Searching for Summer

by Joan Aiken

Set in the future after bombs have clouded the sky, "Searching for Summer" tells of newlyweds Tom and Lily who want to spend their honeymoon in the sun. Instead scooter trouble lands them in a dreary little village. A good deed of returning a lost purse leads them to discover a quiet cottage bathed in sunshine. They spend three blissful days there with the owners, but are forced to leave rather than reveal the cottage's location to the outside sun-shine greedy world.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Joan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.

She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).

Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.

Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.

Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.

Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

The short story "Searching For Summer" by Joan Aken, the short story is about two newly weds (Tom and Lilly) off on there honeymood trying the find something that hasn't been seen in years because of all the atomic wars going on the sun. I really didn't like the short story because it didn't make much sense of what really could happen. If there were atomic war going on, it wouldn't last long because you would either died of radiation or the blast itself. I don't think she she thought before she wrote. Please don't recommend it to your friends, you will lose them.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this short story for 30+years! When I read it in 8th grade 40 years ago, we were in the midst of the Cold War, and this story haunted me. It’s a thoughtful story that many of today’s young people won’t understand because the lens through which they see the world is so different.
Love and self-sacrifice are strong themes, especially in Tom and Lily’s decision at the end.

[Alena Vishnevsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was alright

[Starry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent story, the resolution was nice. It was a bit difficult for me to read because it was written in the characters' accents and was at times unclear.

[Hamed Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ode to the world and how people do not appreciate what they have until it is gone, and this is an opening into the future, and how it could all end, and how this could be life.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story!! Looked for it for a long time!!!

[Teresa Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Searching for Summer" is a futuristic short story by Joan Aiken. In this story a couple named Tom and Lily set off on their honeymoon searching for the only thing not available in their society- the sun. The setting is post atomic war, and the skies have been gray for years. I enjoyed this story as I felt the reaction of the young couple when they finally found what they were looking for. Well-written with both sympathetic and characters that a reader dislikes. I would recommend this short story.

[Caleb Abrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave the short story "Searching for Summer" by Joan Aiken, a two star rating. The story was about a couple(Tom and Amy) who are going on a honeymoon. They were trying to find the sun after the apocalypse, but a man was trying to stop them. I thought the book was not very detailed and the plot was too unrealistic. This society is too unrealistic for the short story to be any good. This could never happen, and the man (Mr. Noakes) wouldn't try so hard to stop them from seeing the sun. I do not recommend this book to many people.

[Katherine Safley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Searching for summer is an interesting book. It is placed in the 1980's in England where it is dark and gloomy and the sun never shines. Tom and Lily are the main characters. Tom and Lily go on their honeymoon set out on a journey to find sunlight. Conflict arises when Mr. Noakes discovers that Lily and Tom have become tanned and wants to profit from the sunshine. I liked this story it was very enjoyable.

[Karoline Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Searching for Summer' is a novel written by Joan Aiken. Its theme concerns raising awareness for the importance of sunlight and anti-war themes. Its climax can be summarized as Mr. Noakes asking his children about their tanned complex, as it was unnatural for their region and time of the story. 'Searching for Summer' was a very good short story to read because it helped me realize that I should think about others before myself.

[Jade Lazzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story "Searching for Summer" by Joan Aiken is a pretty intresting short story. It takes place in Britain in the 80's. it's basically a story that goes along with the over-used quote, "you don't know what you have until its gone." I think it was a nice story, that really makes you think about things. Some of the parts didn't really make sense to me, and that's why I think I didn't like it as much, but overall it was an okay story.

[Jacob Talkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story titled "Searching for Summer" written by Joan Aiken. In this story contains a newly wedded couple off on their honeymoon searching for a rare occurrence in their society, the sun. This takes place in after an atomic war and since then the skies have been gray, thus no sun. I am fond of this story, it made me appreciate what the sun does every day and how beautiful it is. I recommend this story because it makes me feel good and it might make you feel good as well.

[Kristin Stephens · Rating 1 out of 5]

The short story 'Searching for Summer' written by Joan Aiken was a nature tragedy. Lily and Tom lived there lives up to this point without seeing no sight of the sun. They get married and are newlyweds, for there honeymoon they take off on an adventure to see the sun. The finally see it and the way it's described in the back it glistens of of everything. This book was good for someone else but it is really not my style. Try out the book and see how you like it for yourself. :)

[Jon Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Searching for summer takes place of the time of the Hiroshima bombing, it is in England in a very dark part of the country, Tom and Lily the main characters along with everyone else in that area cannot even get a glimpse of sunlight. I do recommend this book to you if you are interested in history.

[Gage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this story because at the end the characters were thinking about others and not them selfs. I don't like this story because it confused me a little bit I had to read it twice. I also like how it was worded, described, wrote .

[Hannah Elam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this story it was interesting. I thought it was crazy how there was no sunshine I couldn't imagine living in a world without sun. That would be exciting to see the sunshine for the first time in a long time on your honeymoon.

[Ashley Seeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for Summer by Joan Aiken is very good. I'll be honest I'd like to see it as a movie or short film. Seeing as its placed in the 80s it has a twist . Joan Aiken did I very good job writing this book and I wouldn't mind reading it again.

[Cheyenne Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Searching for Summer is a story I had to read multiple times to be able to understand what was going on. Joan Aiken grew up during the war, and nobody knew what may happen when an atomic bomb went off. This is her perception on what may happen after a nuclear war.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book . It's short and easy to read . It makes you think about how great the small things in life are and how much they impact you when the small things disappear. The moral of the story is great!

[Broderick Hageman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really I thought it was a dumb book but tolerable. But what this book teaches you is that you don't realize how much you miss something until its gone. That's how the characters feel in this story as they go on a honeymoon to find a glimpse of sunshine.

[Ashleigh Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was a real good book. The book was about how no one there ever saw day light and all they wanted for their honey moon was to see the sun. They thought about others before themselves.

[Konner D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent short story (Searching for Summer) and I liked the plot very much. Joan Aiken wrote this during a time of panic so the emotion was easily seen. The theme is future tense and I think the moral is atomic war will not end well so we need to be careful.

[Morgan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Searching For Summer" is a short story by Joan Aiken. It is about these two people named Tom and Lily that get married and go looking for the sun. They go to a little town because their bike breaks down. It is a good futuristic story. They end up finding what they were looking for.

[Josh · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Searching for Summer" is a sort story by Joan Aiken. It's was a story about a newly married couple looking for the sun. I thought this story was very boring. The entire thing seemed to lack excitement. It was a slow read and never really picked up.

[Matthew Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story by Joan Aiken. In this short story Tom and Lilly set off on there honey moon in search for the sun. The setting of this story is in a post apocalyptic world after an atomic war were people rarely ever the sun. I thought this story was very interesting and was worth reading.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Searching for summer" is a short story. In the store two people are sating out to find the sun. They just got married and they have never seen the sun, because there was a bomb drop. I would not read this, because it is not the best short story. T would not read this.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book . It's short and easy to read . It makes you think about how great the small things in life are and how much they impact you when the small things disappear. The moral of the story is great!I wish it had been longer.

[Chayce Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good book but disturbing, the fact that they was looking for the sun. Hard to believe the sun was gone for that long. I am rating it3 out of 5

[Filiberto O. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book is ok

[Jake Longwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very fun book to read. The details in this story makes it seem like you are actually there. Searching for summer is a book I would defiantly recommend to people.