A Summer World
| Author | Richard Dougherty |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 1960 |
| Publication place | USA |
| Pages | 235 |
A Summer World is a 1960 American novel by Richard Dougherty. It focused on a 17 year old boy called Alex.
The Chicago Tribune called the book "genteel" but "a remarkably competent piece of fiction."[1] The New York Times wrote:
The large fault in Richard Dougherty's novel is that the major characters do not, in action, live up to what the narrator Alex says about them - nor does Alex himself seem too involved, even when these worldlings from another cosmos are using (and abusing) him most flagrantly. Yet it is what Alex does say and do that make him memorable. He is amusing, a sensitive and articulate ob- server, always himself. And he's crafty, telling his story in a near-diary style which keeps you so close to the events that you temporarily suspend your sense of probability. With that sense of probability regained, events discounted, exceptions found, what stays is Alex talking, and the feeling that anyone who talks this sensibly ought to be heard.[2]
Film rights were bought by 20th Century Fox. In March 1961 it was announced filming would begin in June starring Fabian Forte and Dolores Hart from a script by Howard Koch, produced by Henry Weinstein.[3] Jean Renoir was once announced as director.[4] However the film was not made.[5]
References
- ^ "Formal, genteel style mars this first novel". Chicago Tribune. 21 February 1960. p. 10 Part 4.
- ^ Lea, George (31 January 1960). "Rich Man's Holiday Enclave; A SUMMER WORLD. By Richard Dougherty. 235 pp. New YORK: Doubleday & Co. $3.95". p. 35 Section BR.
- ^ "Fabian will team with Dolores Hart". The Los Angeles Times. 30 March 1961. p. 11 Part 4.
- ^ "20 years after Renoir returns". The Los Angeles Times. 29 December 1960. p. 9 Part 3.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (13 February 2026). "Not Quite Movie Stars: Dolores Hart". Filmink. Retrieved 13 February 2026.