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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The majority of the book is an insightful peek into British society just before the outbreak of WWII, from the perspective of a single young woman, a writer, recently orphaned, struggling to assert herself as an independent adult in a sexist and classist society. Her friends are delightful and her wannabe suitors, generally pathetic. Warning: It becomes achingly sad once the war breaks. (Spoiler: the dog dies. I hate it when that happens!!) Yet there were many quotable lines and I still thoroughly enjoyed it as a whole. Great writing with fully fleshed out characters.
I really liked this- more of a 4.5 for me so as I brew on it maybe I'll bump it up. Not perfect because - gasp- you have to wait for it.
Ok here is the real review, via audio book. The Narrator was awesome. Some of the day to day life was more like Middlemarch than a modern book but that is ok when you trust an author, and I totally do here. I adored her first book so kept telling myself to be patient because I knew the story would really grab hold.
English village life, perfect summer, orphaned woman struggles to make it without the trust fun and its demands, two handsome cousins, their loving imperfect Aunt and we know WWI is coming.
Is this Downton Abbey? Not near so posh. Birdsong? Not near so heavy but a bit. Middlemarch? Yes but for WWI.
A bit too detailed in places but very active voice-you will be able to picture everything that unfolds and that is A++ in my book. So if you are a patient person and love a good old fashioned English love / Carry On story, this book is for you.
Ok here is the real review, via audio book. The Narrator was awesome. Some of the day to day life was more like Middlemarch than a modern book but that is ok when you trust an author, and I totally do here. I adored her first book so kept telling myself to be patient because I knew the story would really grab hold.
English village life, perfect summer, orphaned woman struggles to make it without the trust fun and its demands, two handsome cousins, their loving imperfect Aunt and we know WWI is coming.
Is this Downton Abbey? Not near so posh. Birdsong? Not near so heavy but a bit. Middlemarch? Yes but for WWI.
A bit too detailed in places but very active voice-you will be able to picture everything that unfolds and that is A++ in my book. So if you are a patient person and love a good old fashioned English love / Carry On story, this book is for you.
I haven’t read many books set in WWI, so this was interesting. It opened my eyes to how the war affected society and shifted how people were treated and seen among their classes.
Captivating read. Thought this was going to be a " nice, sweet read". It definitely had sweet moments but it's so much more. Rich story that captures the spirit of the people in a small community during the time of WWI.
Charming and well-written story about a small town right before the start of WW1. A bit slow at points but if you're a fan of Austen and Downton Abbey, a nice beach/travel read.
A lovely read, funny and tearful at the same time with wonderful characters
This was very good in the end. It was very slow to start, and for the first 100 pages or so it seems like not much is happening. Things pick up in the second half of the book though, and I just devoured the last 100 pages or so (mostly while bawling). The love story is quite predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. One of the reviews quoted on the back compares Simonson to Jane Austen, and there definitely are some parallels. Simonson writes some wonderful characters, both good and bad, and a few that you love to hate. This was definitely well worth reading.
This was actually a huge disappointment for me, especially as Simonson's last novel is one of my favorite books. For me, this book just meandered down a country lane, never going anywhere in particular. Maybe I missed something by listening to the audiobook.
A charming read! Normally I gravitate more towards World War 2 when it comes to historical fiction, but this WW1 novel really struck a chord.