The Summer Before the War

Well written with characters who are all well developed and well rounded. The book is structured like a play, with it being clearly divided into acts. The first three acts are delightful with a plot that builds nicely. The last section almost seems separate and is rushed and under developed, but I can understand the author needing to wrap it all up as it was already long.

For me it was worth reading because of the characters that inspire. Maybe even worth reading the first three acts again.

A great disappointment. How can a writer who is so witty and concise in Major Pettigrew be so long winded and predictable in her second book? I am afraid she took on too huge a task. Pettigrew was a much smaller tale, with way fewer characters, and it was not a historical novel, either. I hope the next book is smaller in scale, less like Jane Austen and more 2019.

This was actually a huge disappointment for me, especially as Simonson's last novel is one of my favorite books. For me, this book just meandered down a country lane, never going anywhere in particular. Maybe I missed something by listening to the audiobook.

Simonson starts slow, but, boy-oh-boy, can she ever plot out a story.

This book is the tale of a woman who comes to teach Latin in an English town just before World War I breaks out. She has been forced by circumstances to work, and jobs are not easy to find for women. We get to know this woman along with her supporters and opponents and and students and rivals and friends in this little town, and that makes for a satisfying and well-told book.

I probably haven't done a good job of convincing you to read this book, but trust me in this: If you like for a book to carry you away to another time with characters that will touch your heart, pick up this book and give it a read. You won't regret it.

Not as tightly written, nor as satisfying as Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but still worthwhile reading. The ironic contrast between the strict Edwardian social class divisions and morals, and the looming war that would kill millions of British soldiers regardless of their wealth, is clearly presented without being preachy. And Beatrice's struggle to have some control over her finances and respect for her writing skills also presage additional changes that were long overdue.

I would have liked to have more of the book told from the POV of Celeste, the Belgian refugee who endures such hardship, and how she fared after the war was finally over. In many ways she was a more interesting character than Beatrice.