Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I have put it down and picked it back up a few times through the years, as I enjoy this time period (WWI, and the years surrounding it). However, I found it difficult to keep up with the cast of characters and the pace was very slow. That said, the research and writing are very, very good, and I would read something by this author in the future.

Finally got round to reading this one, I usually enjoy historical fiction but since I am a mood reader, I found myself spiraling down a different genre the last couple of months, and when I finally wanted to read a historical fiction I picked this one up.
I must admit this is not one of my favourites but I still enjoyed it, towards the end it did start dragging a bit but I still kept reading, which I am glad I did, everything did work out in the end. Honestly not sure if I would read this author again

An absolutely fantastic read and a book to many people! The story was really captivating and it was hard to put down that I was able to read it in basically only a few days. I think this would be a really good book for a club!

I loved this book, the ups, the downs, all of it was wonderful. Such a good read, would highly recommend.

There is something I just love about a solid historical fiction novel. Set in the beginning of WWI from the perspective of England, we are introduced to Beatrice Nash who takes a teaching job after her father's death. We are introduced to the characters as Beatrice meets them and work through her trials as she faces the various struggles that come her way. I found myself loving the characters and was drawn in to the drama created by Simonson. I even teared up toward the end. A wonderful read, thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me a chance to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There's little more to say about this book other than charming. The characters are charming, the while the plot itself is humorous but also tinged with the despair of an English hamlet whose residents ponder the onset of the Great War and the responsibilities of those with the facilities to those without, which includes unexpected (but not unwelcome) refugees.

This is more Herriott than Wodehouse, with more subtlety than not, and less attention on the eccentricities of the characters in order to stay away from unnecessary slapstick and guffaws. A delight to read.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance reading copy. This in no way impacted by rating or review.

The main characters are deeply drawn. We see people in all classes in the small seaside town of Rye. Simonson is from Rye and she paints a deeply loving portrait of the beauty of the landscape and the quirks and traditions of the small English village.

Step back in time to what we often idealize to be simpler and sweeter and while much may have been, the concept of a world war impacts the intentions of their daily lives.
So many historical fiction books focus on the WWll era it’s refreshing to read one on the time prior to WWl. I will return to this author again!

I enjoyed Major Pattigrew's Last Stand so I was excited to receive Helen Simonson's next novel and it did not disappoint! This truly captures the waning weeks of innocence before the devastation of WWI. There are so many WWII novels, but WWI can be neglected. While not fast moving, there is true character development and lyrical descriptions of East Sussex. The style almost feels as if it was written in 1914, but that adds to the charm and authenticity of this historic novel.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy!

Simonson writes a beautiful book, not just about the aristocracy and minor aristocracy of whom we know so much about in this period, but the cross-section of still very class conscious Britain that made up its real population in the summer of 1914.

Her characters are striving villagers, under-appreciated women, local powers-that-be, and the men and women who are about to be faced with the challenge of their lives. The desperate naivete that marks the pre-war parties is heart-breaking and filled with a well-written air of foreboding.

Simon's follow up to Major Petigrew's Last Stand did not disappoint. Her characters were vivid and enchanting. I especially enjoyed the strong heroine and time that this novel was set in. I am looking forward to her next book and would recommend this to friends.

Opening line:
"The town of Rye rose from the flat marshes like an island, its tumbled pyramid of red-tiled roofs glowing in the slanting evening light."

So starts the summer of the last of innocence before the Great War. The town of Rye is like any English village in the early 1900's: quaint, full of gossip, love and secrets. No one expects a war but when war is declared, England answers.
But the town of Rye may not be like other villages for a number of reasons: the first female teacher arrives to teach Latin; one of the boys is gay; women start to act out to their repression; refugees start to arrive.
Beatrice is the teacher, Daniel is The Boy, Agatha wants more equal rights and Celeste and her father will test and change the village.
Many believed the war would be quick and over but it last longer than any expected and brought horrors no one had ever seen. The innocence of an age and a world, really, were lost on the battlefields in Europe.
I had a hard time getting into the book and there were times I skimmed, but overall this character-driven story kept me reading. But it didn't really keep me wondering what would happen. It was predictable, but that was fine.

Thanks to netgalley for the read!

Some of you will remember the charming Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, which came out in 2010 and was a popular book group read, including with my Radcliffe Reading Group. This book was delightful in a different way: it is about a plucky young woman (a penniless orphan, naturally!) who becomes the Latin teacher at a village school in 1914, just before WWI breaks out, and how she interacts with the locals, including the handsome medical student visiting for the summer. This is one of my favorite time periods, and in particular, I like reading about how war transformed the people in small villages like this one. It's not as funny as Major Pettigrew but just as enjoyable!

This was one of by favorite reads of 2016!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me, but I'm sure others will love it.

I LOVED this book. It engaged me on every level, and I truly enjoyed reading it. At times, it was heart-breaking, and at others, laugh-out-loud funny. So glad I had a chance to preview it.

Very evocative of the era, and society just before war broke out. Women taking 'men's jobs' and how society saw them. Lovely descriptions of the countryside, and the times, and fashions. I loved it. I haven't read any of her other books before, but will do now.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun to read and it really brought to life the truth about what war does to a small community. While the first half of the book does drag a little, it’s totally worth it as we watch everything that the characters go through. I love the character building and I felt as though the characters were solid and as real as they come. Since it is based off of a real event, the historical accuracy was important to me, and this book did a wonderful job with that. Ms Simonson did a wonderful job of approaching the different issues that plagued the time as well as the progresses that were being made as well.

I did listen to the audiobook a little as well, since I have had a bit less time to read with everything that has been going on and audiobooks are proving to be a good way for me to go as of late. The audiobook of this one was alright, it took me awhile togged used to the narration and I feel like the narrator didn’t really invoke a lot of emotions in a few of the characters voices, especially Hugh. However, it was still a well done audiobook otherwise. And I would recommend it!

Overall, this is a historically accurate and well written story. While the audiobook took some getting used to, it was also well done. I would highly recommend this for anyone who loves historical fiction. Four out of five from me!

A rich and touching saga set in Rye, East Sussex, at the outbreak of WWI. A few sentences were overly stilted, but this seemed to improve as the book went on (or I became used to the style). There is a large cast of characters but Simonson manages to round out most of them -- oddly I found the "heroine" of the story not as strong/interesting as some of the other characters but at least she wasn't too trope-ed up. Definitely recommended for fans of "Downton Abbey"!

What a well told story about an English village before WWI. This book helps the reader know what it was like for young men and women during the war.

If you are looking for a Downton Abbey-esque drama, then you will love "The Summer Before the War". From the uptight, stuffy drawing rooms of self-important citizens in a small English town to the trenches in France during WWI, you will encounter romance, adversity, despair and hope. From suffragettes to poets, refugees to artists, we are introduced to a plethora of very different characters.

This book was quite long (512 pages) due to the lovely descriptions of everyday activities and scenes. It is a book that is meant to be savoured.