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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was such a perfect read for me right now - it was escapist, enjoyable, and evocative.
while this is a novel with loveliness and charm, depth and seriousness are also present, giving this book a bit more weight than her debut, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577].
simonson does a wonderful job with all of her characters, and brings her settings to life. i appreciated her handling of the atrocities of war, and her perspectives on the treatment of romany people, and immigrants during the late-edwardian era. simonson also serves up a bit of a twist... if you are a careful reader, you will catch on to what's up. it definitely added a layer of poignancy for me to several of the storylines.
if you are a fan of downton abbey, and have missed being immersed in that world, you may do well to give the summer before the war a try. if you do, i hope you find it as wonderful as i have.
while this is a novel with loveliness and charm, depth and seriousness are also present, giving this book a bit more weight than her debut, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577].
simonson does a wonderful job with all of her characters, and brings her settings to life. i appreciated her handling of the atrocities of war, and her perspectives on the treatment of romany people, and immigrants during the late-edwardian era. simonson also serves up a bit of a twist... if you are a careful reader, you will catch on to what's up. it definitely added a layer of poignancy for me to several of the storylines.
if you are a fan of downton abbey, and have missed being immersed in that world, you may do well to give the summer before the war a try. if you do, i hope you find it as wonderful as i have.
4.5 stars. Just the type of book I think of when I think of a "traditional" British novel, and I mean that in the best possible way. Richly drawn characters, and if the plot is a little predictable and a little maudlin, it's also easy to get swept away in-and what more do you want?
I read half of this and then flipped through to the end to see what happened. It’s a sweet book; it just got long and I was impatient.
What happens when you thoroughly enjoy an author's initial effort to the point that you're waiting for their next work--but then their next work is so completely different from the first? I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I think it took me longer to get into it because it was so different from the author's first work (Major Pettigrew's Last Stand). Set in a small England town just before the outbreak of WWI, it gives a glimpse into the life of an unaccompanied woman and what it was like to try to make her own way in the world. Very much recommended.
It was quite slow, and yet I still wanted to keep reading to know the end. Very Edwardian in writing style, I thought. Also quite Downton Abbey-esque, which I liked a lot.
Just such a comfort writer, I love her. Excellent story with excellent characters- just wish the ending was cheerier and we had more post-war content.
If I could give this book 3.5 stars I would. The first 75% of this book reads a lot like a Jane Austen or Brontë sister novel. The plot pace, characterization, and development of the book are slow. However, I could feel that a good ending was coming. The tone of the novel was also relatively light. The last chunk of the book the tone took a huge turn and was a lot more serious and sad. Because it's about a war, I totally understand that, but it was no longer the fun it had been before. The ending was more sad than I expected, but it was good. There are good passages and the writing is really well-done, but it was a bit of a chore to finish at times.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was a little slow to get going but once it did I enjoyed it thoroughly. Had me laughing and crying and it was wonderful to read poetry.