"KOPPISCH WEAVES A SPELLBINDING TALE!""BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN WITH MAGICAL PROSE.""A MARVELOUS COMING-OF-AGE STORY SET ON THE DAKOTA PLAIN." "Outside, the rain stopped. The wind stirred the foxtails, and made the wind chimes clink gently, and carried the sound of their laughter up to the sky. The clouds melted into the falling dusk, the spindling poplars rustled, and beyond that, a rapt and endless silence gathered as the fireflies danced and swirled in the gathering darkness." Of Summer's Passing, Koppisch's twentieth novel, is both a beautiful portrayal of physical and emotional growth and an exploration of the human condition. Teeming with feeling and deeply personal, it is the touching and often heartbreaking story of a young, lonely boy's coming of age in the early part of the last century. Set on the picturesque South Dakota prairie, the story evokes a sense of nostalgia and a deep connection to nature. The prairie, a character itself, symbolizes the permanence of nature, while the change of seasons represents the inevitability of change and the circle of life. Throughout, Koppisch explores themes of love, friendship, bigotry, and inequality, as well as the healing power of the natural world. Touching and provocative, Of Summer's Passing is both accessible and emotionally charged, providing a glimpse into a child's soul as he seeks to understand the world and searches for his place in it.