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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This book frustrated me. It was ambitious, but I became frustrated by the characters' shallowness. They never felt fully like real people to me.
Finally got around to reading this one: Andy bought it last spring, read it, and it's been in my TBR pile ever since. What a pleasure! Simonson creates an engrossing picture of life for an educated and capable woman who's limited by sexism and tradition: her depiction is subtle and nuanced, showing us Beatrice's awareness of her own expectations as well as those of the society around her with very little "telling" so we never feel talked-down-to or lectured. Agatha Kent, caught in the middle of a variety of conflicts, is a fascinating character as well, choosing to fight some battles and letting others pass her by. I was amazed by Simonson's ability to convey reality while still using the conventional language and euphemisms of the day: for fear of spoilers, I won't say more, but this ability created a strong sense of the reality of the time, of discussions, of gossip, of scandal, and how various information was conveyed.
I would not be surprised if opinion on The Summer Before the War is strongly divided, but I loved it.
I would not be surprised if opinion on The Summer Before the War is strongly divided, but I loved it.
This really should be a 3 or 3.5, but I'm a sucker for small-town stories.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first novel by this author. About half way through, I lost interest, read the end, and gave up on it.
I read this while hearing fragments of Vaughan Williams playing inside my head. It's a classic story of an idyllic English rural community being forever changed by modern life and modern warfare. A bit formulaic in some ways, but with plot elements regarding gypsies (Romany people) providing extra interest. An author's postscript shows that the story was actually based on the history of Helen Simonson's local area.
A gentle, sweet and moving piece of historical fiction, The Summer Before the War is set in the East Sussex town of Rye. The countryside is beautiful after a peaceful summer when a young woman arrives to teach Latin, just before the world goes to war. It says much about being a woman in the early 1900s, as well as prevailing attitudes about race, class and sexuality, but it is neither moralistic nor pushing a modern agenda. It did drag a little in the first half, and was tied up very quickly in the end, but I did shed a tear for the characters I had come to care for.
This was a pleasant little (well, long) read, kind of a less soap opera-y version of Downton Abbey, but without quite the punch of the drama it fell a tiny bit flat for me. It was well characterized and interesting but there was a little something lacking. I'm not wholly sure I can put my finger on what it was, though. Perhaps it's that ultimately the vast number of plots that were being carried out watered down the ultimate impact of individual storylines, to the point where the ultimate triumphs and tragedies seemed more like foregone conclusions than specific moments to cheer or grieve over.
Disappointing, especially after the author's previous gem of a book. As others have said here, overblown and with characters and situations we've seen time and again in other novels and BBC series.