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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
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.
I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this charming novel by Helen Simonson. Set in 1914, the summer before the outbreak of the Great War, we meet the inhabitants of Rye, a small town in Sussex England who are more focused on the perfect summer weather and garden parties than the rumored war on the continent. It is to this idyllic country town that Beatrice Nash arrives just as life for everyone is about to change.
Commissioned to a position as the local school's new Latin teacher, Beatrice is met with mild hostility and skepticism by the local school governors. A free spirited, intelligent young woman, Beatrice is determined to live free of the constraints of marriage, and her independence, age and appearance is not exactly what the town had expected when they hired her.
In a time of rampant gossip, vapid women's societies and general disregard of women's independence, The Summer Before the War, tells the tale of a small pastoral town, one woman and how the effects of war can change everything. Simonson's writing is charming and her characters agreeable in this beautifully wrought story about love and life during wartime. Fans of the Edwardian Era should be pleased with this novel (looking at you Downton lovers) and just as I found myself enchanted with the characters and engrossed in their day to day lives I believe that others will as well. Simonson crafts not just a story, but an experience for the reader as well as a vehicle to address social issues of the time (women's rights, class segregation and the lack of power or opportunity for women) which I greatly appreciated.
If you're looking for a charming, Austen-esque novel this spring, The Summer Before the War is it. It was one of my favorites so far this year, and definitely has a place on myself for future re-reading.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Great story of WWII from the perspective of folks in a small English town. Fun and interesting characters. Bitter sweet ending.
Capably but not enjoyably written. I had to force myself to keep reading and, honestly, it should have been about 1/3 shorter. Good editing could have turned a slog into something thought-provoking and interesting.
Instead it's too much time spent on the wrong things, it's mis-named (most of the story is not set "before" the war at all), and the characters are not really likeable or compelling. Agatha might be the exception for me.
The Great War was a cataclysm with continuing effects and I appreciate that authors are still trying to help us come to grips with that but other authors and stories have done it better than this title.
Giving 3 rounded up stars because there's it's not badly written or researched. Just not all it could have been, unfortunately.
Instead it's too much time spent on the wrong things, it's mis-named (most of the story is not set "before" the war at all), and the characters are not really likeable or compelling. Agatha might be the exception for me.
The Great War was a cataclysm with continuing effects and I appreciate that authors are still trying to help us come to grips with that but other authors and stories have done it better than this title.
Giving 3 rounded up stars because there's it's not badly written or researched. Just not all it could have been, unfortunately.
I adored this book. I fell in love with the characters and found them charming and their dialogue witty and insightful. Helen Simonson is a marvelous author, her character development and descriptive settings immerse you into the world and inner circle of her characters. Highly recommend.
More of a 3.5 than a 4 but I appreciated the different aspects of the community and the war in the book. It got a little bogged down in the middle third but the end, while predictable, was very effective. I've been consuming a lot of material on World War I this year so this book scratched that historical itch.
Historical fiction is my favorite. Beatrice reminds me of Anne Shirley, and the combination of England and WWI gave it a bit of a Downton Abbey feel. I really liked the characters and found it overall pleasant to read.
I usually read historical fiction from the World War II setting, so this was a departure from my norm. I really enjoyed the change. This book is full of little surprises and definitely helped me feel the frustrations of the main character's limitations as a woman during this time period in England.
One would assume from the title "The Summer BEFORE the War" and the description of the book that the plot occurs PRIOR to WWII and therefore is not a war novel. You would be wrong in that assumption. This book includes all of the heartache of every other WWII novel.
Some fun moments of levity and witty banter, but would have been grossly improved by an editor condensing the 473 pages down to 200.