It was released in English by Peter Owen in 1955,[1] and rereleased by Penguin European Writers in 2018.

[2] The book is an account of juvenile love, hope and defeat in 1930s northern Italy.

[3] It comprises three novellas: the eponymous The Beautiful Summer (La bella estate, first published in 1940), The devil in the Hills (Il diavolo sulle colline, 1948) and Women on Their Own (Tra donne sole, 1949).

Le amiche, a 1955 Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, is based on the last novella of the book.

The Beautiful Summer, a 2023 Italian film directed by Laura Luchetti, is based on the first novella of the book.