-nine books which have sold over 5 million copies around the world. A prolific author, she writes two novels a year and her books are known for their evocative locations. Karen sees travel as vital research, and likes to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots. 
 
 
A former fashion editor, she lives in Sussex, England with her family and three dogs.

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy 
 
1957: The summer of innocence 
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family. 
 
1958: The summer everything changed 
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures… 
 
1961: The summer they met again 
And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had…

Margarita Liberaki

Karen Van Dyck

Polly Samson

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to mind I Capture the Castle. Gorgeous

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

A leisurely, large-hearted coming-of-age novel, earthy and innocent, nostalgic and beautifully rendered

We must be grateful to the Penguin European Writers series, a precious venture in these dark times

The sun has disappeared from books these days... You are one of those who pass it on

Drifting blossom, girlish secrets and lantern-lit dances pervade the 1946 Greek classic Three Summers, by Margarita Liberaki, featuring three sisters on the brink of adulthood on a pre-civil-war country estate at Kifi ssia, outside Athens. Just reissued, this innocent gem is often compared to Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle

With its sensuous prose, nostalgic charm, playful humour and evocation of burgeoning sexuality, this novel is the literary equivalent of a sun-soaked holiday in Greece

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy

1957: The summer of innocence
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family.

1958: The summer everything changed
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures…

1961: The summer they met again
And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had…

Karen Swan

Praise for Three Summers

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

Video

Listen to Karen Swan discuss her upcoming book Three Summers, out February 2026.

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Praise for Three Summers

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

The written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to m ...

A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking

A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life

Video

Listen to Karen Swan discuss her upcoming book Three Summers, out February 2026.

FAQs

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