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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/day-871-the-summer-before-the-war/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/day-871-the-summer-before-the-war/
There was just something lacking in this book but I can't say exactly what. I assume the main character is Beatrice but she keeps fading into the background and her personality and beliefs are difficult to grasp. One minute she's stuffy, prim and prickly then the next minute she's carefree and daring. Maybe the book tries to take on too many social issues surrounding the WWI era: plight of the refugees, Romanys, poets, single women, abused women, gay people, soldiers in the fox-holes,... These are all credible topics but seem to be hit on as though being ticked off on a list of issues to cover in the book. It's a good book but I'm left wondering what went wrong with it.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this. There were lots of potentially interesting characters gathered in a potentially interesting setting, but the plot had no depth to it.
What a lovely book. I listened to the audiobook edition over a several week period (don't ask, don't ask) and was just enraptured. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
This was perfectly enjoyable, but didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would. I would put it down for a week and forget about it. Good story, though, and well written
I received an ARC of this book from Random House via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the interest of full disclosure I will first state that I did not read Helen Simonson's previous book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I even owned a copy at one point and for whatever reason never got around to reading it. I think this puts me in a unique place because I was able to come in to this book with no ideas about Simonson's writing or what I wanted by way of a "second" book from her.
All that being said, I was not overwhelmed by this book. The more I read, the harder it became. While most books pick up steam for me as they go this one seemed to get further and further entrenched in the myriad of characters and plot lines. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a romance, historical piece, period drama, war novel, or all of the above. The trouble with books that are all of the above is they can quickly get out of hand. I began to feel like a running back in football trying to get across the line as more and more characters piled on me, dragging me down until finally I began to skim the last bit (from about 70% to 90%) hoping to just get some resolution.
However, I loved the dialogue between Beatrice and Hugh. I loved Beatrice as a character. Having her be a unique woman who was not of her time: educated, holding a job, not married at 23 *gasp*, living on her own and still having to handle all of the social awkwardness this brought about with grace, charm and wit was wonderful. I laughed out loud at some points and I very much enjoyed and rooted for the core group of characters, Beatrice, Hugh, Daniel, and Aunt Agatha (who was another favorite of mine). I wish somehow that their worlds had been tighter or something though because like I said, I began to lose interest as the story went on. Perhaps at 500+ pages it was just too long? I don't know. If you want a thick book to while away the hours with and really get engrossed in a time. This is the one for you. Just know that this is not a book to be casually read. Be sure that you have the time to sit down and stick with it!
In the interest of full disclosure I will first state that I did not read Helen Simonson's previous book Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I even owned a copy at one point and for whatever reason never got around to reading it. I think this puts me in a unique place because I was able to come in to this book with no ideas about Simonson's writing or what I wanted by way of a "second" book from her.
All that being said, I was not overwhelmed by this book. The more I read, the harder it became. While most books pick up steam for me as they go this one seemed to get further and further entrenched in the myriad of characters and plot lines. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a romance, historical piece, period drama, war novel, or all of the above. The trouble with books that are all of the above is they can quickly get out of hand. I began to feel like a running back in football trying to get across the line as more and more characters piled on me, dragging me down until finally I began to skim the last bit (from about 70% to 90%) hoping to just get some resolution.
However, I loved the dialogue between Beatrice and Hugh. I loved Beatrice as a character. Having her be a unique woman who was not of her time: educated, holding a job, not married at 23 *gasp*, living on her own and still having to handle all of the social awkwardness this brought about with grace, charm and wit was wonderful. I laughed out loud at some points and I very much enjoyed and rooted for the core group of characters, Beatrice, Hugh, Daniel, and Aunt Agatha (who was another favorite of mine). I wish somehow that their worlds had been tighter or something though because like I said, I began to lose interest as the story went on. Perhaps at 500+ pages it was just too long? I don't know. If you want a thick book to while away the hours with and really get engrossed in a time. This is the one for you. Just know that this is not a book to be casually read. Be sure that you have the time to sit down and stick with it!
Fabulous characters in a story centered around a young spinster who travels to take a position as a school teacher in a small village.
Loveable characters:
Yes
Very well written. Engaging. Good characters.