The Summer Before the War

Helen Simonson has done it again with The Summer Before the War (#558)!  I loved her first book - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - so much, I was half afraid that her second book wouldn't quite measure up.  I was wrong to worry. In fact, I was glad my seat was towards the back of the aircraft after we landed so that I would have enough time to finish reading the Epilogue before I had to deplane, it was that good a read.

Set in the coastal town of Rye, England just before the outbreak of World War I, it follows Beatrice Nash, a young woman who has come to town to be the Latin teacher for the local school.  Beatrice has spent her formative years traveling with her professor father in Europe and America.  She handled all the arrangements herself and writes in her spare time.  Her father's lingering illness and death have turned Beatrice's world upside down, and she must struggle fiercely to carve out a life for herself independent of his family who have made it clear that they have no use for her, nor do they approve of her decision to accept a position usually reserved for men.

The people she encounters and the area around Rye itself come vividly alive in this book as the buildup to the war causes local loyalties and customs to change along with the times.  When the war touches Rye itself with casualties and refugees, the reality begins to sink in as the glory fades.

This is a much bigger book than Major Pettigrew in both size and scope, but the intimate stories of the main characters are never lost throughout.  I think Ms. Simonson is well-deserving of the comparisons of her writing to that of a modern-day Jane Austen.  Settle in for a long and satisfying read with The Summer Before the War, and don't neglect to have a box of tissues handy!