I absolutely loved the book [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|6643090|Major Pettigrew's Last Stand|Helen Simonson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320539020s/6643090.jpg|6837577], so when I heard that author Helen Simonson wrote a second book I was thrilled to have the chance to read an early copy. Unfortunately, this book was a huge disappointment.

Simonson's charm and wit, which made "Pettigrew" so enjoyable, are present in this book but they are buried among superfluous pages and words. Rather than stand out they are lost in the shuffle. There are far too many characters -- most of them indistinguishable from each other. Eventually I stopped trying to keep them straight. The elements of a good plot exist here, but the story just muddles along. I've read instruction manuals that were more exciting.

This might have been an entirely different book with more ruthless editing. At 496 pages I'm wondering how much got left on the cutting room floor. It easily could have been half the length -- which might have let the charm shine through and given space for the worthwhile characters to be developed. At one point in the story there is reference to a book: it was a dense tome, printed in close-set type, as if the printer had struggled to squeeze its impossible length into some manageable slab of pages. I felt that was apropos here!

While the book left much to be desired, it did provide much food for thought on the subject of refugees. As part of the story, the villagers need to decide whether to take in Belgian refugees, and what form of hospitality to provide them. I couldn't help but think of the parallels with today's Syrian refugees.

I do hope this book is an aberration and that Simonson continues to write. I would certainly read her future books. Many other reviewers seem to like this book, so readers should consider other reviews, and not just mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I don't read many fiction books anymore, but this one drew me to it. I was not disappointed. It was a look back at the time when many traditions were overthrown by what became known as the "Great War" and what we now know as World War I.
Throughout the book my main thought was.... why hasn't PBS/ BBC made this a movie/ mini series yet? Also there would be ways to write a sequel. I would happily read that as well. ( )

The best parts of this novel is the satire spoken not in jest but earnestly “ I can’t wait to tour the model trench” said Eleanor” Beatrice Nash told me they have bookshelves and willow furniture and that they read poetry every night before taps”. !!!
This novel also shows the awful attitude towards women at this time “Spinsters aren’t suppose to enjoy themselves said Daniel. I think they live to be useful.” Or this one “Compounding lack of funds with intelligence, she makes herself unmarriageable.” The constrictions on women are a theme in this novel. Beatrice, our main character, helped her father live as a writer yet when he died he put his estate” in trust” not allowing her to manage it alone. And poor Celeste, the Belgian refugee, agrees to go to a convent as that is demanded by her father.
Social etiquette, gossip and a person’s station in life are also recurring themes.
The last part of the novel is about the war itself and Hugh and Daniel, Harry and Snout in France. Here too rank and protocol determine outcomes like for poor Snout. And in the end, after death has claimed many in war one is left to wonder, why is all that important when we are all just people who love and mourn ( )

I read somewhere that this book was great for people who missed Downton Abbey and I think that was a good tip.

I'm always pleased with a smart, independent woman and Beatrice was no different. I enjoyed the goings on of the small English town in the run up to WWI.

Town politics, romance, scandal, war.....it's all here. ( )

This started out so much like a golden age cozy that I found myself wondering who would be found murdered in the library. The ridiculous village sniping gives way to tragic wartime realities along the way to a beautifully developed ending. I loved it. ( )