“Under her happiness ran a thin vein of sorrow that millions like her would feel down the years. In a splendid bit of writing, one of the characters muses: To Agatha’s great dismay, her two nephews, who are like sons to her, join up, and all of the characters come to be acquainted with the horrors and sufferings of war. Rye is southeast of London, on the Channel The other is that the town agrees to sponsor some Belgium refugees, one of whom ends up staying with Beatrice. One is that the young men in the area are eager to go to war, as young men often are, thinking war to be exciting and unaware of its real nature. Two immediate results affect the residents of Sussex, who are of course just across the English Channel from Belgium. As Agatha observes, “The farmers could not do without their help, but most of the town treats them like thieves and vagabonds.” Indeed, Beatrice’s best Latin student is one of the Romany children, but Beatrice discovers that merit is no match for narrow-mindedness.Īs the summer progresses, Europe slides into war following the assassination of the Archduke in Sarajevo and the invasion of Belgium by Germany. Beatrice herself is not immune to some of these provincial prejudices, although she is open to enlightenment.Ī small clan of Romanies also lives in a camp outside Rye. Hugh, who is studying to become a surgeon, is more responsible, considerate, and sober in mien.īeatrice soon discovers that the small and conservative town of Rye is full of persons even more unconventional (for the time) than Agatha, all of whom struggle with the deception necessary to remain in the town, some more successfully than others.

Daniel is quite handsome, but arty and affected he wants to write poetry and perhaps even start a poetry journal. Nevertheless, she is being promoted as a teacher by Agatha Kent, a kind and eccentric woman in favor of women’s subtle advancement, at least, as long as the woman isn’t too attractive.Īgatha has two appealing nephews, Daniel Bookham and Hugh Grange.

Beatrice is not looking to get married she is determined to maintain her independence, and even aspires to be a writer, another occupation frowned upon for women.

It is set in the summer of 1914 in a small British town, where 23-year-old Beatrice Nash, having recently lost her father, is coming to take a job teaching Latin in the local grammar school. This lovely story captivated me right away.

The summer before the war