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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this novel of love and war set in small town England as WWI is beginning. Examples of cultural intolerance for differences (Romanies, classes, hints of homosexuality, out of wedlock pregnancies) are highlighted, but so too are individual acts of love and compassion. I was interested to learn about the efforts of many 'regular' British folks who took in 250,000 Belgian refugees at the beginning of the war. Simonson does a good job describing the paradox of war - while it is intolerably sad for many, it can ultimately be the source of happiness for others.
❧A BOOK THAT CONJURES UP SCENES FROM DOWNTON ABBEY AND A LOVE OF TOMES! ❧
3.5 Stars rounded up.
Take a gander at these 7 highlights and see if this doesn’t pique your interest to delve into Edwardian English life just at the cusp of WWI. So stunningly weaved and though slow at times I believe it’s intended to lull you into a false-sense of peace, ease, and security—in the calm before the storm—that is the dawning of The Great War.
BTW none of these contain spoilers...just proof of the exquisite prose
Only in the early mornings did Agatha use these stairs, and never did she feel more at home in her own house than when she popped her head in the kitchen to ask Cook for a cup of tea from the big brown pot kept fresh all day for the staff. For a brief moment, in the black-and-white-tiled kitchen, with its high, sunny windows and gleaming new gas range, they did not have to be mistress and cook, ruling separate domains on either side of a green baize door, but could come together as two women, up before anyone else in the family, in need of the day’s first cup.(page 27)
❧
The stone terrace already looked older than the house, softened to a pleasant mossy gray under the relentless dripping of English rain, its stone balusters pressed by fat shrubs and draped in twisting vines of honeysuckle, wisteria, and the teacup-sized pale green flowers of a clematis. White roses climbed up the house from beds filled with brilliant blue agapanthus. Beatrice stooped to cup in her hands a waxy blue flower head as large as a hat and to wonder if plants ever sensed how far they were from home: this African lily carried on ships to England in the time of Henry VIII, rhododendrons dug from the rippled flanks of Chinese mountains, the passionflower twining about itself in air so much drier than the South American rain forest. (page 30/31)
❧
“I would settle for being a hermit,” she said. He noticed that her eyes lost some of their light. “After the past year, I crave only to be allowed my work, and my rest, away from the stupidities of society. I shall be like Charlotte Bronte’s Lucy Snowe [of Vilette], content to tend her little school for the children of the merchant classes.” (page 39) [Oddly enough I had just purchased this book the day before reading this. I’m excited to read Vilette because Jane Eyre is my favorite book!]
❧
Beatrice was sorry to lose the tea dress from her adequate but not extensive wardrobe, but understood that the loss meant she had picked correctly—bestowing a gift rather than the abject charity of handing over something only suitable to be discarded. (page 159) [I think this makes a very great point of what equates to generosity vs. simply duty.]
❧
For Beatrice the opening of Mr. Tillingham’s front door was the opening of the temple. Stepping in behind Agatha Kent and Celeste, she could already smell the books, even above the waxy note of wood polish and the hint of recently baked cakes from the unseen kitchen. Leather-bound books, old books with yellowed pages, new books with the sharp scent of printer’s ink and the promise of crisp, uncut pages awaiting a paper knife. (page 167)
❧
Setting aside literature, she spent a pleasant moment choosing between purchasing a straw hat of Agatha Kent quality and buying a three-volume set of the works of Jane Austen, bound in dark blue morocco and hand-tooled gilt, which she coveted at the local bookshop. She was grinning in rueful self-awareness that the books would always win against personal adornment… (page 174) [Don’t you just love scenes that invoke your own feelings of delight when purchasing or delving into a new book…especially the classics!]
❧
Today she wrote that the March winds had died down, and with the days growing lighter and the nights shrinking back from their winter dominance, the snowdrops and early daffodils were defying the frost to bloom in the south-facing beds, she did not draw any conclusion or hopes from these facts, she merely let them blossom across her thin letter paper in the loops of her pen. Despite the bare elm tapping on the glass, she could almost imagine spring in the sharp blue sky and the small sparrows fluffing out their wings and sharpening their beaks on the branches. (page 456) [I feel like I’m at her writing desk, in the dead of winter, with a chill near the glass window but hopeful of the growing length of daylight.]
3.5 Stars rounded up.
Take a gander at these 7 highlights and see if this doesn’t pique your interest to delve into Edwardian English life just at the cusp of WWI. So stunningly weaved and though slow at times I believe it’s intended to lull you into a false-sense of peace, ease, and security—in the calm before the storm—that is the dawning of The Great War.
BTW none of these contain spoilers...just proof of the exquisite prose
Only in the early mornings did Agatha use these stairs, and never did she feel more at home in her own house than when she popped her head in the kitchen to ask Cook for a cup of tea from the big brown pot kept fresh all day for the staff. For a brief moment, in the black-and-white-tiled kitchen, with its high, sunny windows and gleaming new gas range, they did not have to be mistress and cook, ruling separate domains on either side of a green baize door, but could come together as two women, up before anyone else in the family, in need of the day’s first cup.(page 27)
❧
The stone terrace already looked older than the house, softened to a pleasant mossy gray under the relentless dripping of English rain, its stone balusters pressed by fat shrubs and draped in twisting vines of honeysuckle, wisteria, and the teacup-sized pale green flowers of a clematis. White roses climbed up the house from beds filled with brilliant blue agapanthus. Beatrice stooped to cup in her hands a waxy blue flower head as large as a hat and to wonder if plants ever sensed how far they were from home: this African lily carried on ships to England in the time of Henry VIII, rhododendrons dug from the rippled flanks of Chinese mountains, the passionflower twining about itself in air so much drier than the South American rain forest. (page 30/31)
❧
“I would settle for being a hermit,” she said. He noticed that her eyes lost some of their light. “After the past year, I crave only to be allowed my work, and my rest, away from the stupidities of society. I shall be like Charlotte Bronte’s Lucy Snowe [of Vilette], content to tend her little school for the children of the merchant classes.” (page 39) [Oddly enough I had just purchased this book the day before reading this. I’m excited to read Vilette because Jane Eyre is my favorite book!]
❧
Beatrice was sorry to lose the tea dress from her adequate but not extensive wardrobe, but understood that the loss meant she had picked correctly—bestowing a gift rather than the abject charity of handing over something only suitable to be discarded. (page 159) [I think this makes a very great point of what equates to generosity vs. simply duty.]
❧
For Beatrice the opening of Mr. Tillingham’s front door was the opening of the temple. Stepping in behind Agatha Kent and Celeste, she could already smell the books, even above the waxy note of wood polish and the hint of recently baked cakes from the unseen kitchen. Leather-bound books, old books with yellowed pages, new books with the sharp scent of printer’s ink and the promise of crisp, uncut pages awaiting a paper knife. (page 167)
❧
Setting aside literature, she spent a pleasant moment choosing between purchasing a straw hat of Agatha Kent quality and buying a three-volume set of the works of Jane Austen, bound in dark blue morocco and hand-tooled gilt, which she coveted at the local bookshop. She was grinning in rueful self-awareness that the books would always win against personal adornment… (page 174) [Don’t you just love scenes that invoke your own feelings of delight when purchasing or delving into a new book…especially the classics!]
❧
Today she wrote that the March winds had died down, and with the days growing lighter and the nights shrinking back from their winter dominance, the snowdrops and early daffodils were defying the frost to bloom in the south-facing beds, she did not draw any conclusion or hopes from these facts, she merely let them blossom across her thin letter paper in the loops of her pen. Despite the bare elm tapping on the glass, she could almost imagine spring in the sharp blue sky and the small sparrows fluffing out their wings and sharpening their beaks on the branches. (page 456) [I feel like I’m at her writing desk, in the dead of winter, with a chill near the glass window but hopeful of the growing length of daylight.]
Truth be told, this book is not for everyone. You have to enjoy detailed historical novels, particularly those that take place in small, quaint towns. There is not a ton of action in this novel; rather, it is a sentimental portrait of quiet life before the upheaval of World War I. There are long, descriptive passages that might seem mundane; however, they are beautifully written and I felt like I was right there in Rye, witnessing scenes unfold. This book is slow and steady, and it's one that I think you should take your time with. By spending time with these characters, I witnessed Hugh and Beatrice evolve individually and - later in the novel - as a unit. (That is not a spoiler. It's evident from the book jacket.) I also enjoyed Daniel, who grew on me as the novel - and the war - progressed.
As the coronavirus overtook the United States, Simonson's novel was a welcome reprieve from the fast-paced and anxiety-producing news. How ironic it was to read a story about an impending war as I lived during a time of an impending global pandemic. Simonson's detail helped me notice the little things around me, things that I might not witness again for quite some time due to social distancing and perhaps other unknown circumstances. I wonder if I would have enjoyed this book as much if I had read it during a more "normal" time period. Sometimes certain books end up in our hands at just the right time, and I am confident that's what happened with this one for me.
As the coronavirus overtook the United States, Simonson's novel was a welcome reprieve from the fast-paced and anxiety-producing news. How ironic it was to read a story about an impending war as I lived during a time of an impending global pandemic. Simonson's detail helped me notice the little things around me, things that I might not witness again for quite some time due to social distancing and perhaps other unknown circumstances. I wonder if I would have enjoyed this book as much if I had read it during a more "normal" time period. Sometimes certain books end up in our hands at just the right time, and I am confident that's what happened with this one for me.
This book snuck up on me. The first 2/3rds was almost painfully slow-paced and I really had to work to keep reading it. That said, I am glad I finished it. I think it is rendered much as a painting of the time might be. Simonson takes her time letting us know that there is no rush for these people she is allowing us to meet. However, the ending has more than a few surprises (no spoilers) and made the read satisfying at the last. Not a book for the faint of heart- for readers with fortitude it will pay off.
Everything about this book screams, "Lisa!" It has one of my favorite historical periods, check. It is based in England, check. The premise of an independent woman doing her own thing(tm) during an era where women were treated more like cattle than humans, check.
It really has all the makings of a wonderful book but instead...it was slow moving and I kept waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen and yet there was no pay off. Especially! At the end.
I understood by the premise the story centered around social class and unconventional relationships, which was what I was looking for, but there seemed to be no plot or at least, no action to move the story forward. It read as if a diary of someone's life, "Today I rode my bike into town. I also taught Latin. I ate some apples." See. Flat.
In the grand scheme of things, the book is okay but it could have been so much more, especially with a skilled editor, but in the end even the author's reputation couldn't save it.
It really has all the makings of a wonderful book but instead...it was slow moving and I kept waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen and yet there was no pay off. Especially! At the end.
I understood by the premise the story centered around social class and unconventional relationships, which was what I was looking for, but there seemed to be no plot or at least, no action to move the story forward. It read as if a diary of someone's life, "Today I rode my bike into town. I also taught Latin. I ate some apples." See. Flat.
In the grand scheme of things, the book is okay but it could have been so much more, especially with a skilled editor, but in the end even the author's reputation couldn't save it.
To be rated/reviewed after this month's book club
Overall, I enjoyed this historical fiction novel that begins in Rye, East Sussex, in the summer of 1914, just before England enters WWI. Despite the title, the story does not stay in that idyllic summer and moves the characters into WWI, with the final section (the book is divided into four distinct parts) set in large part on the battlefield. One of things that I liked about the book was the feisty female lead, Beatrice Nash, who was not content to be limited by the societal norms of the day and displayed her independence. I found most of the characters likable as well, and enjoyed their banter and poking fun at the stuffiness of the day. I also enjoyed learning new aspects about pre-WWI England, especially the storyline involving the Belgian immigrants. I wasn't particularly surprised by the outcome of some of the plot points, such as the will-they/won't-they plot line between Beatrice and Hugh, but thought that story was true to the era overall and what life must have been like in a small Sussex village during this time period. I was disappointed with the fates of two characters, but I won't say more to avoid straying into possible spoiler alert territory. Some aspects of the story were reminiscent of other books that I've read that were set around this same time frame, such as Hugh being prodded to enlist, but I suppose that's inevitable when writing a book that is true to the time period in which it is set. There were a lot of themes throughout the story, which made for a well-rounded story overall, but left me feel like some angles had just scratched the surface and could have been explored more deeply. Despite that, I did like the novel and found it a pleasant read overall to be discussed over an enjoyable afternoon tea.
I was able to use this book to check off a category for the 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge ("A book with one of the four seasons in the title). It *possibly* also checks off a category for the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge ("Read a book about war"), so I may use it for that as well. I was planning to read something set entirely during wartime for that category though, so this may be one that I hold in reserve or double-up on that category later in the year.
Overall, I enjoyed this historical fiction novel that begins in Rye, East Sussex, in the summer of 1914, just before England enters WWI. Despite the title, the story does not stay in that idyllic summer and moves the characters into WWI, with the final section (the book is divided into four distinct parts) set in large part on the battlefield. One of things that I liked about the book was the feisty female lead, Beatrice Nash, who was not content to be limited by the societal norms of the day and displayed her independence. I found most of the characters likable as well, and enjoyed their banter and poking fun at the stuffiness of the day. I also enjoyed learning new aspects about pre-WWI England, especially the storyline involving the Belgian immigrants. I wasn't particularly surprised by the outcome of some of the plot points, such as the will-they/won't-they plot line between Beatrice and Hugh, but thought that story was true to the era overall and what life must have been like in a small Sussex village during this time period. I was disappointed with the fates of two characters, but I won't say more to avoid straying into possible spoiler alert territory. Some aspects of the story were reminiscent of other books that I've read that were set around this same time frame, such as Hugh being prodded to enlist, but I suppose that's inevitable when writing a book that is true to the time period in which it is set. There were a lot of themes throughout the story, which made for a well-rounded story overall, but left me feel like some angles had just scratched the surface and could have been explored more deeply. Despite that, I did like the novel and found it a pleasant read overall to be discussed over an enjoyable afternoon tea.
I was able to use this book to check off a category for the 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge ("A book with one of the four seasons in the title). It *possibly* also checks off a category for the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge ("Read a book about war"), so I may use it for that as well. I was planning to read something set entirely during wartime for that category though, so this may be one that I hold in reserve or double-up on that category later in the year.
What a well-written slice of life book. Unlike so many books which are set during WWII, this one is set in the idyllic summer before England entered WWI. The characters were well developed and sadly, like real life, not all of the bad guys get their comeuppance. This was different than Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but just as well done.
Maybe a 3.5, but I can't give it a 4 because it was too predictable. Almost every theme you'd expect in pre-WWI England is there. But the setting is lovely and the heroine is likable. It's a good read but not a great book.
adventurous
emotional
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