When the Summer Was Ours
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
When the Summer Was Ours
Narrated by:
Imani Jade Powers, Jacques Roy
Buy Now for $26.99
-
Narrated by:
-
Imani Jade Powers
-
Jacques Roy
-
By:
-
Roxanne Veletzos
About this listen
Hungary, 1943. As war encroaches on the country’s borders, willful young Eva arrives in the idyllic town of Sopron to spend her last summer as a single woman on her aristocratic family’s estate. Longing for freedom from her domineering father, she counts the days to her upcoming nuptials to a kind and dedicated Red Cross doctor whom she greatly admires.
But Eva’s life changes when she meets Aleandro, a charming and passionate Romani fiddler with a love for painting. With time and profound class differences against them, Eva and Aleandro still fall deeply in love – only to be separated by a brutal act of hatred.
As their lives diverge and they are each swept into the tides of war and its aftermath they try to forget what they once shared. But as the years pass, the haunting memory of their romance will reshape their destinies and drive them to decisions that will change their lives forever.
From the horrors of World War II to the tensions of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and beyond, When the Summer Was Ours is a sweeping story about the toll of secrets, the blurred lines between desire and loyalty, sacrifice and obsession, and the endurance of the human spirit.
Praise for When the Summer Was Ours
‘A lyrical and deeply moving story ... Book clubs will love this intimate tale of courage and sacrifice’ Anita Abriel, bestselling author of The Light After the War
‘Veletzos deftly weaves a tale of music, heartbreak, survival and, ultimately, enduring love’ Jillian Cantor, author of Half Life
‘A Tale of Two Cities meets The Nightingale in this luminous wartime love story’ Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Stolen Beauty
Critic Reviews
‘Like the gypsy music that is at the center of this wonderful novel, When the Summer Was Ours is a lyrical and deeply moving story of star-crossed love during World War II, Hungary. Eva is a complex heroine and her ultimate fate is bittersweet and rewarding at the same time. Book clubs will love this intimate tale of courage and sacrifice.’ (Anita Abriel, bestselling author of The Light After the War)
‘A gorgeously written, impeccably researched historical novel, spanning decades and continents, and filled with a richly drawn cast of characters. Roxanne Veletzos deftly weaves a tale of music, heartbreak, survival and, ultimately, enduring love. I devoured this beautiful, moving book.’ (Jillian Cantor, author of Half Life)
‘A Tale of Two Cities meets The Nightingale in this luminous wartime love story that sweeps readers from an impoverished Romani camp in Hungary at the brink of World War Two to the Siege of Budapest and on to the New York art scene during the Cold War. Tenderly drawn and lyrically told, Roxanne Veletzos’s unforgettable characters show us the political is always personal, art is both transcendent and fragile, and courage is the ultimate weapon against injustice. Transportive and moving, When the Summer Was Ours is haunted by the violin music of the Romani people and a love that endures through war and devastation.’ (Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Stolen Beauty)
‘When the Summer Was Ours is a breathtaking romance that unfolds in a richly drawn landscape of war and loss – a gripping, unforgettable story of enduring love and the fragile yet indomitable hope that sustains the human heart through tragedy to redemption.’ (Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Resistance Women)
'In her novel of forbidden romance, conflict, separation, and reunion, Roxanne Veletzos creates a world devastated by the brutality of war, yet inhabited by characters whose challenges are matched by their hope and an epic love that defies social boundaries, geography, and time.' (Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Before We Were Yours)
'A sweeping, heartbreaking love story about how the smallest of choices can change our fates. Set against the backdrop of war and revolution, When the Summer Was Ours is an artfully written story told with deep compassion. Historical fiction fans will love this book!' (Julia Kelly, internationally bestselling author of The Light Over London)
‘A sweeping story of love and forgiveness. You won't want to put this book down.’ (Diana Giovinazzo, author of The Woman in Red)
Hungarian life
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautiful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very poor narrating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.