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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
When my Library had no more copies of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, I picked this rather large novel up instead. This book is quite a lengthy read with a very long, detailed story. Once I got past the slow first chapter I was hooked! You fall in love with the characters and out of love every once in a while. The social constraints of the past can prove to be pretty infuriating. I can't compare to Simonson's earlier works but I did enjoy this novel.
Lovely story, well written. Love, loss, hope, sadness - all the things you expect. Even though you knew what was coming at the end, I was still in tears.
How is this not a PBS miniseries already?
For real, though. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey or any other BBC-imported period drama, there’s a good chance you’re going to love this book, chronicling small-town life in the months leading up to England’s entry into WWI. It’s cheeky and sweet, with a spunky heroine, a light touch of romance, and just enough emotional heft. At times, it could be a bit slow in that very distinctly British way (I mean, it has enough material in here to be a miniseries) but it was, overall, a great read.
For real, though. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey or any other BBC-imported period drama, there’s a good chance you’re going to love this book, chronicling small-town life in the months leading up to England’s entry into WWI. It’s cheeky and sweet, with a spunky heroine, a light touch of romance, and just enough emotional heft. At times, it could be a bit slow in that very distinctly British way (I mean, it has enough material in here to be a miniseries) but it was, overall, a great read.
This book was beautiful. It was charming, serious, romantic, and heartbreaking. I loved Helen Simonson's writing style, and the characters she brought to life even more.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am torn between a 3-star and 4-star rating. I think it is 4-star quality, but personally I lean closer to it feeling like a 3-star. This is a result of:
(1) World War I/World War II novel fatigue - There are SO MANY WWI/II novels and I have not found one that has something original to say in years. YEARS. And I probably read around a dozen annually. Authors realize there are literally hundreds of other wars that have happened, right? Do you want European wars? How about the 100 Years War? Or the 30 Years War? Or the Franco-Prussian War? Do you want 20th century wars? How about the Balkan Wars? Or the Boer War? Or the Irish War of Independence? Why just stick to the two most written about wars in the English language?
(2) Long book fatigue - I really feel like books have to justify for me being over 300 pages. This book is nearly 500 pages, and I don't see why it needed the extra 200.
I adored Helen Simonson's first book, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577] so much and I eagerly anticipated her next book. I had begun to worry that Simonson would be one of those one-book wonders and never have a sophomore work (it's been six years since her first book). And then! A new novel was announced! I was a bit leery of the subject matter, but wanted to give it a try because I loved Simonson's first work so much.
Simonson is a wit, and this book is often very charming and witty. Simonson is also skilled at portraying village psychology, although the town of Rye began to feel very claustrophobic. There were small moments of triumph, but it felt like too often the village bullies and sexism, classism, and racism won the day.
Beatrice Nash arrives in town to be the new Latin teacher, surprising everyone by being younger and prettier than expected. Beatrice's position is sponsored by Agatha, a progressive thinker who is looking for small victories - like getting a woman hired as a Latin teacher. Agatha has two nephews, who are in town that summer: Hugh, a stiff but kind medical student and Daniel, a charming and rogueish poet. The book mostly centers around Beatrice, Agatha, Hugh, and Daniel, as they deal with village politics, Belgian refugees, and the approaching war.
I was grateful that really, 90% of this book was before the war. I think this would have been a stronger book if it only took place before the war, with maybe just a short post-war epilogue. Skip the whole war part altogether, just show the lead-up. Maybe that would have taken away some of its poignancy - unsurprisingly, some of the hardest tragedies occur in the 10% that takes place during the war. But it would have kept the book more focused, instead of treading into the same drama and plotlines of all the other books in this genre (I mean, really, another Sadistic, Brutal Commanding Officer, whose only role seems to be to pick on the weakest member in the unit, while our hero(es) are forced to watch helplessly on, unable to protect a friend from their own army? This trope has already been played out by [b:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451445646s/18143977.jpg|25491300] and dozens of other books like it. Not only that, but this commanding officer LITERALLY HAD A SHOOT THE DOG MOMENT. We get it, this guy is baaaaad).
I am still excited for Simonson's next book. Her characters feel very real, her dialogue is quite charming and witty, and she is a queen of slow burn romance (in this book, that would be Beatrice and Hugh). Even though this book was not for me, there was still much to admire about it. Since she seems to be going backwards in time, maybe the next one could be a Regency novel? Simonson is the perfect author to take on a book in the vein of the Jane Austen canon or [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924110s/19089.jpg|1461747].
(1) World War I/World War II novel fatigue - There are SO MANY WWI/II novels and I have not found one that has something original to say in years. YEARS. And I probably read around a dozen annually. Authors realize there are literally hundreds of other wars that have happened, right? Do you want European wars? How about the 100 Years War? Or the 30 Years War? Or the Franco-Prussian War? Do you want 20th century wars? How about the Balkan Wars? Or the Boer War? Or the Irish War of Independence? Why just stick to the two most written about wars in the English language?
(2) Long book fatigue - I really feel like books have to justify for me being over 300 pages. This book is nearly 500 pages, and I don't see why it needed the extra 200.
I adored Helen Simonson's first book, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577] so much and I eagerly anticipated her next book. I had begun to worry that Simonson would be one of those one-book wonders and never have a sophomore work (it's been six years since her first book). And then! A new novel was announced! I was a bit leery of the subject matter, but wanted to give it a try because I loved Simonson's first work so much.
Simonson is a wit, and this book is often very charming and witty. Simonson is also skilled at portraying village psychology, although the town of Rye began to feel very claustrophobic. There were small moments of triumph, but it felt like too often the village bullies and sexism, classism, and racism won the day.
Beatrice Nash arrives in town to be the new Latin teacher, surprising everyone by being younger and prettier than expected. Beatrice's position is sponsored by Agatha, a progressive thinker who is looking for small victories - like getting a woman hired as a Latin teacher. Agatha has two nephews, who are in town that summer: Hugh, a stiff but kind medical student and Daniel, a charming and rogueish poet. The book mostly centers around Beatrice, Agatha, Hugh, and Daniel, as they deal with village politics, Belgian refugees, and the approaching war.
I was grateful that really, 90% of this book was before the war. I think this would have been a stronger book if it only took place before the war, with maybe just a short post-war epilogue. Skip the whole war part altogether, just show the lead-up. Maybe that would have taken away some of its poignancy - unsurprisingly, some of the hardest tragedies occur in the 10% that takes place during the war. But it would have kept the book more focused, instead of treading into the same drama and plotlines of all the other books in this genre (I mean, really, another Sadistic, Brutal Commanding Officer, whose only role seems to be to pick on the weakest member in the unit, while our hero(es) are forced to watch helplessly on, unable to protect a friend from their own army? This trope has already been played out by [b:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451445646s/18143977.jpg|25491300] and dozens of other books like it. Not only that, but this commanding officer LITERALLY HAD A SHOOT THE DOG MOMENT. We get it, this guy is baaaaad).
I am still excited for Simonson's next book. Her characters feel very real, her dialogue is quite charming and witty, and she is a queen of slow burn romance (in this book, that would be Beatrice and Hugh). Even though this book was not for me, there was still much to admire about it. Since she seems to be going backwards in time, maybe the next one could be a Regency novel? Simonson is the perfect author to take on a book in the vein of the Jane Austen canon or [b:Middlemarch|19089|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924110s/19089.jpg|1461747].
This is a DNF for me. I really found the women annoying and didn't really care enough about the protagonists to want to keep reading. Odd, since I generally love books in this time period.
3 stars for the first half; 3.5-4 stars for the second half. It didn’t get interesting until everyone went off to war.
argh! need half-stars ~ this one is a 3 and a half ~ I can't rate them all 4 stars, can I?
WWI story, entertainingly written.
WWI story, entertainingly written.