HELEN SIMONSON was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A graduate of the London School of Economics, she has spent the last three decades in the United States and currently lives in Brooklyn. She is married, with two grown sons, and is the author of the New York Times-bestselling debut novel, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. This is her second novel.
“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 Post
“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
“[Helen Simonson’s] characters are so vivid, it’s as if a PBS
series has come to life. There’s scandal, star-crossed love and
fear, but at its heart, The Summer Before the War is about loyalty,
love and family.”—AARP: The Magazine
“At once haunting and effervescent, The Summer Before the War
demonstrates the sure hand of a master. Helen Simonson’s characters
enchant us, her English countryside beguiles us, and her historical
intelligence keeps us at the edge of our seats. This luminous story
of a family, a town, and a world in their final moments of
innocence is as lingering and lovely as a long summer
sunset.”—Annie Barrows, author of The Truth According to Us and
co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“Helen Simonson has outdone herself in this radiant follow-up to
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. The provincial town of Rye, East
Sussex, in the days just before and after the Great War is so
vividly drawn it fairly vibrates. The depth and sensitivity with
which she weighs the steep costs and delicate bonds of wartime—and
not just for the young men in the trenches, but for every changed
life and heart—reveal the full mastery of her storytelling.
Simonson is like a Jane Austen for our day and age—she is that
good—and The Summer Before the War is nothing short of a
treasure.”—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and Circling the
Sun
“A bright confection of a book morphs into a story of dignity and
backbone. . . . This book is beautifully plotted and morally
astute.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Simonson’s second novel paints a sensitive, witty, luminous
portrait of England at the outbreak of World War I.”—Shelf
Awareness
“This novel is just the ticket for fans of Simonson’s
debut, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, and for any reader who
enjoys leisurely fiction steeped in the British past.”—Booklist
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