The Summer Before the War in 2016 Reading Challenge

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Mar 29, 2016 Inga rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2016

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

I had never read anything by Helen Simonson before, I requested this book on Netgalley on a whim.

The Summer Before the War starts with Beatrice Nash, a 23 year old "spinster", arriving in the small town of Rye to take up post as the Latin mistress at the local school. Supported for the post by community power players Agatha Kent and Lady Emily Wheaton when the board really wants someone older and, of course, male, she is determined to support hersel I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

I had never read anything by Helen Simonson before, I requested this book on Netgalley on a whim.

The Summer Before the War starts with Beatrice Nash, a 23 year old "spinster", arriving in the small town of Rye to take up post as the Latin mistress at the local school. Supported for the post by community power players Agatha Kent and Lady Emily Wheaton when the board really wants someone older and, of course, male, she is determined to support herself after the death of her father and be independent. Upon her arrival she meets Agatha's two nephews, medical student Hugh Grange and poet Daniel Bookham. Despite living in a cottage in town she retains a relationship with the Kent family and the cousins and the first part of the book explore some of the highjinks and small town life. Soon war is looming and the town is thrown into the war effort of encouraging men to enlist, raising money, knitting socks for soldiers and taking in Belgian refugees. Beatrice ends up sharing her lodgings with a young Belgian girl, Celeste, who's father is lodging with an eminent writer next door. Hugh Grange meanwhile has enlisted in the medical corps at the suggestion of the surgeon he has been studying with and with encouragement from Lucy, the surgeons daughter, whom Hugh has considered proposing to. Lucy is a very manipulative little minx flirting with men to enlist and handing out feathers to all those who don't. Lady Emily decides to turn her house into an officers hospital and Lord and Lady North, parents to Daniel's best friend, Craigmore, are invited to inspect the property. Meanwhile the young people are celebrating the end of harvest with a bonfire and a rowdy picknick and an unfortunate poetry recital by Daniel and Craigmore angers the North's. Soon the reality war starts overshadowing the enthusiasm for the war effort and the patriotism. Notices of more and more funerals in the papers worry Agatha and she fears losing Hugh and Daniel and Beatrice has to face the fact that she cannot stop a young pupil from going to war.

The book is beautifully written, the characters are very well developed and the author has clearly researched the period well. The story is well told and paced, I never felt the story lagged, and is an absolute joy to read. So far this is one of my favourite books written this year and I would go so far as to say that this is one of my favourite historical fiction novel. I look forward to reading more by Simons. ...more

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