Save space in your suitcase for these holiday essentials, selected by Charlotte Griffiths
Words by Charlotte Griffiths
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
You might have first read this when you were younger or (like me) you could have somehow slipped past this magnificent series and only encountered it as an adult – but either way, this five-strong set of books should absolutely be on your reading list for the warmer months.
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Having grown up in almost exactly the same area the Cazalets call home, Elizabeth Jane Howard’s series had a grip on me from its first mention of visiting East Sussex’s pebbled beaches or popping into Hastings for supplies, but I’m confident that no matter where you’re from, you’ll fall headfirst for this sweeping, intoxicating family saga.
The first book is set just after World War I, when four adult siblings and their young children all make the traditional summer return to their family home in Sussex for a two-month-long stay. With them come their struggles, affairs, heartbreaks, business ventures, hopes and dreams – and that’s an awful lot for a single house to contain, even one as beautiful and sprawling as Home Place.
It’s the descriptions of the domestic details that are so enchanting: the bedrooms’ fading floral wallpapers, the garden’s rose bushes visible through shimmering heat, the ad-hoc lunches swiftly expanded to accommodate unexpected visitors.
With new books in the series scheduled to arrive next year, written by Howard’s niece, this is exactly the right time to fall in love with their summery stories.
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
I’ll hazard a guess that, for most readers of Cambridge Edition, some time will have passed since the days of full-time education; but this beautiful novel from the absolute master of literary romcom will transport you straight back to that heady summer – post-exams, pre-further education – when your whole life was sprawling before you, sparkling with possibilities, and single balmy days of nothingness lasted entire weeks.
Charlie Lewis is the quiet one in his gang of lads: he and his mates have just finished their GCSEs. Between shifts at his local garage, aimlessly scouting around his area on a bike, he collides with Fran, a girl from the local independent school, and finds himself totally smitten in that gorgeously teenage way. In fact, he becomes so enamoured that he’s convinced to sign up for a summer-long am-dram production of Romeo and Juliet set to take place in a local house’s gardens.
If you love heart-wrenching coming-of-age novels or feel like you’re on the cusp of finding your true self – at whatever age you might be – this could be the perfect summer read.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
This is a curveball from the late 90s, but for an evocative, transporting and totally unforgettable ‘a stranger comes to town’ novel, you really can’t do better than this classic from Joanne Harris.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Set in a fictional French village, chocolatier Vianne and her daughter Anouk blow in at the start of Lent and quietly open their new shop’s doors on the town square, opposite the church. This bewitching single mother slowly enchants the village’s population, winning them over one by one, devising precisely the flavour of chocolate each villager needs to solve their problems and soothe their minds.
The priest, Reynaud, is the one hold-out: furious at the temptation on blatant display during a time of abstinence and appalled by Vianne’s lack of shame at her marital status, he preaches to the community to avoid the shop’s charms, dividing the village even further.
Meanwhile, on the nearby river, a band of travellers have pulled up their boats to find work: welcomed by Vianne but given the cold shoulder by Reynaud, tensions start to run even higher. Can the community reunite before the Easter celebrations begin – or will Vianne’s Festival of Chocolate be the final spark to ignite the flames?
Come for the effortless prose, but stay for the mouth-watering descriptions of chocolate. You’ll be pulling up the Hill St website to order a box before you even realise what you’re doing.
Wish you were here!
Follow these characters as they head abroad for plenty more holiday dramas
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
You’ve watched the film, you’ve seen the Netflix series – now treat yourself to the original novels by the absolute master of psychological thrillers: there’s nothing better to sweep you away to Italy, even if you’re really just lounging by your local lido.
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
Ahead of the film adaptation, scorch yourself with this fractious mother-daughter relationship that fares no better abroad than at home. Sofia and her mother Rose seek a cure for Rose’s ailments in Spain, but both are in need of healing. A fever dream.
Heatwave by Victor Jestin
Part hilarious anecdote, part historical document – these diaries written by an NHS junior doctor from 2004 to 2010 were turned into a brilliant BBC series starring Ben Whishaw, and both versions of the tale are well worth your time.
Check out July’s Book Club and explore the gripping reads that have inspired big-screen adaptations
