'The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there', begins L. P. Hartley's tale of nostalgia, the reawakening of lost memories and sexual awareness. It is 1952. Leo, now in his sixties, comes upon an old diary describing one long, hot summer with a school-friend at Brandham Hall, where he acted as a messenger between Ted, a local farmer, and Marian, the beautiful young woman up at the Hall. He becomes drawn deeper and deeper into their dangerous game of deceit and desire. This haunting story of a young boy's awakening into the secrets of the adult world is also an unforgettable evocation of the boundaries of Edwardian society.

Penguin Readers are written by specialist ELT authors. The language, vocabulary, style and content of every book is carefully graded to make sure it suits the learner's own language ability. Every Penguin Reader has a range of activities in the book and accompanying Factsheet to help increase comprehension and develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.