The Summer Before the
War
Helen Simonson
Beatrice Nash has just arrived in the coastal English village of Rye
in Sussex. She is set to take up a position as teacher in a local
school. The story revolves around her and a local family with two
nephews who befriend Beatrice. It's 1914 and the shadow of war is
descending upon England. As the town prepares to make itself ready
and useful to the war effort it takes in a group of refugees who
become part of the larger story. The village prepares to send it's
own sons into the fields of France and the story follows the Kent
family and other villagers through the tumultuous times.
It's
well written with good dialogue and interesting characters. While I
enjoyed the book, I did feel it was long on descriptions and a little
short on character development. Having said that, I think readers who
enjoy historical fiction and fiction set in this particular period
will find this book worth the read.
Thanks
to Goodreads giveaway and Random House for allowing me to read this
book in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment