Overview

The Last Summer is a sweeping historical novel set on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda in the 1930s. Wild-spirited Effie Gillies meets Lord Sholto, heir to an earl, and their brief but passionate connection sets off a chain of hope, heartbreak, and secrets against the backdrop of island life and evacuation.

Writing & Voice

We found Swan’s writing expansive and richly atmospheric. She balances the rugged beauty of St Kilda with emotional intimacy. The narrative moves fluidly between landscape description and character emotion, creating a novel that feels both grand and personal.

Content & Perspective

The story follows Effie’s life before and after the islanders are evacuated. We see her return to the mainland, her role in an estate in high society, and how her connection with Sholto evolves. The perspective blends romance with the realities of social difference and cultural dislocation.

Themes

The Last Summer explores love, change, and belonging. It looks at how contact between different worlds can shape lives, how community bonds fray under pressure, and how hope persists in unexpected places. We were struck by its fusion of personal passion with historical sweep.

What Worked

• A vivid sense of place rooted in St Kilda’s landscape.
• Romantic tension that carries emotional weight.
• Well-paced narrative that balances character and history.

Minor Quibbles

• The breadth of the story sometimes softens focus on individual arcs.
• Readers seeking a pure romance or pure historical saga may want a clearer boundary between the genres.

Final Thoughts

We found The Last Summer emotionally sweeping, pairing romance with loss and displacement to show how island life and sudden change reshape love, identity, and memory.

Rating: ★★★★☆ / 5