Summer Before the War

If Jane Austen lived in England in 1914, she would have written this book. Summer Before the War provides an insightful and compassionate look at a world heading towards tragedy, told through the eyes of a young woman newly situated in the countryside. She is a keen observer of small-town life about to undergo the tremendous changes of the beginning of the 20th century. Recommended By Miriam S., Powells.com

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 Post

The 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 beyond the small English town in which it is set.

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.

"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’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

"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

"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

"What begins as a study of a small-town society becomes a compelling account of war and its aftermath." Woman’s Day

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 Post
The 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 beyond the small English town in which it is set.

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
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
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

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"

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, New York. Simonson 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.