1
of
1
The Last Summer
Series: The Wild Isle Series
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3499
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Last Summer
$3499
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers who enjoy historical fiction with strong female protagonists, atmospheric settings, and intricate romances entwined with mystery. Fans of richly detailed period dramas and tales of resilience amidst social upheaval will find this a particularly engaging read.
Latest News
Books Our Dads Gave Us
For Father’s Day, we asked some of the team to share the books their Dads...
Romance for Spring - Groundbreaking!
Lizzy is sharing her top picks for Spring reads in the romance and romantasy genre...
The ‘Fourth Wing’ graphic novel covers have been revealed
The covers for ‘Fourth Wing, The Graphic Novel: Volume One’ have officially been revealed, with...
Books about Bookshops (across almost every genre)
Books about books, bookshops, and booksellers - it's my favourite thing. Here's a small selection...
What the Book Hero team is excited for
With so many pre-orders coming in the last few months of the year, we asked...
See moreAn epic, sweeping historical novel from Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, The Last Summer is set on the Scottish island of St Kilda and is the first in a new series.
Summer 1930 on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island. Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
The Last Summer is the first in an epic, sweeping historical series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, set in and around the Scottish island of St Kilda.
When the residents of St Kilda ask to be evacuated from their remote island home in the summer of 1930, it's in search of a better life on mainland Scotland compared to the scratch existence on their mountain in the sea.
For eighteen-year-old tomboy Effie Gillies, it's a bittersweet departure. She's the best young climber on the island, as skilled and brave as any of the men. But it is Effie's expansive knowledge of local bird life that leads her to take up a position as curator of Dumfries House's ornithological collection - and back into the arms of Lord Dumfries' son and heir, Sholto.
During her last summer on St Kilda, Effie had been Sholto's guide, and their attraction had seemed irresistible. But, in the glamorous polite society of Ayrshire, it is clear they are worlds apart. When a body is discovered on the island, soon after the evacuation, a scandal erupts as Effie is implicated. Sholto knows she's keeping secrets - but are they even her own?
Series: The Wild Isle Series
View all-
The Lost Lover
A gripping new series . . . beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers - Santa Montefiore on The Last Summer Young Flora MacQueen has always dreamed of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. And when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy businessman James Callaghan, her future seems...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
If there's one thing Jayne Ferguson has learnt in her life, it's that every blessing comes with a curse. She married the most handsome man on the isle of St Kilda - but he's a bully. She inherited her mother's gift of second sight - but only ever foresaw her fellow islanders' deaths. She has learnt to keep to herself,...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
Jayne Ferguson has always been a keeper of secrets, most especially her own... If there's one thing Jayne Ferguson has learnt in her life, it's that every blessing comes with a curse. She married the most handsome man on the isle of St Kilda — but he's a bully. She inherited her mother's gift of second sight — but only...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Last Summer
Summer on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island. Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet... Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda, but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week, she guides the handsome young visitor around...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Last Summer
The Last Summer is the first in an epic, sweeping historical series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, set in and around the Scottish island of St Kilda. When the residents of St Kilda ask to be evacuated from their remote island home in the summer of 1930, it's in search of a better life on mainland Scotland compared to...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
'Love, passion, drama, violence, menace and peril, and characters you fall in love with!' - Santa Montefiore, author of Shadows in the Moonlight The mystery of St Kilda's residents is revealed in the epic conclusion to Karen Swan's historical series set in Scotland. Jayne Ferguson has always been a keeper of secrets, most especially her own... If there's one thing...Hardback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Stolen Hours
The Stolen Hours is the second book in Karen Swan's bestselling Wild Isle series, which began with The Last Summer. A dramatic start to a gripping new series . . . meticulously researched and beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers - Santa Montefiore on The Last Summer An Island full of secrets . . ....Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised for meticulous research and captivating storytelling, The Last Summer offers a richly satisfying blend of love, passion, drama, and intrigue. Santa Montefiore commends its vivid characters and compelling plot, while Jill Mansell highlights its powerful writing and absorbing depiction of St Kilda’s history. Cathy Bramley describes it as an exciting and evocative story of forbidden love, eagerly anticipating the sequel. Together, these reviews celebrate the novel as a thrilling and heartfelt beginning to an epic series.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529084375
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 28 April 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Macmillan
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 42.0mm
Width: 154.0mm
Height: 233.0mm
Weight: 606g
Pages: 496
About the Author
Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty-one books and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year - one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and, for winter, The Christmas Secret, Together by Christmas and Midnight in the Snow Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots. She is writing a five-book historical series called The Wild Isles, based on the dramatic evacuation of Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.
Also by Karen Swan
View all-
The Lost Lover
A gripping new series . . . beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers - Santa Montefiore on The Last Summer Young Flora MacQueen has always dreamed of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. And when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy businessman James Callaghan, her future seems...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
If there's one thing Jayne Ferguson has learnt in her life, it's that every blessing comes with a curse. She married the most handsome man on the isle of St Kilda - but he's a bully. She inherited her mother's gift of second sight - but only ever foresaw her fellow islanders' deaths. She has learnt to keep to herself,...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
Jayne Ferguson has always been a keeper of secrets, most especially her own... If there's one thing Jayne Ferguson has learnt in her life, it's that every blessing comes with a curse. She married the most handsome man on the isle of St Kilda — but he's a bully. She inherited her mother's gift of second sight — but only...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Three Summers
The stand-out, sensational new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy 1957 - The summer of innocence Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to see—Cosimo,...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Pre-orderThe Winter Guest
The stand-out, sensational new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author about love, scandal and family secrets... In a grand villa on the shores of Lake Geneva, Dulcie's grandmother nears the end of her glamorous and eventful life. The days pass quietly to the reassuring tick of the Swiss clock - until a visitor comes to their door... 1961In the...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableOut 13 Oct 2026Pre-order -
Pre-orderThree Summers
The stand-out, sensational new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author. 1950's Italy 1957: The summer of innocence Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Giannelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo - son...Paperback$2800Unit price /UnavailableOut 1 Dec 2026Pre-order -
All I Want for Christmas
Can she find love this Christmas? Christmas in Copenhagen is an utterly magical time of year - there are charming Christmas markets, carol singing on the canals, ice skating in the parks, and cosy cafes to shelter from the early snow. However, Darcy Cotterell is not feeling remotely festive. Newly single, she's not even going home for Christmas but will...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Christmas By Candlelight
It's three days before Christmas and just starting to snow. Against her better judgement, Libby Pugh has been persuaded by her best friend to stop in on their university reunion on her way back from a wedding in North Yorkshire with her new boyfriend, Max. Their host is Archie Templeton, the playboy of their group, who has finally inherited his...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Last Summer
Summer on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island. Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet... Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda, but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week, she guides the handsome young visitor around...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Midnight Secret
'Love, passion, drama, violence, menace and peril, and characters you fall in love with!' - Santa Montefiore, author of Shadows in the Moonlight The mystery of St Kilda's residents is revealed in the epic conclusion to Karen Swan's historical series set in Scotland. Jayne Ferguson has always been a keeper of secrets, most especially her own... If there's one thing...Hardback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Secret Path
An old flame. A new spark. Love can find you in the most unlikely places. Sunday Times bestselling author Karen Swan returns with The Secret Path, taking us deep into the heart of the Costa Rican jungle - complete with her trademark romance, glamour, and jaw-dropping twists. 'A glamorous adventure' - Hello! At only twenty, Tara Tremain has everything: she's...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Stolen Hours
The Stolen Hours is the second book in Karen Swan's bestselling Wild Isle series, which began with The Last Summer. A dramatic start to a gripping new series . . . meticulously researched and beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers - Santa Montefiore on The Last Summer An Island full of secrets . . ....Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
More from Historical Fiction
View all-
The Parisian Chapter
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Inferno
AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...Paperback$3100Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Circle of Days
From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...Hardback$4499Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Soldier's Daughter
The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Girl with the Suitcase
The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author. London 1941 When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, she realises their lives couldn't be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground, Mary's life is set to change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Lost Bookshop
Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$2500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
All the Diamonds in Paris
Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
19% offThe Listeners
‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...Paperback$2900Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Buy to WinMythos
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah is a classic storyteller and The Four Winds sees her at the top of her game - Matt Haig Powerful and compelling - Delia Owens, number one international bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! - Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The...Paperback$2000Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Lost Apothecary
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary's fate is jeopardised when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
