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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The Summer Before the War is an enchanting tale of a small English village at the beginning of World War I. It has a different subject matter than Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but has the same English charm, depth, sensitivity, and examination of small towns and the people who live in them. The Summer Before the War is a good leisurely read.
Needs a good edit to shorten it by at least a third. It just rambled on and on. And on.
Reading this reminded me of watching the series The Gilded Age, because nothing really happens and the major incidents are usually the wrong person going to tea at the wrong house and Society shuddering in response. And yet you still want to know what happens.
Overall this was very slow and a little boring. Daniel, Celeste, and Agatha do bring a lot of heart to the story. Wish we'd seen more of the clearly lesbians spinster couple.
Overall this was very slow and a little boring. Daniel, Celeste, and Agatha do bring a lot of heart to the story. Wish we'd seen more of the clearly lesbians spinster couple.
In the shadow of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand it underwhelmed. On it's own merit it is a tale that meandered along, then reached the jarring conclusion of The Front.
Some characters were well drawn while others were caricatures used to convey social issues; had there been less social issues to comment upon the focus could have been tighter and more effective. The writing is beautifully descriptive, though in the end I concede nothing new was added to the trove of WWI stories on the market. The Summer Before the War was good, but it could have been a lot better.
Some characters were well drawn while others were caricatures used to convey social issues; had there been less social issues to comment upon the focus could have been tighter and more effective. The writing is beautifully descriptive, though in the end I concede nothing new was added to the trove of WWI stories on the market. The Summer Before the War was good, but it could have been a lot better.
This book is about a girl named Beatrice Nash who is recently orphaned, took a job as a Latin teacher at the beginning of WWI in Sussex and then shows how the perfect summer before the war sets in turns into a war time economy and the subsequent sadness that war brings. It shows the love that people have for each other even when they are angry at each other, it shows the worries of people as they wait for word of their loved ones and what it was like to sit at home and deal with the changes that war brings. It was actually a delightful book that really showed aspects during the war that aren't brought up as much when you read a book about being in the war on the continent.
This book started off good. Which was great considering I enjoyed her other book. But it really got way too long and bogged down with too many characters that really didn't seem to add to the story. I can't say I hated this, but I really did lose interest quite often while reading. I made it through, despite considering abandoning it. I don't think I would recommend this, but I would give her another chance and pick up another book of hers if she is so inclined to write more.
I adore Helen Simonson like you adore an old friend with whom you’d sit comfortably, rocking and sipping herbal tea on the porch at dusk. There’s something so endearing about her characters and English village life she portrays. I’ve lived in England several times in my life, and her books make me miss it. I love the history in this one too—the naïveté and over-the-top patriotism that characterized the time right before WWI. I honestly wish there was a way to protect the characters from what lies ahead, or at least warn them of the horrors. To explain that trenches were not quaint in any sense but would instead haunt men’s nightmares for decades. This book makes me think of poppies and Flanders and Union Jack pennants and village squares with worn old stone memorials carved with long-forgotten names. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy, lovely, engrossing little read.
This was a lovely book with the edge of real life. Set in the 1910's, many of the social implications of the times were represented in this book. Women were beginning to do more than be wives and mothers. The suffragette movement was in full swing. War was on the horizon, causing the social niceties and traditions of the day to begin seeming less important.
The characters in this book were real and relatable. Some I loved, some I strongly disliked. Simonson has a beautiful writing style. Her quiet wit is even somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen.
Small warning: I didn't expect the theme of homosexuality, but it was handled tastefully. It was more alluded to than explicitly mentioned. The major takeaway from all the "social issues" represented is that people should be treated with love and respect as human beings no matter their socioeconomic, sexual orientation, or gender.
The characters in this book were real and relatable. Some I loved, some I strongly disliked. Simonson has a beautiful writing style. Her quiet wit is even somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen.
Small warning: I didn't expect the theme of homosexuality, but it was handled tastefully. It was more alluded to than explicitly mentioned. The major takeaway from all the "social issues" represented is that people should be treated with love and respect as human beings no matter their socioeconomic, sexual orientation, or gender.
Took me too long to get into and too many library renewals. I might try again another time.