The Summer Before the War

Connor 

I’d give this a solid 3.5. As with Major Pettigrew, I enjoyed Simonson’s array of characters and storylines—still, this got a bit long even for me.

Cindy Lieberman

3.75. A novel much in the style of Jane Austen, but taking place in an English town before and at the start of the first World War. Ideal if you are an Anglophile in the mood for a novel of small towns and small minds, or women's (lack of) rights. A love story, a war story, and how the things people do for love and in war have the power to both devastate and save lives.

Judy McClure

I love Helen Simonson's books. Slow paced but rich in characters and emotional connection.

Antonella Romani

I actually enjoyed this book more than expected! For those who love the TV show, Downton Abby, this story is like stepping back into that classy time period and seeing how this cute little country town prepared itself for the Great War (WWI).
It's a cute, refreshing leisure read, with GREAT characters and equally great budding relationships.
It was a slow read and perhaps a little predictable at times, but the plot keeps you interested as it tackles some controversial topics (homosexuality, refugee issues, and unfair treatment of women) for the time period,... and maybe even today.

Kate Allman

This was one of those gloriously lovely books that catches you up unawares and draws you in. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. A wonderful treat and a touching reminder of the sorrows of war.

Dani C

4.5 stars easy. 
The prose in here is just beautiful. There were so many sentences or entire paragraphs that I had to write down in my quote book for the sheer provocative thought or character development displayed. I am usually extremely hesitant to the point of avoiding any and all war-related books. I'm just not interested in reading about trench life or gore-splattered scenes. But only 80 or so pages of this book are in any way shape or form actual war scenes. The rest is the build up and the downfall of a town as it realizes just what it means to live during wartime. It's the shedding of social niceties, the harsh and jarring reality of our humanity, and the steady rise of contradictions of how one perceives oneself and how one actually is when all masks via riches and name-dropping are stripped of importance. 
And I couldn't love Snout more if I tried <3 <3 <3

The Summer Before the War

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