The Summer Before the War By Helen SImonson

This delightful novel, by the author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand is filled with the colorful characters of a small, English village on the verge and at the beginning of World War I. The plot centers on a young woman who has moved there to teach Latin and the well-to-do family who sponsored her employment. The family just happens to include a handsome nephew who is down from his medical studies in London.  But as interesting as the characters are, it is the overall action of English country life, which is forced to change significantly as the reality of war sets in. The changes the war brings are large and small, and Ms. Simonson deftly captures all.

496 pages