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thereadingmum 's review for:
The Summer Before the War
by Helen Simonson
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand so I picked this up expecting the same sort of quaint farcical English village setting with well-drawn, loveable characters.
The Summer Before the War has the quaint English village and a good array of characters. However, given the WWI setting and the fact that most of the characters are upper class, it is both more serious and less colourful. Simonson writes with that quintessential mid-century English voice with lots of wry humour, good dialogue and brings to mind Agatha Christie without the murder.
Despite being quite a chonker, it reads easily because of the above. I also love a well-deserved happy ending with a healthy dose of tragedy that doesn't overwhelm. A nice rural holiday read!
The Summer Before the War has the quaint English village and a good array of characters. However, given the WWI setting and the fact that most of the characters are upper class, it is both more serious and less colourful. Simonson writes with that quintessential mid-century English voice with lots of wry humour, good dialogue and brings to mind Agatha Christie without the murder.
Despite being quite a chonker, it reads easily because of the above. I also love a well-deserved happy ending with a healthy dose of tragedy that doesn't overwhelm. A nice rural holiday read!