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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A five star book for the first half; a two-and-a-half to three star book by the end; all of which averages out to about four stars. The Summer Before the War is strongest when Simonson is sketching out life in a small Sussex village, the new home of impoverished would-be writer and Latin teacher Beatrice Nash. Some of the characters—Beatrice herself; Agatha; Hugh—are well-sketched, and while others are less well-realised, they are reminiscent of some of the minor comic characters in an Austen novel. In their interactions, particularly in the aftermath of the arrival of a group of Belgian refugees in the village, Simonson is able to touch on issues of women's roles and rights, class distinctions, and ethnicity.
However, when that last idyllic summer fades into the actual war, the book loses its way a little. Simonson is better at writing the clouds on the horizon than she is the actual storm. Several minor plotlines and characters drop away, and in trying to avoid one kind of predictable sentimentality in the ending, the novel succumbs to another. Still, a quick and pleasant read which is at its best when Simonson lets her prose dwell on the small details of life in a bright but fragile England.
However, when that last idyllic summer fades into the actual war, the book loses its way a little. Simonson is better at writing the clouds on the horizon than she is the actual storm. Several minor plotlines and characters drop away, and in trying to avoid one kind of predictable sentimentality in the ending, the novel succumbs to another. Still, a quick and pleasant read which is at its best when Simonson lets her prose dwell on the small details of life in a bright but fragile England.
I enjoyed this book very much and I look forward to reading it again some day!!
This is a book for Downton Abbey fans. The focus shifts among several characters which keeps it interesting. It was slow getting started and just a bit too long.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I must say first and foremost, that Helen Simonson is a beautiful writer. She has a way with words that is witty, and also manages to give life and picture to the story and characters. That said, I did not care much for this story. Though I thought the writing good, it was very slow. There were a good 200 pages that could have been taken out to make the story move along quicker, in my opinion. However I have spoken with others who loved this book.
slow-paced
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2-2.5 stars
Fun but by no means exceptional. The characters were one-dimensional and cliched, as was the setting. It had the same tone as the book of a Jane Austen fan who tried and failed to write like someone would have in the appropriate time period.
I could see this making a decent BBC miniseries!
Fun but by no means exceptional. The characters were one-dimensional and cliched, as was the setting. It had the same tone as the book of a Jane Austen fan who tried and failed to write like someone would have in the appropriate time period.
I could see this making a decent BBC miniseries!