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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Helen Simonson’s new novel The Summer Before the War pulled me right in at chapter 1. This book by the author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand opens in England in the summer before the Great War.
The narrative is lovely and lyrical but the plot is very slow moving. Very slow moving. If you are looking for lots of action, this book is not for you. It is very wordy with much narrative explanation. On the other hand, if you like character development, as I do, you might enjoy the book very much. I really felt I came to know not only the main characters (of which there are several) but many of the side characters as well.
Agatha and John are a middle-aged couple with no children. Agatha dotes on her two adult nephews, Hugh and Daniel, who are not brothers but cousins. Hugh is studying to be a doctor; Daniel is a poet. (“No woman can resist having her name rhymed with a flower in iambic pentameter,” he says at one point. (p. 29 of the advance reader copy))
Agatha is a forward-thinking woman who understands that she can most effectively bring about change by working in small ways to alter village life. One such way is to convince the school board to hire a female Latin teacher for the village school. Beatrice, an independent woman who has recently lost both her widowed father and most of her independence, arrives in the summer to tutor three promising young Latin students before the school year officially begins.
The small details woven into the story seemed very true to life. The politics of the local women’s group certainly ran true as well. The author seems to have done her research about the location and time period. The novel reminded me in a good way of the early days of Brideshead Revisited.
I paused a numbers of times to admire a bit of writing I especially liked, such as this passage: “His eyes watched the curl of smoke from the tip of his cigarette paper as he scratched at the itchy wool of his school uniform. He felt the tightness of the hatband around his head, smelled the dry dirt and green cemetery waxiness of the yew. His neck grew hot and his teeth clenched.” (p. 251 of the ARC)
And this exchange between the cousins:
“Youth’s lost companion may be the measured friend of old age, I hope,” said Daniel. “I may write a poem on the subject.”
“Dear God, it sounds more like a cross-stitched pillow than a poem,” said Hugh. (p. 269 of the ARC)
As a single woman with no children but 10 nieces and nephews, I liked that one of the primary relationships was not that of a mother and her children but of an aunt and her nephews. The plot also deals very subtly with the reality of gay couples at a time when same sex love could not be acknowledged.
I cried on and off for the last 30 pages, hoping for certain outcomes but knowing others would be more reflective of real life and would therefore make it a better book. Is the subject matter covered here original? No, but Simonson has covered the topic in a compelling way.
I highly recommend The Summer Before the War for readers who like realistic historical fiction heavy on character development. If you are a fan of Major Pettigrew, you may or may not enjoy this book as well, depending on what drew you to Major Pettigrew. The Summer Before the War contains heartbreak and loss, but handled in a manner that feels truthful.
I read an advance reader copy of The Summer Before the War.
The narrative is lovely and lyrical but the plot is very slow moving. Very slow moving. If you are looking for lots of action, this book is not for you. It is very wordy with much narrative explanation. On the other hand, if you like character development, as I do, you might enjoy the book very much. I really felt I came to know not only the main characters (of which there are several) but many of the side characters as well.
Agatha and John are a middle-aged couple with no children. Agatha dotes on her two adult nephews, Hugh and Daniel, who are not brothers but cousins. Hugh is studying to be a doctor; Daniel is a poet. (“No woman can resist having her name rhymed with a flower in iambic pentameter,” he says at one point. (p. 29 of the advance reader copy))
Agatha is a forward-thinking woman who understands that she can most effectively bring about change by working in small ways to alter village life. One such way is to convince the school board to hire a female Latin teacher for the village school. Beatrice, an independent woman who has recently lost both her widowed father and most of her independence, arrives in the summer to tutor three promising young Latin students before the school year officially begins.
The small details woven into the story seemed very true to life. The politics of the local women’s group certainly ran true as well. The author seems to have done her research about the location and time period. The novel reminded me in a good way of the early days of Brideshead Revisited.
I paused a numbers of times to admire a bit of writing I especially liked, such as this passage: “His eyes watched the curl of smoke from the tip of his cigarette paper as he scratched at the itchy wool of his school uniform. He felt the tightness of the hatband around his head, smelled the dry dirt and green cemetery waxiness of the yew. His neck grew hot and his teeth clenched.” (p. 251 of the ARC)
And this exchange between the cousins:
“Youth’s lost companion may be the measured friend of old age, I hope,” said Daniel. “I may write a poem on the subject.”
“Dear God, it sounds more like a cross-stitched pillow than a poem,” said Hugh. (p. 269 of the ARC)
As a single woman with no children but 10 nieces and nephews, I liked that one of the primary relationships was not that of a mother and her children but of an aunt and her nephews. The plot also deals very subtly with the reality of gay couples at a time when same sex love could not be acknowledged.
I cried on and off for the last 30 pages, hoping for certain outcomes but knowing others would be more reflective of real life and would therefore make it a better book. Is the subject matter covered here original? No, but Simonson has covered the topic in a compelling way.
I highly recommend The Summer Before the War for readers who like realistic historical fiction heavy on character development. If you are a fan of Major Pettigrew, you may or may not enjoy this book as well, depending on what drew you to Major Pettigrew. The Summer Before the War contains heartbreak and loss, but handled in a manner that feels truthful.
I read an advance reader copy of The Summer Before the War.
This book had so much more depth than I was expecting. I thought it might be a light romance set in turn-of-the-20th Century England where a young woman (already a spinster at the age of 22) tries be an independent woman. As the book progresses social class, hypocrisy, love, shallowness, war, grief are all explored. Loved this.
This is such a charming and beautifully written book. The characters and their conversation kept reminding me of Jane Austen. The book begins in England just before the start of WWI and it is obviously such a different time, a time of genteel manners, though not without scandal. I dearly loved the spunk and intelligence of Beatrice and Aunt Agatha. If I found any fault at all, it was that the ending wrapped up a little quickly. I was so invested in the characters that I found I wanted a little more, despite the fact that it's not a short book.
Highly recommended.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Highly recommended.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
This is the summer before the Great War the one that was to end all wars. What it really did was put an end to a way of life in England which is vividly described through the lives of the main characters. A testimony to the futility of clinging to the past.
I listened to this as I walked. Eye opening regarding the single female's place in society at the time. The main character seems to do a fine job of negotiating her position.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't know if this deserves 4 full stars but 3 didn't seem like enough. Maybe 3.7?!? I'm probably splitting details at this point.
I read this as an audiobook and the narrator was pretty good. Did many different voices and accents (the only one that left me wanting was the American one, it sounded pretty strained!). Good narrators always make a book much better.
The beginning of this book gave me serious Jane Austen vibes. A strong, independent woman meets guy (guy is oblivious but kind...he thinks he wants to propose to the perky, young, naive, blonde daughter of the surgeon he is training under). Beatrice faces issues with money, issues with how society sees her (she'd rather work than marry?!? What is wrong with her?). She faces discrimination for being a woman throughout the entire book. But Simonson doesn't bang you over the head with the information. She has a way of pointing out prejudices and letting the reader realize their absurd (example...how people treat snout and his family because they are gypsies).
Beatrice has been recruited by Agatha Kent to take over Latin classes at the town school. Beatrice befriends Agatha's nephews, Daniel and Hugh. Daniel is a poet. Hue is a scientific thinker. It is clear early on that Beatrice and Hugh are going to get together (or should!) but that doesn't take away from process of getting there. It's cute and fun. It's natural and slow. I loved it.
For some reason, since this was called "The Summer Before the War" I assumed there would be little war talk. That was dumb. As war became inevitable it would obviously be the only thing people could talk about. These are proud English people, ready to do their duty, even if it isn't necessarily exactly how they pictured it. (The idea of ladies taking in refugees and then complaining because they thought they'd all be children was funny, sad, and believable all at the same time).
As is always true, there are casualties to the war. I did not expect to cry, but of course I did. Because even though it was fiction this exact story played out thousands and thousands of times throughout WWI and later WWII. Those things seem so far away now. But it happened. And we can't forget.
The ending was happy and sad. It's war...nothing works out perfectly in the end. But I enjoyed it (and must admit when I found out the truth about the Professor I was more than a little disgusted) and it's a nice easy read.
I read this as an audiobook and the narrator was pretty good. Did many different voices and accents (the only one that left me wanting was the American one, it sounded pretty strained!). Good narrators always make a book much better.
The beginning of this book gave me serious Jane Austen vibes. A strong, independent woman meets guy (guy is oblivious but kind...he thinks he wants to propose to the perky, young, naive, blonde daughter of the surgeon he is training under). Beatrice faces issues with money, issues with how society sees her (she'd rather work than marry?!? What is wrong with her?). She faces discrimination for being a woman throughout the entire book. But Simonson doesn't bang you over the head with the information. She has a way of pointing out prejudices and letting the reader realize their absurd (example...how people treat snout and his family because they are gypsies).
Beatrice has been recruited by Agatha Kent to take over Latin classes at the town school. Beatrice befriends Agatha's nephews, Daniel and Hugh. Daniel is a poet. Hue is a scientific thinker. It is clear early on that Beatrice and Hugh are going to get together (or should!) but that doesn't take away from process of getting there. It's cute and fun. It's natural and slow. I loved it.
For some reason, since this was called "The Summer Before the War" I assumed there would be little war talk. That was dumb. As war became inevitable it would obviously be the only thing people could talk about. These are proud English people, ready to do their duty, even if it isn't necessarily exactly how they pictured it. (The idea of ladies taking in refugees and then complaining because they thought they'd all be children was funny, sad, and believable all at the same time).
As is always true, there are casualties to the war.
Spoiler
Daniel's friend Craigmore (sp?!?) (allusion to a homosexual relationship between the two and the time period would make it a surefire reason why the Earl/Duke...whatever...I can't remember...would not want Daniel near his son), Daniel himself, Snout, Lord Wheaton. Their casualties...death. But there were other casualties. Innocence (Snout and Celeste). Respect (Mr. Tillingham, the Professor). Priceless artifacts (books, Beatrice's father's letters...although they were later returned). Families. The list is endless.The ending was happy and sad. It's war...nothing works out perfectly in the end. But I enjoyed it (and must admit when I found out the truth about the Professor I was more than a little disgusted) and it's a nice easy read.
I found it slow and not satisfying to begin with, but was quite taken with the story and characters as the problems began to emerge and stack up from the idealized setting and setup.
Vastly different from Major Pettigrew...Simonson captures the diction, classism and nationalism of early nineteenth century England with aplomb!
Slow to start but in the end I loved it. Not as much as major pettegrew. School teacher, rich cousins