Latest news with #TheSummerHouse
Metropolis Japan
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Book Review: The Summer House by Masashi Matsuie
It's not just a novel about architecture—it's a novel constructed like architecture: every beam of narrative serves a purpose, every window of emotion is carefully placed. In The Summer House , Masashi Matsuie's prize-winning debut novel (originally published in Japan in 2012 and now translated into English by National Book Award–winner Margaret Mitsutani), that question unfolds slowly, with the same measured elegance as the Murai Office's architectural plans. Set in a sweltering summer of the late 20th century, the story follows recent university graduate Toru Sakanishi. He works at an architecture firm known for its blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics and Western modernist influences. When the team temporarily relocates to a mountain retreat beneath an active volcano, it's ostensibly to escape the heat. However, the real furnace lies in the creative and romantic tensions that begin to simmer. There's a high-stakes competition to design a national library, and Sakanishi clumsily falls into something like love with two women at the retreat. In lesser hands, this might veer toward melodrama. But Matsuie, a longtime editor of literary greats like Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, knows restraint like a well-crafted floor plan. The emotional architecture is subtle, precise, and deeply human. Read more of Metropolis' Japanese literature recommendations here. The book has an obsession with structure—physical and metaphorical. The novel is filled with thoughtful ruminations on libraries, natural light, the tension between form and function. This is a book that breathes. Mitsutani's translation captures the quiet rhythms of Matsuie's prose—never showy, never missing, always deliberate. It's a style that mirrors the landscape it describes: a Japan perched between nostalgia and modernity, lush forests giving way to concrete, traditions quietly rearranged by economic ambition. For readers who love contemplative fiction, The Summer House is a welcome escape. It doesn't roar. It hums, like cicadas in summer, or the soft creak of wood in an old house at night. It's a story about how we shape the spaces we live in, and how they quietly shape us back. Read The Summer House by Masashi Matsuie, Translated by Margaret Mitsutani, here. On sale from June 17, 2025.
The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish holiday retreat in ‘tranquil setting' for sale
Drysdale and Company is handling the sale of Ardgarry Farm and Lodges near Invergarry. The farmhouse. (Image: Drysdale and Company) The agent said: 'Ideally located just off the A82, a major tourist route en route to the Isle of Skye, the property spans approximately seven acres and enjoys a tranquil setting near Invergarry, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. 'At the heart of the property is a characterful owner's cottage, dating from 1868, offering charm and privacy. Complementing this are two attractive detached holiday lets - The Summer House and The Coach House - along with four spacious, well-appointed three-bedroom lodges, all providing immediate income from the buoyant Highland tourism market.' The site. (Image: Drysdale and Company) The agent also said the site has outline planning permission for additional holiday lodges and a further residential dwelling 'offering exciting scope for expansion and long-term investment'. READ MORE: Stuart Drysdale, director at Drysdale and Company, said: 'Ardgarry Farm and Lodges is the kind of property that rarely comes to market. 'It offers not only a beautifully maintained home and business but also a chance to enjoy a lifestyle rooted in the natural splendour of the Highlands. 'With its strong trading foundations and potential for further development, this is an exceptional opportunity for anyone seeking a rural business with real heart and future growth prospects.' The agent added: 'With offers invited around £1.4 million for the heritable interest, Ardgarry Farm and Lodges presents a rare chance to acquire a lifestyle business with strong trading potential in one of Scotland's most visited regions.'
Boston Globe
17-03-2025
- Boston Globe
Author Brendan DuBois sentenced to prison for possession of child sexual abuse material
DuBois DuBois must register as a sex offender, according to court records. The judge recommended that he receive an assessment for sexual offender treatment at the state prison. Part of his minimum sentence could be suspended if he completes the assessment, or if it concludes that no treatment is needed. Advertisement An email seeking comment was sent on Friday to his attorney, Harry Starbranch. DuBois' website, which no longer appears to be working, had said he is a New York Times bestselling author who has written 29 novels. He co-wrote several of those with James Patterson, including 'Cross Down,' 'Count Down,' 'The Summer House' and 'Blowback.' Severn River Publishing previously announced that it was removing his books from its website.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Author Brendan DuBois sentenced to prison for possession of child sexual abuse material
BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A bestselling mystery writer has been sentenced to 3 1/2 to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. Brendan DuBois, 65, was indicted by a county grand jury last year. He appeared in a New Hampshire court on Thursday after prosecutors agreed to drop two of six possession counts against him as part of a plea agreement. DuBois was arrested in Exeter last July. He has been in jail since then, so more than eight months can be credited to his term. DuBois must register as a sex offender, according to court records. The judge recommended that he receive an assessment for sexual offender treatment at the state prison. Part of his minimum sentence could be suspended if he completes the assessment, or if it concludes that no treatment is needed. An email seeking comment was sent on Friday to his attorney, Harry Starbranch. DuBois' website, which no longer appears to be working, had said he is a New York Times bestselling author who has written 29 novels. He co-wrote several of those with James Patterson, including 'Cross Down,' 'Count Down,' 'The Summer House' and 'Blowback.' Severn River Publishing previously announced that it was removing his books from its website.
Associated Press
14-03-2025
- Associated Press
Author Brendan DuBois sentenced to prison for possession of child sexual abuse material
BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A bestselling mystery writer has been sentenced to 3 1/2 to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. Brendan DuBois, 65, was indicted by a county grand jury last year. He appeared in a New Hampshire court on Thursday after prosecutors agreed to drop two of six possession counts against him as part of a plea agreement. DuBois was arrested in Exeter last July. He has been in jail since then, so more than eight months can be credited to his term. DuBois must register as a sex offender, according to court records. The judge recommended that he receive an assessment for sexual offender treatment at the state prison. Part of his minimum sentence could be suspended if he completes the assessment, or if it concludes that no treatment is needed. An email seeking comment was sent on Friday to his attorney, Harry Starbranch. DuBois' website, which no longer appears to be working, had said he is a New York Times bestselling author who has written 29 novels. He co-wrote several of those with James Patterson, including 'Cross Down,' 'Count Down,' 'The Summer House' and 'Blowback.'
