My Summer with Julia

Portrait painter, Annie Somerville, now in her mid-40's lives a quiet existence in an English village with her barrister husband, David and teenage children. Unexpectedly, she receives a letter from the family of a childhood friend, Julia, who she hasn't heard from in nearly 30 years. It seems that Julia has willed her a locked, mahogany box, which she must come to Toulouse, France to reclaim. Annie is puzzled by this, since she has had no contact with Julia for all these years, and her letters to Julia went unanswered. At the urging of her family, Annie agrees to travel to France to reclaim the box, where she learned that Julia and her husband had died in an auto accident when Julia was driving on a winding, mountainous road near their home. Annie waits until she returns home to open the box, and finds it filled with a collection of letters and postcards, and a few bedraggled pieces of jewelry. She doesn't know why Julia wanted her to have these items, and can't bring herself to investigate the contents of the box at once.Annie forces herself to remember the events of the last summer that she spent with Julia's family in France, which culminated in the tragic drowning death of Julia's mother. Annie and Julia were both 14 that summer, and were best friends but Julia was often unhappy and sulky and disappeared to be by herself for hours. Annie was just beginning to discover her love of art, and Julia seemed jealous of her talent and aspirations. Annie is haunted by the memories of that summer, which come gradually back into focus as she sifts through the memorabilia in the box and tries to remember the girl that Julia was and imagine the woman that she became. She is distracted and unable to focus on her work or her family. She attempts to paint a portrait of Julia, but can't seem to bring her into focus. As her troubling memories sharpen, she is finally able to complete the portrait and understand what happened to Julia and why her letters were never answered.This small book is a gem, intriguing in its simplicity, yet rich in detail.

Annie Somerville is now a middle-aged woman, an artist, living with her family in England...but years ago she was a schoolgirl with a volatile, disturbed friend named Julia. Annie has blocked out Julia and a dark secret about her from 30 years before, until one day she receives a telegram...Julia has died and has left Annie a box. Annie, with much reluctance, travels to France to fetch the box, and suddenly the secret from all those years ago is torturing Annie's subconscious, trying to burst forth. Will Annie let herself remember? This book started out really slow, and several times I almost put it down. Give it a chance, though. Once you get into the meat of the story, you will be riveted and anxious to find out just what it is that happened with Julia that so disturbs Annie.This was a very good story, and I am anxious to read more of Sarah Woodhouse's books.

I chanced across a single copy of "My Summer with Julia" in a bookstore. What a splendid little novel, and one that left me weeping on several occasions. So rich in detail and wise in view, a testament that conventional work can be vibrant. A synopsis would not do the book justice, for its loveliness and insight lie in the eddies. The author does not try to explain more than we can know psychologically or spiritually. I want to know something about the author (e.g., is that a pen name?) and, of course, to read more of her work.