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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
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.
Interesting and enjoyable if somewhat predictable. I enjoyed the focus on Romani life and the writing pleasantly transported me to the British country side. An attribution on the back cover claims it will fill a hole for people in a post-Downton Abbey series slump. Even a few years later, that's exactly the appeal it held for me, except now its a pre-Downton Abbey movie anticipation.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. I didn't find this book to be the effortless joy I had while reading Major Pettigrew. It's mostly solid (if a bit "Jane Austen during wartime") and has some lovely moments, but the story meanders quite a bit and the narrator shifts I found to be abrupt and not always that useful to the story. There are also so many ancillary characters I couldn't remember who a couple of them were when they popped back into the action. Everything ends up as it should in the end, of course, but I wanted to enjoy the journey a little bit more.