Summary of The Last September
“The Last September” follows a wealthy Anglo-Irish family and their guests at a luxurious country house in County Cork in 1920, portraying their tennis matches, tea parties, dances, and romances, against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence. Meanwhile, Lois, a young girl on the brink of adulthood, tries to find her own identity and direction in life, and falls in love with a British officer.
Reasons to read The Last September
“The Last September” beautifully captures the tense atmosphere in Ireland during the “Troubled Times” of the Irish War of Independence and its impact on the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, who realise too late that their privileged way of life is drawing to a close. At a more personal level, it tells the story of a young girl in search of herself and experiencing first love. Elizabeth Bowen was a celebrated Anglo-Irish novelist, though her work is often overlooked today. Her best-known novels include “The Last September”, “The Heat of the Day”, “The House in Paris”, and “The Death of the Heart”. “The last of September” was adapted into a film in 1999, starring Maggie Smith.
Setting: County Cork (Ireland)
The fictional estate of Danielstown in the novel is thought to be inspired by the author’s ancestral home, Bowen’s Court, near Kildorrery, County Cork.
Original title: The Last September
Year of publication: 1929
Nr of pages: 220
