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josiethompson 's review for:
The Summer Before the War
by Helen Simonson
I'm giving this 3, but I'd really like to give it 3.5 if that were an option.
The first half (really over half) of this book was fluff. It was so hard to read and remain interested. I usually finish books in about a week, but this one took me a month because I couldn't read more than a chapter at a time without getting bored.
The second half of the book gradually gets more interesting, but you don't really understand what the plot is until about 2/3 of the way through the book. I genuinely had no idea where the book was going until wayyyyyy further than I should've.
BUT all that to say, the fluff does allow you to get to know the characters better. Granted, the description of the book makes it look like it's going to focus on a woman and her career more than the story that it does end up focusing on in the end, but I did shed a tear or 2, signifying that I did enjoy the novel at least a little bit.
Anyway. All that to say, the fluff was annoying but the story overall in the second half was good.
The first half (really over half) of this book was fluff. It was so hard to read and remain interested. I usually finish books in about a week, but this one took me a month because I couldn't read more than a chapter at a time without getting bored.
The second half of the book gradually gets more interesting, but you don't really understand what the plot is until about 2/3 of the way through the book. I genuinely had no idea where the book was going until wayyyyyy further than I should've.
BUT all that to say, the fluff does allow you to get to know the characters better. Granted, the description of the book makes it look like it's going to focus on a woman and her career more than the story that it does end up focusing on in the end, but I did shed a tear or 2, signifying that I did enjoy the novel at least a little bit.
Anyway. All that to say, the fluff was annoying but the story overall in the second half was good.