Helpful Score: 1
This book read like a Victorian soap opera. The experience of reading the book was kind of like the steep incline on a roller coaster. It took forever to get to the top- creeping along at a crawl, only to send you crashing down right at the very end.
I didn't like most of the town. Their vicious gossiping and holier-than-thou attitudes got very tiresome. There were quite a lot of characters to keep track of. I did like the main characters of Beatrice, Hugh, and Daniel. Their friendships were the only thing that kept me reading.
I thought the ending of the book was quite rushed and left several things unanswered. While I understand that the book was depicting a war environment towards the end, I feel that the author added in some unnecessary events that destroyed my opinion of the overall story.
I didn't like most of the town. Their vicious gossiping and holier-than-thou attitudes got very tiresome. There were quite a lot of characters to keep track of. I did like the main characters of Beatrice, Hugh, and Daniel. Their friendships were the only thing that kept me reading.
I thought the ending of the book was quite rushed and left several things unanswered. While I understand that the book was depicting a war environment towards the end, I feel that the author added in some unnecessary events that destroyed my opinion of the overall story.
I've been drawn to this time period from Pre- WWI to Post WWII. Ms. Simonson has a fluidity to her writing that is elegant and sometimes a little earthy. This book is set in Rye, Sussex, England just before the Great War. It is seen through the eyes of several people, including the new Latin teacher (Gasp! A woman), a middle aged member of the middle upper class, a young surgeon, and a Romany boy who finds a lot of ways to make money. Woven in there is a town's devotion to do the right thing, but when it happens it's a different thing altogether. They take in some Belgian refugees and some open their homes to them. Then the war starts and various young men in the town join up. It's a lovely, beautiful novel about the atrocities of war and the people left behind to pick up the pieces. This gets a five star rating and I highly recommend it.
review written several months after read. recall that she writes great characters and great village setting. well written. sweet book.
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson was the May 2022 title for my book club. At 500 pages in length, I listened to the audiobook skillfully narrated by Fiona Hardingham with her lovely British accent.
The story features Beatrice Nash, a highly-educated single young woman who comes to the village of Rye, East Sussex to teach Latin. She is befriended by Agatha Kent, an influential woman in the community, and her adult nephews Hugh and Daniel, who guide her through the community's social life of parties, parades, and petty disagreements.
The majority of the novel reads like an Edwardian soap opera with much focus on social class, proper behavior which leads to limiting women's abilities to control their futures, and naively glorifying the looming war. Then the story takes a sudden turn to follow key characters into battle who, of course, quickly learned that war is difficult, dangerous, and deadly.
I was satisfied with the ending, especially with the hint of a plot twist on the final page that some readers find controversial.
In several ways, this story reminded me of the British TV series Cranford with its small town setting, a society led by the 'women of a certain age' in the community, and pre-World War innocence. Yet this novel set more than 100 years ago feels relevant today as the community provided support to individuals who fled their country (Belgium) due to the early stages of World War I.
As is often the case, I appreciated this book much more after discussing it with fellow readers. We had a lively conversation about a wide range of topics and enjoyed cookies made with loose leaf Earl Gray tea to represent the many cups of tea consumed by characters in the novel.
The story features Beatrice Nash, a highly-educated single young woman who comes to the village of Rye, East Sussex to teach Latin. She is befriended by Agatha Kent, an influential woman in the community, and her adult nephews Hugh and Daniel, who guide her through the community's social life of parties, parades, and petty disagreements.
The majority of the novel reads like an Edwardian soap opera with much focus on social class, proper behavior which leads to limiting women's abilities to control their futures, and naively glorifying the looming war. Then the story takes a sudden turn to follow key characters into battle who, of course, quickly learned that war is difficult, dangerous, and deadly.
I was satisfied with the ending, especially with the hint of a plot twist on the final page that some readers find controversial.
In several ways, this story reminded me of the British TV series Cranford with its small town setting, a society led by the 'women of a certain age' in the community, and pre-World War innocence. Yet this novel set more than 100 years ago feels relevant today as the community provided support to individuals who fled their country (Belgium) due to the early stages of World War I.
As is often the case, I appreciated this book much more after discussing it with fellow readers. We had a lively conversation about a wide range of topics and enjoyed cookies made with loose leaf Earl Gray tea to represent the many cups of tea consumed by characters in the novel.
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson has the elements to make me fall in love with the book. I enjoy it, but I don't fall in love with the story. Helen Simonson's beautiful writing submerges the reader into the world of East Sussex, England; but the story is slow and feels as if I have read it before. I wait for a unique twist on the theme, but that seems missing.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/02/the-summer-before-war.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through NetGalley
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/02/the-summer-before-war.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through NetGalley
I loved Major Pettigrew, so perhaps my expectations for this book were unreasonably high. I wish I had read it rather than listening because I might have enjoyed it more in print. As it was, listening bordered on boring.
