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thebookishpersuasion 's review for:
The Summer Before the War
by Helen Simonson
UGH. I love this book so much. I just finished reading it for the second time and it was even better than I remembered--witty, emotional, and endearing.
The Summer Before the War follows the story of Beatrice Nash, a witty young Latin teacher and aspiring author, as she moves to the small town of Rye to take up a position as a Latin teacher after her father's death. The story also follows Hugh Grange, a newly certified surgeon whose beloved aunt and uncle reside in Rye. The story follows Beatrice and Hugh as well as a cast of fantastic characters--the clever and revolutionary Aunt Agatha Kent, Hugh's cousin and poet Daniel, Snout, a Gypsy boy with a penchant for Latin, Celeste, a beautiful Belgian refugee.
As World War I begins, Beatrice, Hugh, and the rest of our delightful cast think that the war will come and go quickly and many are caught up in the patriotic tide of excitement over the impending conflict. The war brings a group of Belgian refugees to the small town along with limited rations and growing prejudices. However, when Hugh and Daniel join the war and the world around them begins to change, they realize this war will be longer and harder than they ever imagined.
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. The characters--especially Beatrice, Hugh, Agatha, and Snout--are so realistic and wonderful. The writing is both heart-wrenching and witty and the story realistically looks at what life was like during World War I, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes the writing drags a little, but the detail is what makes this story seem so realistic. I absolutely loved this novel and will definitely read it again.
The Summer Before the War follows the story of Beatrice Nash, a witty young Latin teacher and aspiring author, as she moves to the small town of Rye to take up a position as a Latin teacher after her father's death. The story also follows Hugh Grange, a newly certified surgeon whose beloved aunt and uncle reside in Rye. The story follows Beatrice and Hugh as well as a cast of fantastic characters--the clever and revolutionary Aunt Agatha Kent, Hugh's cousin and poet Daniel, Snout, a Gypsy boy with a penchant for Latin, Celeste, a beautiful Belgian refugee.
As World War I begins, Beatrice, Hugh, and the rest of our delightful cast think that the war will come and go quickly and many are caught up in the patriotic tide of excitement over the impending conflict. The war brings a group of Belgian refugees to the small town along with limited rations and growing prejudices. However, when Hugh and Daniel join the war and the world around them begins to change, they realize this war will be longer and harder than they ever imagined.
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. The characters--especially Beatrice, Hugh, Agatha, and Snout--are so realistic and wonderful. The writing is both heart-wrenching and witty and the story realistically looks at what life was like during World War I, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes the writing drags a little, but the detail is what makes this story seem so realistic. I absolutely loved this novel and will definitely read it again.