castlelass 's review for:

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

3.0

---

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.