“Summer” by Edith Wharton tells the story of Charity Royall, a young woman living in the isolated and impoverished town of North Dormer, Massachusetts. The novel, set in the early 20th century, explores themes of love, desire, social class, and the constraints placed upon women in rural New England. Charity's yearning for something more than her limited existence leads her to a complex and ultimately heartbreaking journey of self-discovery.