Helen Simonson "The Summer Before the War"

1914. aasta suvi, Ida-Sussexis, Ryes, Inglismaal. Kohalikku kooli tuleb uus ladina keele õpetaja, Beatrice Nash, kelle saabumist oodatakse nii põnevuse kui vastuseisuga. Hugh ja Danieli tädi Agatha Kent toetas Beatrice palkamist, kuid on siiski mures, kuidas neiu end esitleb. Beatrice osutub küll hoopis atraktiivsemaks ja vabameelsemaks kui oodatud, kuid ta kinnitatakse kohale. Neiu sõbruneb nii Agatha kui teiste linnakese elanikega ning üritab kogukonda sulada.
Suveidülli lõpetab teade Esimese maailmasõja algusest. Elanikud lähenevad ohule naiivselt ja lootusega, et sõda saab kiiresti läbi. Reaalsus hakkab kohale jõudma alles siis, kui linna saabuvad Belgia sõjapõgenikud ning kohalikud noormehed sõtta lähevad. Viimaste hulgas on Agatha suureks kurvastuseks nii Daniel kui Hugh. 

Raamatu tegelased on väga erinevad ning värvikad - on nii rikkaid kui vaeseid, nii meeldivaid kui tüütavaid, nii häid kui halbu inimesi, nii nagu igas linnas. Lugedes oli hetki, mil mind ühte või teise tegelase käitumine vihastas, kuid siis sain aru, et  nad elasid maailmas, kus kõik taandus seisusele ning heale kuulsusele ja selle hoidmisele. Ei saagi öelda nagu oleksid inimesed silmakirjalikud olnud, nad lihtsalt käitusid nii nagu nendelt kogu aeg oodatud oli. Igaühel oli oma koht ja kurb tõsiasi on, et isegi väga püüdes, polnud neil võimalust sellest välja rabeleda. Sa olid, kes sa olid ja selleks ka jäid.
Sõja teema kõrval olid üliolulisel kohal naiste piiratud õigused ja võimalused. Näiteks, kuigi Beatrice on täisealine, ei saa ta oma pärandusele ligipääsu, selle eest vastutavad ta sugulased. Abielludes saaks ta käsutusse suurema summa, kuid seniks tuleb tal väga kitsalt läbi ajada, tal pole aga mingit tahtmist mehele minna. Teine neiu peab isa käsu peale kloostrisse minema, sest vaid nii saab ta vanema au päästa. Samas oli just isa see, kelle süül ta sellises olukorras on.
"The Summer Before the War"  tuli minu jaoks natuke valel ajal. Olin just lõpetanud Remarque "Läänerindel muutuseta" ja kuigi see pole aus, sest need on kaks täiesti erinevat raamatut, ei saanud ma neid omavahel võrdlemata jätta. Remarque raamatu kõrval tundusid Simonsoni raamatu tegelased sõja osas eriti naiivsed, kuid küllap see just nii oligi. On ju Eestistki teada, et sõttaminejad lootsid lahingute kiiret lõppemist. Olin hinnangu andmisel väga segaduses, kuid lõpuks otsustasin Goodreadsis 4 punkti anda. Põhipõhjuseks raamatu lõpus olev ülikurb, aga väga hästi kirjutatud stseen, mis mulle hinge läks. 
Teised lugejad kritiseerisid väga, et see raamat pole sama hea kui autori esimene raamat "Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand", kuid minu õnneks või õnnetuseks pole ma seda lugenud, seega pole mul ka võrdlusvõimalust. Mulle "The Summer Before the War"  meeldis ja kui telle meeldivad 20. sajandi algusesse paigutatud ajaloolised romaanid, siis lugege kindlasti. 

Sain selle raamatu kirjastuselt NetGalley kaudu lugemiseks ja hindamiseks.

eesti keeles: pole ilmunud

saksa keeles: pole ilmunud

Goodreadsi hinnang: 4/5


As I got this book from a publisher through NetGalley for a exchange of an honest review I am adding also a review in english.

England 1914, Rye in East Sussex.  Local school is expecting a new Latin teacher Beatrice Nash and townspeople are both excited and against her arrival. Although Agatha Kent supported hiring the new female teacher, she is still worried to learn what kind of person Beatrice actually is. Although she is significantly more freethinking and attractive than expected she will get the job, befriends Agatha and her nephews Hugh and Daniel and starts to adapt in the new community.
But then World War I begins and the summer idyll comes quickly to an end. People accept these news with naivete and hope that the war will be over very quickly. The reality starts to kick in when the first refugees from Belgium arrive and young men from Rye have to go to war. Agatha is devastated to hear that both Hugh and Daniel are enlisted.
The characters in this book are very interesting and colorful - there are pleasant, unpleasant, annoying, friendly, poor and rich ones, like in every community. There where moments when I really got annoyed with their behavior but then realized that they were not necessarily hypocrites, they just just behaved according to the times they were living in. It was time where reputation and status was everything, and protecting ones was important. It is sad to admit but you were who you were and that's it, without any hope to get out or aim higher. 
Another topic besides the war were woman's rights.  The situation was very different compared to today.  Beatrice who is an adult can't access her inheritance. All the money is controlled by her relatives and she gets only a small allowance which barely keeps her alive. She would get access to a bigger sum of money once she is married but she doesn't have any intention to do so.  Another girl should become a nun, just because her father commands it, although he is the reason why she is in the condition she is in.

The timing of reading "The Summer Before the War" was a bit wrong for me. As I just finished  "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque, which is a very honest book about the First World War from soldier's point of view. I just couldn't help myself and had to compare these two books and the people of  Rye seemed sometimes extremely naive regarding the war. But I have heard before that this could have been actually the case. I ended up giving it 4 stars out of 5 in Goodreads. Mainly because of one scene at the end of the book which really broke my heart, it was very sad but so very well written.

Many readers in Goodreads complained that this book isn't as good as the "Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand" which I have not read. So, I cant compare. All I can say is that I really liked "The Summer Before the War"  and would recommend to anyone who likes historical novels placed in this period in history.