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mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
2.0
To me, this book had a lot of promise and an intriguing premise -- an historical account of English society in the summer before World War I broke out. England was experiencing an unusual summer in that it was sunny and warm...possibly too warm. The book jacket promised insights to various societal levels but I felt like the book focused primarily on the upper crust, which wasn't as interesting to me. I liked the chapter that focused on Churchill and his main political rival...I think I would've enjoyed a book on the politics during that time period more or perhaps reading the tell-all written by the butler who appeared in this one. Maybe I read it too fast; maybe I didn't pay close enough attention to the details. The author had clearly done a lot of research and had some unique sources (possibly because of her family connections)...but I just didn't connect with the material.
kathieboucher's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars for historical interest and context, but this book suffers mightily from poor editing. Had to go back and reread numerous passages to figure out which character was being referenced and why. Not much discernible rhyme or reason to the way the author moves from point A to point B. Still---fun to learn about bathing machines and such.
jrc2011's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely written social history of a pre-war summer in England - the author deftly weaves the experiences and perspectives of people from across the social strata with current events. Really enjoyable read!
jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition
2.0
I have lukewarm feelings about this book. At times it was very interesting and I gained a general understanding of the culture of England in 1911.
However, I felt that this book would have benefitted from some tighter editing. The author jumped between topics with no warning. I found myself having to go back several times and re-read paragraphs because I couldn't figure out how we got from one topic to the next. In many cases, there was no rhyme or reason as to where we ended up.
This book was obviously very well researched, but I felt that the author at times added historical "tidbits" simply because she found them, not because they contributed to the book. "Characters" were introduced and then never mentioned again. There was no sense of closure, and very little tying the information together other than the fact that all these events occurred in England during the summer of 1911.
An interesting, although frustrating, read.
However, I felt that this book would have benefitted from some tighter editing. The author jumped between topics with no warning. I found myself having to go back several times and re-read paragraphs because I couldn't figure out how we got from one topic to the next. In many cases, there was no rhyme or reason as to where we ended up.
This book was obviously very well researched, but I felt that the author at times added historical "tidbits" simply because she found them, not because they contributed to the book. "Characters" were introduced and then never mentioned again. There was no sense of closure, and very little tying the information together other than the fact that all these events occurred in England during the summer of 1911.
An interesting, although frustrating, read.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this, but I didn't love it. The author had access to lots of different sources in telling the story of the end of the Edwardian era and chunks of the book are riveting, but lots of it rambles around in a random kind of way that detracts from the overall arc.
It's probably difficult for Americans to really understand what WWI meant to a generation of Englishmen. The casualty figures are staggering - 880,000 from the UK plus another 200,000 from other countries in the British Empire - essentially an entire generation was lost to the trenches.
There are moments in this book where the author deftly captures the tenor of the times, but too often the clarity is muddied and the sense of what was lost is, well, lost.
It's probably difficult for Americans to really understand what WWI meant to a generation of Englishmen. The casualty figures are staggering - 880,000 from the UK plus another 200,000 from other countries in the British Empire - essentially an entire generation was lost to the trenches.
There are moments in this book where the author deftly captures the tenor of the times, but too often the clarity is muddied and the sense of what was lost is, well, lost.
vintonole's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating look into the social life of 1911 England during the summer before WW1.
persey's review against another edition
1.0
Good read, very impressionistic, lots of personal sources.
bronwynmb's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this. I should've liked it. But I just couldn't. I didn't care for the writing or the transitions between topics. Things that should've been interesting just weren't. I'm still glad I read it because there was good, new-to-me, information in it, but I just didn't really care for it.
melarsen57's review against another edition
3.0
A very readable social history of England - the events and personalities - of the summer of 1911.