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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
A perfectly adequate, but not particularly remarkable, historical fiction novel. Almost all the action happens in the last hundred pages or so and while it touches on a lot of interesting topics, it doesn't address any of them with enough depth to make a meaningful impact.
A delightful book. Simonson writes about the beauty of the English countryside and the tragedy in the trenches of warfare and both are equally touching.
[b: The Summer Before the War|25776122|The Summer Before the War|Helen Simonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443294379s/25776122.jpg|45625060] is just what historical fiction should be: one of those books that completely immerses the reader in another time and place.
The story commences in July 1914, when Beatrice Nash arrives in the town of Rye to take up a position as Latin teacher at the local grammar school. Her appointment is not without controversy, as the school has never had a woman teach Latin before, and on top of settling into less-than-attractive rented rooms, she must fight an unexpected rival for the job.
Beatrice is supported in this endeavor by school board member Agatha Kent, and Agatha's nephews, Hugh, a trainee surgeon, and Daniel, an amateur poet. While Hugh looks forward to his last year of medical school and dreams of marrying his mentor's daughter, Daniel dreams of moving to Paris and starting a literary journal with his best friend. All their dreams, of course, are about to be disrupted as Britain gets drawn into the first world war. The residents of Rye soon find themselves coping with food shortages and hosting Belgian refugees while their men train to fight.
Simonson weaves a number of issues into this story, including women's suffrage, homosexuality, rape, divorce, class prejudices and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. All of these topics are treated with great subtlety, as befits the period in which the novel is set. The characters are not modern people in period costume; they are Edwardians, some more progressive than others, but all living more or less by the moral codes of the time. Some things are never discussed, or are mentioned only in the most oblique terms. In some cases, the reader is left to make up her own mind about what is really going on with certain individuals. There's a lot here to think about.
While the novel is rich in historical detail and character development, I found the plot a little too predictable and the pacing somewhat uneven. It's apparent in the first few chapters that a few of the characters are fated for tragedy, and there are no real surprises in how their stories play out. The pace for the first 2/3 of the book is leisurely, somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen or Henry James (whose alter ego appears in the novel). In the final segment, the story accelerates rapidly as several of the main characters are sent to the front lines. The conclusion felt rushed and relied a little too heavily on coincidence, in my view. I almost think this book needed another hundred pages to give the war its proper due--or perhaps it should have been two books instead of one.
Where the book really wowed me was in the middle chapters, during the earliest days of the war. Simonson does an outstanding job showing how each of the characters slowly comes to realize that the war will change their lives. She turns a critical eye on the propaganda and persuasion tactics used to boost enlistments, and she brilliantly contrasts the pomp and pageantry of patriotic displays at home with the carnage of battle. It's a fresh take that goes deeper than many similar stories I've read.
The story commences in July 1914, when Beatrice Nash arrives in the town of Rye to take up a position as Latin teacher at the local grammar school. Her appointment is not without controversy, as the school has never had a woman teach Latin before, and on top of settling into less-than-attractive rented rooms, she must fight an unexpected rival for the job.
Beatrice is supported in this endeavor by school board member Agatha Kent, and Agatha's nephews, Hugh, a trainee surgeon, and Daniel, an amateur poet. While Hugh looks forward to his last year of medical school and dreams of marrying his mentor's daughter, Daniel dreams of moving to Paris and starting a literary journal with his best friend. All their dreams, of course, are about to be disrupted as Britain gets drawn into the first world war. The residents of Rye soon find themselves coping with food shortages and hosting Belgian refugees while their men train to fight.
Simonson weaves a number of issues into this story, including women's suffrage, homosexuality, rape, divorce, class prejudices and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. All of these topics are treated with great subtlety, as befits the period in which the novel is set. The characters are not modern people in period costume; they are Edwardians, some more progressive than others, but all living more or less by the moral codes of the time. Some things are never discussed, or are mentioned only in the most oblique terms. In some cases, the reader is left to make up her own mind about what is really going on with certain individuals. There's a lot here to think about.
While the novel is rich in historical detail and character development, I found the plot a little too predictable and the pacing somewhat uneven. It's apparent in the first few chapters that a few of the characters are fated for tragedy, and there are no real surprises in how their stories play out. The pace for the first 2/3 of the book is leisurely, somewhat reminiscent of Jane Austen or Henry James (whose alter ego appears in the novel). In the final segment, the story accelerates rapidly as several of the main characters are sent to the front lines. The conclusion felt rushed and relied a little too heavily on coincidence, in my view. I almost think this book needed another hundred pages to give the war its proper due--or perhaps it should have been two books instead of one.
Where the book really wowed me was in the middle chapters, during the earliest days of the war. Simonson does an outstanding job showing how each of the characters slowly comes to realize that the war will change their lives. She turns a critical eye on the propaganda and persuasion tactics used to boost enlistments, and she brilliantly contrasts the pomp and pageantry of patriotic displays at home with the carnage of battle. It's a fresh take that goes deeper than many similar stories I've read.
If Major Pettigrew's Last Stand evoked a vague feeling of being inspired by Jane Austen's work, then this book whacked you in the face with it. This was just the kind of book I was hoping to read, to be honest, when faced with the premise of a single woman moving to a new town just before the onset of WWI. This period of English history really fascinates me - the shift in expectations of class and gender that came with a horrific war. Simonson threw in a wide varieties of characters who I imagine would've fit well into the era, and added a few plot twists that benefited from going in with a 21st century perspective.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it was enough of an emotional rollercoaster at the end that I can't see myself reading it again anytime soon. To those who reviewed this book poorly because "there were too many words" and "it was so hard to keep track of the characters" - I suspect you've never read or enjoyed Austen's works. Your loss.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it was enough of an emotional rollercoaster at the end that I can't see myself reading it again anytime soon. To those who reviewed this book poorly because "there were too many words" and "it was so hard to keep track of the characters" - I suspect you've never read or enjoyed Austen's works. Your loss.
This book has all of my favorite things. Eccentric British family, romance, women fighting for independence, and an incredibly droll sense of humor. A slow burn until about the last quarter, then I couldn't put it down.
I’d give this a solid 3.5. As with Major Pettigrew, I enjoyed Simonson’s array of characters and storylines—still, this got a bit long even for me.
The Summer Before the War is a winsome and poignant historical novel by Helen Simonson.
After the death of her beloved father, aspiring spinster Beatrice Nash is grateful to find a position as the Latin instructor in the village of Rye, East Sussex. It is the summer of 1914 and not everyone believes a young single woman is capable of teaching Latin, but with the support of society matron Agatha Kent, and her visiting nephews, surgeon-in-training Hugh and carefree poet Daniel, and Beatrice hopes to make Rye her home.
A quintessential turn-of-the-century village, Rye is a tight knit community, home to a cross section of English society, where everyone knows their place. Simonson wonderfully depicts the petty feuds, scandals and luncheon parties that occupy the town’s aristocracy, the traveling gypsies that camp on the outskirts of the village each summer, the largely uninterested, and unwashed, boys of Beatrice’s class, and the townsfolk and servants going about their everyday business.
But it’s 1914 and impending war heralds change for Rye and it’s inhabitants. Simonson skilfully contrasts the innocence of that summer with the changes to come. War is an abstract concept for most of the villagers, and almost all are convinced that it will be over in weeks, if not days. Even the arrival of refugees from Belgium, billeted amongst the eager wealthy families who want to be seen to be doing their duty, fails to communicate the gravity of the situation, as the mayor’s wife’s ill judged parade stunt proves. It’s only as rationing begins, as the men of the village leave and fail to return, or return broken, that reality begins to puncture the seaside idyll.
The themes of The Summer Before the War focus on the the Edwardian structure of gender and class, exploring Beatrice’s desire for independence, and a bright young gypsy boy’s wish for further education, amongst other circumstances, both directly and obliquely. Simonson also explores notions of duty, to oneself, to family, to others, and to the country in a time of war. And there is love, a slow-burning romance that takes two characters by surprise.
The pace is languid, reflecting the long days of summer, quickening as Simonson takes us to war. At nearly 600 pages some seem to find the story drags, but I was invested in the characters, and enjoying the subtle wit and rhythm of the language, so I didn’t really notice.
Engaging and endearing The Summer Before the War is a novel to enjoy at a leisurely pace on a warm spring afternoon.
After the death of her beloved father, aspiring spinster Beatrice Nash is grateful to find a position as the Latin instructor in the village of Rye, East Sussex. It is the summer of 1914 and not everyone believes a young single woman is capable of teaching Latin, but with the support of society matron Agatha Kent, and her visiting nephews, surgeon-in-training Hugh and carefree poet Daniel, and Beatrice hopes to make Rye her home.
A quintessential turn-of-the-century village, Rye is a tight knit community, home to a cross section of English society, where everyone knows their place. Simonson wonderfully depicts the petty feuds, scandals and luncheon parties that occupy the town’s aristocracy, the traveling gypsies that camp on the outskirts of the village each summer, the largely uninterested, and unwashed, boys of Beatrice’s class, and the townsfolk and servants going about their everyday business.
But it’s 1914 and impending war heralds change for Rye and it’s inhabitants. Simonson skilfully contrasts the innocence of that summer with the changes to come. War is an abstract concept for most of the villagers, and almost all are convinced that it will be over in weeks, if not days. Even the arrival of refugees from Belgium, billeted amongst the eager wealthy families who want to be seen to be doing their duty, fails to communicate the gravity of the situation, as the mayor’s wife’s ill judged parade stunt proves. It’s only as rationing begins, as the men of the village leave and fail to return, or return broken, that reality begins to puncture the seaside idyll.
The themes of The Summer Before the War focus on the the Edwardian structure of gender and class, exploring Beatrice’s desire for independence, and a bright young gypsy boy’s wish for further education, amongst other circumstances, both directly and obliquely. Simonson also explores notions of duty, to oneself, to family, to others, and to the country in a time of war. And there is love, a slow-burning romance that takes two characters by surprise.
The pace is languid, reflecting the long days of summer, quickening as Simonson takes us to war. At nearly 600 pages some seem to find the story drags, but I was invested in the characters, and enjoying the subtle wit and rhythm of the language, so I didn’t really notice.
Engaging and endearing The Summer Before the War is a novel to enjoy at a leisurely pace on a warm spring afternoon.
4.5 stars. I loved this novel. Simonson is rapidly becoming one of my favourite storytellers.
This book depicts a strong-willed female teacher in an era where women are confined to limited roles in a patriarchal society. Our heroine, Beatrice, is a teacher of Latin in a small town. I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it is well-written and explores some important topics such as discrimination and social change. On the other hand, I found it a bit dull in the beginning, with very little action, and it was difficult for me to become engaged in the story. Many of the characters were petty and passive aggressive. Once WWI breaks out, the pace picks up. It reminded me of 1800s English literature, so if you enjoy that type writing, you may like this book as well.