Summer In Art And Literature

Ripening Seed by Colette is a delightful novel set on the beaches of the Emerald Coast in Brittany. It tells the story of Philippe and Vinca and a long, hot holiday summer spent swimming, fishing and playing on the beach. It is very much a “summer” novel, redolent of the sights, sounds and smells of the perfect seaside summer holiday. The sea haunts every page, as it does the lives of the two main characters. Philippe is 16 and he and his family are sharing a house by the sea with the family of the 15 year old Vinca. The two families have spent their summer holidays together in the same house for as long as the two children can remember and Philippe has known Vinca since she was a little girl. The end of the holiday approaches and the families must return to Paris where the two teenagers will be parted until the following summer. Gradually, they realise that there is something more to their relationship than just being childhood friends.

In a sense, this is a simple tale of first love. But there are complexities below the surface, just as there are hidden depths below the shimmering surface of the sea. Philippe and Vinca discover that their childhoods are over