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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
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
slow-paced
This was our book club selection for January. Simonson tells the story of a small community in England the months leading up to WWI. We are reminded of the great differences in society where the gentry are given leadership positions and the poor become cannon fodder. We know of course that this was will be utterly devastating and that many will never return, no matter what their rank. It is a story well told for the most part and a memorable read. Another fine book that makes us question how a war could possibly resolve more issues than it creates. by the author of Major Pettigrew's last stand...
'The Summer Before the War' is the kind of book where every part of the body below the eyebrows is vulgar. The story takes place in East Sussex, England in 1914, but it could just as easily have been a great 1950's sitcom plot for the sterile family-values show 'Leave it to Beaver' with a few changes. However, even Walt Disney would have rejected this pablum on the grounds of too many banal clichés. If you, gentle reader, want a stupefyingly dull read where shallow characters perform a spotlessly clean puppet show of 'life', this is the novel for you.
This pseudo-Edwardian novel opens as our 23-year-old spinster heroine, recently bereaved Beatrice Nash, who thinks she is pluckily independent, arrives at the English town of Rye. Despite her constant suffering at the slightly sniffy polite behavior of everyone there treating her like the poor lower-class schoolteacher she now is, since her respected intellectual-writer father died, she tries to persevere. But her feelings are hurt all of the time by all of the middle-class and aristocratic stuffy small-minded social-climbing but polite cardboard cutouts of East Sussex - not because she isn't like that, but because she is, and they all understand she has slipped down a rung on the social ladder now. All of the characters, including Beatrice, worry about breathing too hard while being alive for 450 pages.
Meanwhile, some of the men realize WWI is starting. John and AgathaGrange Kent, who sponsored Beatrice for the job of Latin teacher, are stunned when nephews Hugh and his cousin Daniel enlist. Daniel's enlistment in particular surprises everyone because he writes poetry and he often demonstrates emotion. Beatrice rises above them all, though, because she actually has real sympathy for a young Belgian refugee, Celeste, who may have suffered an outrage before escaping Europe. While the entire village discusses putting the beautiful Celeste into a nunnery and putting the child far away someplace, but where, nobody in Rye has an idea, Beatrice hopes everything will be ok, because after all, she is the plucky heroine.
Eventually, the war becomes more real because there isn't any more sugar around for biscuits. Some of the men don't come back. Impoverished spinster Beatrice and outraged Celeste are saved by - well, I don't think I even need to finish saying it, do I, genteel reader? Ok, a hint.
https://youtu.be/w6RnirpFaZk
This pseudo-Edwardian novel opens as our 23-year-old spinster heroine, recently bereaved Beatrice Nash, who thinks she is pluckily independent, arrives at the English town of Rye. Despite her constant suffering at the slightly sniffy polite behavior of everyone there treating her like the poor lower-class schoolteacher she now is, since her respected intellectual-writer father died, she tries to persevere. But her feelings are hurt all of the time by all of the middle-class and aristocratic stuffy small-minded social-climbing but polite cardboard cutouts of East Sussex - not because she isn't like that, but because she is, and they all understand she has slipped down a rung on the social ladder now. All of the characters, including Beatrice, worry about breathing too hard while being alive for 450 pages.
Meanwhile, some of the men realize WWI is starting. John and Agatha
Eventually, the war becomes more real because there isn't any more sugar around for biscuits. Some of the men don't come back. Impoverished spinster Beatrice and outraged Celeste are saved by - well, I don't think I even need to finish saying it, do I, genteel reader? Ok, a hint.
Spoiler
Marriage.https://youtu.be/w6RnirpFaZk
I really enjoyed this story. I thought it would be a little more fluffy/love story like. However, great depth and another reminder of what people go through in regards to wars impact. Don't get me wrong some lovely comic relief 1920's British style. Loved the audio recording as I do enjoy accents.