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juniperd 's review for:
The Summer Before the War
by Helen Simonson
this was such a perfect read for me right now - it was escapist, enjoyable, and evocative.
while this is a novel with loveliness and charm, depth and seriousness are also present, giving this book a bit more weight than her debut, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577].
simonson does a wonderful job with all of her characters, and brings her settings to life. i appreciated her handling of the atrocities of war, and her perspectives on the treatment of romany people, and immigrants during the late-edwardian era. simonson also serves up a bit of a twist... if you are a careful reader, you will catch on to what's up. it definitely added a layer of poignancy for me to several of the storylines.
if you are a fan of downton abbey, and have missed being immersed in that world, you may do well to give the summer before the war a try. if you do, i hope you find it as wonderful as i have.
while this is a novel with loveliness and charm, depth and seriousness are also present, giving this book a bit more weight than her debut, [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577].
simonson does a wonderful job with all of her characters, and brings her settings to life. i appreciated her handling of the atrocities of war, and her perspectives on the treatment of romany people, and immigrants during the late-edwardian era. simonson also serves up a bit of a twist... if you are a careful reader, you will catch on to what's up. it definitely added a layer of poignancy for me to several of the storylines.
if you are a fan of downton abbey, and have missed being immersed in that world, you may do well to give the summer before the war a try. if you do, i hope you find it as wonderful as i have.