Years ago I read Helen Simonson's debut novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (reviewed here) but it was only earlier this year that I finally picked up another book by her. I read The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club as part of Cook the Books (my review). I knew then that I had to read her only other book which is this one.
When I picked this book up from the library I was surprised by how big it was. At 592 pages this is a chunkster and yet, as I was reading it, I didn't feel like it was taking a long time to get through.
The book starts in 1914 when a young woman named Beatrice Nash moves to the town of Rye to take up a position teaching Latin in a small school. She has no choice but to take a job after her father passes away leaving his estate in trust for Beatrice, which surprises her because she thought that her father was proud of her independence and would have trusted her to be able to take car of her own interests. Instead, she must ask for money from the estate, people who do not like her independent nature, so she is often left with too little to survive on
There she meets the formidable Agatha Kent, who has gone out of her way to insist that Miss Nash is a suitable candidate for the role, despite some opposition from other town leaders. Beatrice also meets Hugh Grange, a young man who is studying to be a surgeon and his cousin Daniel who dreams of being a poet. Then there is the (in)famous author who she is helping will help publish her father's papers.
It doesn't take long for Beatrice to start seeing the villagers for what they are. As a single woman she must be very careful of her actions, lest her reputation be damaged. Already some are shocked that she has moved to the town. She also sees the petty jealousies, the feuds, the class divide and the double standards that are rife.
The most promising of her Latin students is a young man named Snout, who carries around a copy of the classics and reads Latin for fun. But even with Miss Nash's support, young Snout is unlikely to get to further education because his family are Romany gypsies. Whilst the town is happy to call on a Romany healer when they need, they are never going to be accept them as their own.
When the war begins, the town graciously agrees to take in some Belgian refugees out of the goodness of their hearts...kind of. It doesn't take long for the villagers to feel less generosity of spirit, especially when the parade to celebrate them goes wrong. Soon, at least one of the refugees is being ostracised, when she most needs support.
It is really when the boys of the town start enlisting and the rationing starts that being at war begins to feel real. At first, it is a bit like a game with the young men dressing up in uniforms.When they start to come home injured, or even not at all, the reality sets in. The last section of the book is heartbreaking and I did get emotional reading it. Gone are the languid summer evenings and dinner parties, to be replaced by hardship and loss, no matter which class of society you belong to.
Like all of Simonson's books so far this one is pretty deceptive as it doesn't feel like a lot is happening but when you look back a lot has happened! She is very adept at taking a small town and digging just under the surface so you see what is really underpinning town life and at exploring the different levels of society. She is also a master at the simmering slow burn romance which is integral to the story, but also almost a subplot.
Now I, like many others, wait however long it takes for Helen Simonson's next book to come out. You will likely hear the cheers from here when it is announced! I will have very high expectations given that I have loved all three of her previous books. I think, though, this one is my favourite of the three. This book is a 5/5 read for me!
I am sharing this review with British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog, and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. This was one of the books that I nominated for the Big Books of Winter and also counts as one of my Big Books of Summer.
Rating 5/5
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