The Last Summer

Seasons of War #1

by Alice Carr

In the long hot summer of 1914, Aunt Tilly had come to stay with her brother the Rector and his 4 lively daughters in the Sussex village of Ashden. But Aunt Tilly's visit sparked off a chain of events which threatened to split Ashden apart, followed by the tragedy and change of the Great War.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jay Schlaitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life and love

How fortunate we are to have both love and family. This sweet story brings it all to life. Yes there are many setbacks, sorrows and joys but a life that has known love should never forget it. This sweet story helps to encourage us to be thankful for the love we are sent from people in our lives. Please read this.

[Jeanne Johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Ye gods, I can't do this. The endless religiosity and lack of anything happening for so long, plus the apparent distance to reach the ends makes this interminable bore undoable. 😕

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction is a favorite of mine. This story is set in the time with the onset of WWI. Class separation was a deeply ingrained factor in English culture. It's hard to imagine from an American point of view.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book ! Too many people I could not work out who was related to who , had to keep flipping back to work it out. Gave up in the end before I got quarter of the way through.

[Fay D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Fast paced, loved the developing pace of all the characters and hearing their progress. Looking forward to the next book now

[Alison Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Spoiled to some extent by grammatical errors and sloppy composition. It just needs a good editor to streamline the whole thing and eliminate the errors.

[Tashya Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story with delightful characters and a beautiful setting. I could imagine living in the village and sharing the lives of the Rectory family.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t enjoy this book at all wasn’t for me

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pleasant read that is built around the complexities of relationships, the Gentry, the Women’s Movement in a small village of England and WW1. The manner in which the effects of WW1 have the startling realisations of the horrors of war that befell European countries, in particular Belgium and France, areas that I have trodden in paying my respects to all fallen soldiers are well described. The reader is taken to the battlefield in only a small manner, returning to the village of Ashton where the absurdities play out, the class distinction, the discrimination of women, the fear of non English speaking refugees (which is still is a blight in 2017) and the fantasy that the small channel of water between the UK and France would protect them from German invasion. Ashden is a village of innocence, still using oil for lighting, the telephone treated with suspicion, only the Gentry with motor cars, most either walking or horse and sulky, sex discrimination and the inhumane manner in which unwed mothers are treated and the looming Irish wars all form part of this read. The author has created in comprehensive detail so much that helped to bring so much change to life as was known prior to WW1. I hope there will be a sequel, I could have read more.