{"product_id":"the-summer-before-the-war-paperback","title":"The Summer Before the War - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eHelen Simonson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - \"A novel to cure your \u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey\u003c\/i\u003e withdrawal . . . a delightful story about nontraditional romantic relationships, class snobbery and the everybody-knows-everybody complications of living in a small community.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMajor Pettigrew's Last Stand \u003c\/i\u003ereturns 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eTHE WASHINGTON POST \u003c\/i\u003eAND NPR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Summer Before the War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"What begins as a study of a small-town society becomes a compelling account of war and its aftermath.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eWoman's Day\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"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.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Perfect for readers in a post-\u003ci\u003eDownton Abbey\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHelen Simonson\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling debut novel \u003ci\u003eMajor Pettigrew's Last Stand\u003c\/i\u003e. This is her second novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 512\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 7.9 x 5.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 21, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51757758611744,"sku":"9780812983203","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/f33319faaa8e33cf171d677c9914de80.webp?v=1780111097","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-summer-before-the-war-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}