NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A novel to cure your Downton Abbey withdrawal . . . a delightful story about nontraditional romantic relationships, class snobbery and the everybody-knows-everybody complications of living in a small community.”—The Washington PostThe bestselling author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand returns with a breathtaking novel of love on the eve of World War I that reaches far … of love on the eve of World War I that reaches far beyond the small English town in which it is set.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND NPR
East Sussex, 1914. It is the end of England’s brief Edwardian summer, and everyone agrees that the weather has never been so beautiful. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his Aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. Agatha’s husband works in the Foreign Office, and she is certain he will ensure that the recent saber rattling over the Balkans won’t come to anything. And Agatha has more immediate concerns; she has just risked her carefully built reputation by pushing for the appointment of a woman to replace the Latin master.
When Beatrice Nash arrives with one trunk and several large crates of books, it is clear she is significantly more freethinking—and attractive—than anyone believes a Latin teacher should be. For her part, mourning the death of her beloved father, who has left her penniless, Beatrice simply wants to be left alone to pursue her teaching and writing.
But just as Beatrice comes alive to the beauty of the Sussex landscape and the colorful characters who populate Rye, the perfect summer is about to end. For despite Agatha’s reassurances, the unimaginable is coming. Soon the limits of progress, and the old ways, will be tested as this small Sussex town and its inhabitants go to war.
Praise for The Summer Before the War
“What begins as a study of a small-town society becomes a compelling account of war and its aftermath.”—Woman’s Day
“This witty character study of how a small English town reacts to the 1914 arrival of its first female teacher offers gentle humor wrapped in a hauntingly detailed story.”—Good Housekeeping
“Perfect for readers in a post–Downton Abbey slump . . . The gently teasing banter between two kindred spirits edging slowly into love is as delicately crafted as a bone-china teacup. . . . More than a high-toned romantic reverie for Anglophiles—though it serves the latter purpose, too.”—The Seattle Times
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Loved this. Quite different from major pettigrew. But just as well written and entertaining. Love that cover its so active and striking
Not as good as Major Pettigrew.
Historically correct
Interesting view of what the social environment may have been like pre-WWI in England. Enjoyable, not boring, but jerky, perhaps even incongruous in spots, with our hero bold and steadfast in one scenario and such a wimp in another.
Then again I am an American and while fascinated and reasonably knowledgeable of the old class system (I think, smile), I am often tripped up by subtle nuances.
One which is likely Rule #1 – knowing when to stand, and knowing when to run.
Boring
I enjoy this author’s work.
This author peers into the heart and soul of England’s class system and lays it bare with the precision of a surgeon. This is no Downton Abbey where the audience is so blinded by the glamour and grandeur of the elite class that the life of the serving class rarely registers. The characters — rich, poor and in-between are rendered carefully and this reader can empathize with most of them. The title is a little misleading, though, as it implies the story ends BEFORE the war begins and it does not.
I liked this book! It wasn’t what l expected it to be, based on the lighthearted cover.The author recreated a period in time, and made me think about how society treated people who didn’t fit the norm….good book!
Pettigrew would approve!
Quiet and gossipy little English village during a dangerous and turbulent time, indulging in the usual vicious back-stabbing and manoeuvering seen in small communities everywhere.
Entertaining, but a bit rambling and oh so predictable.
Not nearly as good as the author ‘s first book