The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson FIC Sim

    

This is a novel about a small town in England.  It is 1914 and the war has not yet begun.  The town may be small but all of the usual conventions are observed.  The town is a bit shaken when Agatha (whose husband works in the Foreign Office - so she has an important status) takes the bold move of inviting a young woman to fill an opening as a Latin teacher.  (The powers that be would really prefer a man of course).  It's bad enough that Beatrice Nash is female but she is also young, attractive and a bit independent.  Her father has died and she has plans to make her way in this world - and without a husband.

With a bit of (unknown) help from some mischievous young men, Beatrice gets the job and begins to settle in to her new community.  And did I mention that Agatha's nephew, Hugh (who has been studying medicine) is visiting and seems a bit interested in Beatrice even though he is unofficially engaged.  Things change quickly when Britain joins the war.

I loved the setting of the novel.  Reading about the culture of the time is always interesting.  War changes things quickly. - how can two cute dachshunds become hated just because of their ancestry??? !!

I listened to the audiobook and loved it.

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