soniapage 's review for:

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

3.0

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There was just something lacking in this book but I can't say exactly what. I assume the main character is Beatrice but she keeps fading into the background and her personality and beliefs are difficult to grasp. One minute she's stuffy, prim and prickly then the next minute she's carefree and daring. Maybe the book tries to take on too many social issues surrounding the WWI era: plight of the refugees, Romanys, poets, single women, abused women, gay people, soldiers in the fox-holes,... These are all credible topics but seem to be hit on as though being ticked off on a list of issues to cover in the book. It's a good book but I'm left wondering what went wrong with it.