This is a very clever piece of writing. On one level it is a relatively light hearted story of some adventurous women in the time immediately after the First World War.

On an entirely different level it explores the class and race prejudices of the time, looks at the plight of the women who had worked hard and driven the war effort from home and now find themselves expected to revert to their limited pre war lives. The situation of the very many injured service men is also an important theme.

The author pulls all these issues together in easy to read piece which is very enjoyable. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the advanced reader copy of this much anticipated book from one of my favorite authors. Ms. Simonson's previous work, The Summer Before The War, is one of my favorite books and most recommended reads. I absolutely adore reading about the era in which these books are set (before and after WWI). This novel was the perfect book end to The Summer Before The War--we learn things did NOT get easier for women's personal freedoms, yet women continued to push the envelope in ways they may not have prior to the war. Constance Haverhill and Poppy Wirrall are two such strong-willed, independent leaning female protagonists. Constance finds herself as a ladies companion at a seaside hotel, having lost her job as an estate bookkeeper during the war. She was all but evicted from her home after her sister-in-law held her responsible for the death of her child from influenza. All around the characters in this story, most of whom are misfits in one vein or another, hangs a veil of epic sadness, as they have survived the war and the epidemic of influenza. They are cautiously trying to find their way in this new reality. No one does characterization quite as well as Ms. Simonson, her fictional characters leap off the page and her turn of a phrase is so exquisite, I find myself reading and rereading sections of her book for pure enjoyment in how she words things. Like A Summer Before The War, I will undoubtedly be reading this more than once and recommending to everyone I know.

Enjoyable story of a woman who is educated but lives in a time after WW1 when women are being relieved of their jobs since the men are returning from the war. But this woman is not like other women. She finds employment as a companion for an older woman at a seaside hotel, where she meets other women with aspirations also.

A delightful book, set in a small costal English town. WWI has ended and the many women employed during the war to keep hearth and the war effort running have been not so quietly dismissed. Constance Haverhill, in the role of a poor relation, has been sent to the seaside as a companion to the matriarch of old family acquaintances. This summer sojourn plays out as both a very funny comedy of errors and a more serious social commentary. I don’t think I realized the effect the war had on women post war. Many needed to work as they were left widowed with a minuscule pension or had no prospects of finding a man to marry. I have enjoyed all three novels by Helen Simonson and hearty recommend them.

I was hoping for a story about strong women and their lives after WWI. That is the story here, but I found it to be simply boring. I couldn't get involved with most of the characters, and the one I really liked (Constance) finally just annoyed me. I gave up about halfway. The women just kind of wandered around and I didn't see any growth. I usually love historical fiction, but this one just didn't grab me. Two stars for the setting and premise -- not a time period that is often featured.

Simonson has done it again! Leading us into the times and culture of post-World War I, and the ramifications of societal changes.

Constance Haverhill is only days away from being unemployed and flat broke. Her job prospects are very limited now that the men are back from the war. During the war she worked as a bookeeper. That won's happen again now that the men are back. At present, she is working as a lady's companion to an older, sedate lady. Constance's choices are to become a nanny, a housemaid or get married. None of these choices appeal to her.

She meets Poppy who wears trousers, rides a motorcycle, has a motorcycle taxi service and is anything but conventional. She also has a brother, Harris, who was wounded during the war and can't seem to get his life put back together again. All he wants to do is get back in a plane, but the loss of a leg affects people's opinions of his abilities. He chafes against being disabled but can't seem to find a way to work around it.

Constance is invited to join Poppy's Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club. Her employer, the prim and proper daughter of the elderly women for whom she is a companion, is shocked and dismayed to find Constance straying from her approved behavior. Oh, the elderly lady turns out to be not as sedate as the daughter would like for her to be!The prejudices of England in the teens are readily apparent, no women wearing pants in the dining room, no men displaying handicaps, no young woman eating a meal with out a proper chaperone. What is to become of Constance? Will Harris ever fly again? Will those motorcycles really run if women are taking care of them?

After the war, in 1919, Constance Haverhill accompanies Mrs. Fog to Hazelbourne-on-Sea for the summer. This is her final trip experiencing luxury, she is penniless and will have to find employment to live. She encounters Poppy Wirrall and her life will never be the same. Poppy is loud, irreverent, and incorrigible. Being the daughter of a wealthy man has afforded her some leniency in society but she is intent to take it to the extreme. Constance is attracted to the constant chaos around Poppy and soon finds herself in the midst of it all. The young women are looking to be more actively involved in business and life. They no longer wish to be tied to hearth and home.

Helen Simonson has created an excellent cast of characters. They are flawed and utterly relatable. The book moves quickly and the activity is constant. Simonson uses the flurry of activity to indicate summer and the slowing of activity showing the transition to fall. Constance is such a likable character that it is hard to let go. This lighthearted look at women coming of age is an enjoyable diversion from everyday life.

A lovely story set in England after World War I where a generation of young women were trying to find their places in a changed world. Constance Haverhill is a penniless companion to an older woman at a seaside resort and gets swept up in the lives of the rich and idle and forms a number of friendships with fascinating consequences. An absolutely charming book.

I've read Helen Simonson's "The Summer Before the War" and loved it, so I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel.

The period around World War I has been neglected lately, with authors seeming to want to concentrate on WWII. So it's refreshing to read about that earlier time period and what challenges were faced by people after the war ended - both the returned servicemen (and they were predominantly men) and the women who also served at home.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is only part of the story. The main themes are the roles of women in post-WWI society - how they'd been given the freedom and responsibility of working to keep things moving in Britian while so many men were away fighting, but were expected to give all that up when the men returned; and the struggles between reconciling the old ways of society and women's roles and the new understanding of what was really important, and women were capable of doing. So much more than getting married, following society's strict rules and preparing their daughters to grow up and do the same.

Simonsen presents these difficult themes in a light-hearted way without detracting from their importance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Enjoyed this spirited and intelligent war story. Memorable characters, humor, and all around touching read. It was like meeting up with an old friend.

It is post-WWI and 20-something Constance Haverhill is the companion of Mrs. Fog at a seaside resort while Mrs. Fog recovers from a bout with the Spanish Flu. Mrs. Fog's daughter, the very snobbish Lady Mercer, feels very magnanimous in offering Constance this position. Lady Mercer and Constance's mother had been at school together and while she says that Constance is practically family, she treats her as an inferior.

As Constance contemplates that it may be a bit of a lonely summer at the resort while surrounded by people of wealthier means, she meets the somewhat outrageous Poppy Wirrall in the lobby. Mrs. Wirrall, Poppy's mother, is also staying at the resort and is a bit more forward-thinking and unconventional than Lady Mercer. Poppy, herself, has her own business driving motorcycle "taxis" with sidecars and employs other women to do the same. Mrs. Wirrall had been married to a baronet and died while they were on the brink of divorce leaving her a country estate named Penneston. She keeps herself busy remodeling Penneston which her son Harris will inherit. Harris has come back from the war minus a leg and is dealing with the trauma of that.

As the Wirralls involve Constance in their lives, she grows to love them all, especially Harris whom she helps gain confidence in his ability to be a fully-functioning member of society with a purpose.

As another reviewer wrote, this is a comedy of manners, warmly and sensitively written with well-written characters and an interesting storyline. Another winner for Helen Simonsen. Thank you to Netgalley for offering me an ARC edition of this novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️What I liked:

Poppy, Constance, Mrs. Fog, Mrs. Wirrall, Harris, Irene and Tilly.

~It was great to see Constance bloom in their company. ~I thought Harris’ frustrations as a disabled veteran were sad…and still a problem today.
~I absolutely loved everything about Poppy and her mother.


⭐️⭐️What I didn’t like:

~Too much beating the drum for women’s rights and social justice. We get it. The book can shine light on the issues of the time without every single chapter lamenting on the unfairness of it all.

~The situation with Mrs. Fog and her friends seemed a little hard to believe. Sometimes I wanted her to show more backbone and stand up to her daughter.

~Mrs. Fog’s daughter! She was awful! How could Constance’s mother ever have been good friends with her as a child?

Thank you to the publishers at NetGalley for the advanced reader copy for review.

At the same time thought-provoking and charming, this novel describes the plight of British women following WWI as they lost their newfound independence when men returned from war. The main character, Constance, will soon be at loose ends without any prospects, when she befriends free-spirited Poppy, a wealthy young woman who runs a motorcycle taxi business and flies planes. The story becomes complicated by their difference in social and financial status, and by Constance's growing affection for Poppy's brother, who has endured a leg amputation and suffers from PTSD. As expected, the ending is satisfying and heartwarming.

This was such an enjoyable book, it had the same vibes has the early Poirot books, the attention to the historical details, the characters were very engaging and were true to their times.
It was a really character driven book, I felt for so many of them, and was deeply invested in their story.
Even though novels set in this time period are not new, Helen Simonson is able to bring something new and refreshing. Loved it!

This is a delightful historical fiction story about a little-known group of women. I’ll recommend for all who enjoy the genre!

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson
After losing her mother, Constance Haverhill becomes the companion to elderly Mrs. Fog in the seaside town of Hazelbourne-by-the-Sea.
Here she meets the adventurous women of the HLM&FC. She learns many life lessons from them, like standing up for herself, and fighting for the things she wants, and even how to fly.
There are many interesting storylines going on in this post World War II novel, and the characters are well developed. This was a captivating snapshot of a small town and how it adapts to the changes wrought by war.
#netgalley

Set just following the end of WWII, women are being told to return to their previous life. In need of employment, Constance accepts the role of companion for a seaside trip. There she finds friendship and hope for a better future. Funny and bittersweet at times, beneath it all this novel makes us look at our assumptions about people.

Constance is off, "watching" over an elderly family friend, as the war has ended, her parents have passed, and the family whom they had lived with are trying to kick her out. She meets Poppy at the hotel, a rebel of sorts, who has started a motorcycle service for transportation driven my an all female crew. Of courses there is romance, drama, as well as a few more poignant moments. The story moves along, the characters are endearing, and it was an enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Simonson, and Random House for the pre-read in exchange for an honest review

I love Helen Simonson’s books. Her books always champion the less advantaged, but without malice. I like her descriptions of places, people and clothes too.

At first go, Helen Simonson's latest is a light-hearted tale of an eclectic group of women who want to transform their satisfying work as motorcycle relay riders during World War I into a post-war business.

But then there's the other part, which gives this novel its grit. Everyone, no matter what age or social status, is struggling to get their footing in the post-war world. The losses were so massive, followed by deaths from the 1918 flu that no one is left untouched.

Constance Haverhill is in a pinch. Her mother has died, her brother is newly married, and she has lost her job as an estate manager because these jobs must now go to men. Friends have arranged for her to go to a seaside resort as a companion to Mrs. Fog, an elderly lady recovering from the flu who becomes a very surprising character, indeed. Poppy Wirrall, who wears trousers and runs a motorcycle taxi and delivery service, takes Constance under her wing and introduces her to the many denizens of the hotel. Despite the fun and excitement, Constance can never forget her precarious situation, that she has no prospects, that being a governess, a waitress or a maid at poverty wages is what she can hope for no matter what her qualifications. The plight of women who drove the war effort from home and are now expected to retreat into their limited, pre-war lives is explored, as is class, race, and prejudice. These not only impact women, but wounded and shattered soldiers who need to find a way forward when people want to ignore the physical manifestation of the war's destruction.

Simonson's novel works on many levels and is satisfying on all of them. It's an engaging read, deceptively simple. The ending may seem like a cop-out, but honestly, would you be able to handle it if it went any other way?

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.