Status
Available
Publication
New York : Grove Press : Distributed by Publishers Group West, c2006
Description
The Perfect Summer chronicles a glorious English summer a century ago when the world was on the cusp of irrevocable change. That summer of 1911 a new king was crowned and the aristocracy was at play, bounding from one house party to the next. But perfection was not for all. Cracks in the social fabric were showing. The country was brought to a standstill by industrial strikes. Temperatures rose steadily to more than 100 degrees; by August deaths from heatstroke were too many for newspapers to report. Drawing on material from intimate and rarely seen sources and narrated through the eyes of a series of exceptional individuals--among them a debutante, a choirboy, a politician, a trade unionist, a butler, and the Queen--this is a vividly rendered glimpse of the twilight of the Edwardian era.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member FicusFan
I am reading it for my RL Fiction group - we do non-fiction as well.
It was interesting, had lots of details, a narrow focus, but needed a bit more context. It is subtitled 'Just Before the Storm' , but the only thing I can come up with is WWI. It was 3 years off however, so not really 'Just
I thought she could have set the stage a bit better at the start too. I had some familiarity with the time period, not sure if someone who is new to the subject would be lost or not.
It is a look at the summer of 1911, and the people mentioned are used as examples of the classes, incidents and the tone she was including in the book, their stories are not the point of the book. Have seen reviews were people are confused about that, because it does move around and people and their stories pop in and out.
It was interesting, had lots of details, a narrow focus, but needed a bit more context. It is subtitled 'Just Before the Storm' , but the only thing I can come up with is WWI. It was 3 years off however, so not really 'Just
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Before'. They were going through social change and conflict over it on several levels, but I imagine that is true all the time everywhere. If not the society would be dead.I thought she could have set the stage a bit better at the start too. I had some familiarity with the time period, not sure if someone who is new to the subject would be lost or not.
It is a look at the summer of 1911, and the people mentioned are used as examples of the classes, incidents and the tone she was including in the book, their stories are not the point of the book. Have seen reviews were people are confused about that, because it does move around and people and their stories pop in and out.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
I'm with the majority on this one: the book was interesting but not extraordinary, and depending on the focus of individual chapters, I was either intrigued or bored. Nicholson's subjects change from the Coronation to labor strikes, from the arrival of the Ballet Russe to hop-picking vacations,
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from the debut of Lady Diana Manners to a butler's memoirs. She covers all aspects of society and events in the last summer before the outbreak of World War II. The pages are scattered with the stars of the age: Nijinsky, Nellie Melba, Winston Churchill, Rupert Brooke, Rosa Lewis ('The Duchess of Duke Street'), Virginia Stephen later (Woolf), Augustus John, Emmeline Pankhurst, and a bevy of royals and aristocratic socoialites. While Nicolson does give a strong sense of what daily life must have been like for the various classes in that relatively carefree summer, the book at times becomes repetitious, partly because of its overlapping structure. Recommended for those with high interest and some prior knowledge in this period, but it may not be enjoyable to others. Show Less
LibraryThing member Liz1564
The Perfect Summer is Nicolson's light and frothy look at the Coronation Summer of 1911 when George V was crowned. Nicolson concentrates on the upper classes and their antics during the celebrations leading up and following the coronation. One chapter is devoted to the deb of the year Diana Manners
There is servant gossip and social scandal, plays where the goers are more interesting than the drama, and the first visit of Diaghilev and Nijinsky to London. All this described in loving detail as the the people with money attempted to avoid the plague of boredom. Nicolson hints in the early chapters that possible trouble might be brewing with the trade unions and, after the coronation, strikes occur across the country. But only one chapter is devoted to the strikers and the trials of the poor who are unable to leave the cities and are becoming overcome by the exceptional heat of the perfect summer.
But for most readers it is much more fun to read about the antics of the aristocrats than the plight of a family starving because the breadwinner is on the picket line and Nicolson delivers her chosen topics with charm and humor. Still, there is the cloud of a war looming, even in 1911, as Germany lauds its new 20th century navy. Privileged life, as lived in 1911, will soon be only a memory of costume balls, six dress changes a day, and house parties with delicious secrets.
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(later Lady Duff-Cooper), a stunning and witty beauty who cut a swath wherever she went. Diana and her fellow debutantes attend elaborate themed balls in costumes that would house a working class family for a year. During the three-day house parties in the country, guests were expected to change as much as six times a day for the various activities and meals. A woman needed the all-imported personal maid to strap her into a bone-crushing corset and to make sure the artificial hair pieces stayed firmly attached to her hapless scalp. Shoes were dainty and small, even if the unfortunate wearer had feet used to hiking the highlands and riding to hounds.There is servant gossip and social scandal, plays where the goers are more interesting than the drama, and the first visit of Diaghilev and Nijinsky to London. All this described in loving detail as the the people with money attempted to avoid the plague of boredom. Nicolson hints in the early chapters that possible trouble might be brewing with the trade unions and, after the coronation, strikes occur across the country. But only one chapter is devoted to the strikers and the trials of the poor who are unable to leave the cities and are becoming overcome by the exceptional heat of the perfect summer.
But for most readers it is much more fun to read about the antics of the aristocrats than the plight of a family starving because the breadwinner is on the picket line and Nicolson delivers her chosen topics with charm and humor. Still, there is the cloud of a war looming, even in 1911, as Germany lauds its new 20th century navy. Privileged life, as lived in 1911, will soon be only a memory of costume balls, six dress changes a day, and house parties with delicious secrets.
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LibraryThing member Staramber
Alright, this was a perfectly enjoyable book and a nice break from the snippets of history I’ve been reading about lately but it was a break. Rather than a book about the summer of 1911 I felt like I was reading an extended article.
Nothing really went into enough detail, the snippets of personal
Overall it was an enjoyable read but for me it just didn’t take me there. I felt like history was being related through the celebrities and comments of today rather than for the amazing, interesting time it was
Nothing really went into enough detail, the snippets of personal
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histories may as well have been a list, and cheeky asides and knowing glances to the reader got irritating after the 20th page. Yes, we do know what happens next which was a good job as the epilogue didn’t even cover half the cast of characters. Not to mention the massive jump that was made from 1911 to 1914. Overall it was an enjoyable read but for me it just didn’t take me there. I felt like history was being related through the celebrities and comments of today rather than for the amazing, interesting time it was
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LibraryThing member Jaylia3
A fun read set in England just before WWI. There was so much that interested me--young Winston Churchill, King Edward and his reluctant queen, etc--that the to-be-read pile by my bed got bigger and bigger the farther I got into the book.
LibraryThing member MerryMary
An evocative book about one single summer - 1911 in England, just before the world changed forever.
As the narrative shows, so many threads of world-changing events were already in existence just waiting for the spark to set them off. The book tracks the weather, the Royal Family, the servant class,
As the narrative shows, so many threads of world-changing events were already in existence just waiting for the spark to set them off. The book tracks the weather, the Royal Family, the servant class,
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the striking workers, the potential for trouble from the King's cousin Kaiser Wilhelm, the decadent young rich, the opulent "monied," and the newly-rich-but-crude middle class. Fascinating and most highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
I liked this, but I didn't love it. The author had access to lots of different sources in telling the story of the end of the Edwardian era and chunks of the book are riveting, but lots of it rambles around in a random kind of way that detracts from the overall arc.
It's probably difficult for
There are moments in this book where the author deftly captures the tenor of the times, but too often the clarity is muddied and the sense of what was lost is, well, lost.
It's probably difficult for
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Americans to really understand what WWI meant to a generation of Englishmen. The casualty figures are staggering - 880,000 from the UK plus another 200,000 from other countries in the British Empire - essentially an entire generation was lost to the trenches.There are moments in this book where the author deftly captures the tenor of the times, but too often the clarity is muddied and the sense of what was lost is, well, lost.
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LibraryThing member ccayne
Interesting look at a record hot summer on the eve of WWI. This time was a clash of the old and new both in technology and in social order.
LibraryThing member Kasthu
The Perfect Summer chronicles the summer of 1911—one of the hottest summers of the 20th century in England. The coronation of George V took place in June 1911, and the summer was characterized by multiple strikes. It was one of the last few summers before WWI, one of the last summers of the
The book is arranged chronologically, from May to September 1911, and tells the story from the point of view of many different people—from queens to choirboys. Because of this method of organizing the book, it sometimes seems a little disorganized; there’s no central theme to any of the chapters (which are divided into the months of summer) and as a result they seem a bit unfocused. The book covers a lot of ground, too, from political events to social goings-on and beyond. I did like how Nicolson focused on the stories of various movers and shakers of the summer, among them May of Teck, Virginia Stephen and Leonard Woolf, Winston Churchill, and the bestselling novelist Elinor Glyn.
The content itself is interesting, and I learned a lot about the social niceties of the period, but there didn’t seem to be a theory or theme to this book. Because the author has a personal attachment to the story (she’s the granddaughter of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson), she manages somehow to insert her ancestors’ names and ancestral home repeatedly into her narrative (despite the fact that Vita Sackville-West was only a teenager in the summer of 1911), so that was a bit jarring for me. I thought the idea behind the book was interesting, especially since it’s been exactly a hundred years since the events in the book took place. I just wish the author’s execution of it had been better!
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Edwardian period, and a summer in which everything seemed idyllic.The book is arranged chronologically, from May to September 1911, and tells the story from the point of view of many different people—from queens to choirboys. Because of this method of organizing the book, it sometimes seems a little disorganized; there’s no central theme to any of the chapters (which are divided into the months of summer) and as a result they seem a bit unfocused. The book covers a lot of ground, too, from political events to social goings-on and beyond. I did like how Nicolson focused on the stories of various movers and shakers of the summer, among them May of Teck, Virginia Stephen and Leonard Woolf, Winston Churchill, and the bestselling novelist Elinor Glyn.
The content itself is interesting, and I learned a lot about the social niceties of the period, but there didn’t seem to be a theory or theme to this book. Because the author has a personal attachment to the story (she’s the granddaughter of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson), she manages somehow to insert her ancestors’ names and ancestral home repeatedly into her narrative (despite the fact that Vita Sackville-West was only a teenager in the summer of 1911), so that was a bit jarring for me. I thought the idea behind the book was interesting, especially since it’s been exactly a hundred years since the events in the book took place. I just wish the author’s execution of it had been better!
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LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
Not too deep but an enertaining series of anecdotes giving snapshots of the summer in question. The author gives a nice feel for the people and the society of the day, less than the gov't. While there are certainly deeper and more extensive looks at this period this book still warrants reading.
LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
The first half of the book could be called The Rich at Play, really. It's an overview of everything the rich would do during that summer to keep boredom at bay a snapshot of the coronation, it's entertaining but gets redundant. The book becomes a bit more than just fluff later on when the author
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focuses on the country at large, the massive series of strikes motivated by poor wages and appalling poverty and quotes heavily from What the Butler Winked At in an attempt to report on the condition of domestic staff at that time. Very readable as always but there are better, more well-rounded and comprehensive books out there. The author tries so hard to make it seem like the summer of 1911 embodied the Edwardian era before the storm of WWI and to an extent she succeeds in proving that but I feel that her topic was a little too narrow so she felt the need to pack the first half with one too many details. Juliet Nicolson is a very good author if you're interested in the period, though, but her other book post-WW1, The Great Silence, is infinitely better (and I'm saying that while being more interested in pre-WW1 Edwardian era myself). Show Less
LibraryThing member pennsylady
In The Perfect Summer...England 1911, Just Before the Storm, the storm can be defined as the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo and the beginning of World War I.
We have a glimpse of the sundown of the Edwardian era, as we're privy to four months of summer storytelling in England.
These
We're told we are viewing through the eyes of "a debutante, a choirboy, a politician, a trade unionist, a butler, and the queen. "
That should pique your interest...
And, bear in mind, we're tracing the crowning of George V, aristocracy dealing with a full season of parties, as well as the standstill effects of industrial strikes and deleterious temperatures.
4 ★
I'm hoping to locate a subsequent look at Britain through The Great Silence: Britain from the Shadow of the First World War to the Dawn of the Jazz Age by Juliet Nicolson
We have a glimpse of the sundown of the Edwardian era, as we're privy to four months of summer storytelling in England.
These
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are times before irrevocable change and in a period where upheavals are sometimes subtle, yet continual.We're told we are viewing through the eyes of "a debutante, a choirboy, a politician, a trade unionist, a butler, and the queen. "
That should pique your interest...
And, bear in mind, we're tracing the crowning of George V, aristocracy dealing with a full season of parties, as well as the standstill effects of industrial strikes and deleterious temperatures.
4 ★
I'm hoping to locate a subsequent look at Britain through The Great Silence: Britain from the Shadow of the First World War to the Dawn of the Jazz Age by Juliet Nicolson
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LibraryThing member Panopticon2
Superb. This is historical storytelling at its best, in my opinion. There are far more detailed, in-depth studies of the period out there, but this isn't one of those (nor does it aim to be). A beautifully and skilfully-woven assemblage of vignettes from a long, hot summer of the Edwardian prelude.
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I relished every word. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is a kind of haunting study of the summer of 1911 in England. The reader feels as if he knows so much more than the people who are being discussed, since the forthcoming Great War is not mentioned but one is acutley aware that Rupert Brooke, Seigfried Sassoon, Winston Churchill, Rudyard
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Kipting, Raymond Asquith, George V, and all the others we are told about are going to undergo the trauma of the Great War. I confess I did not enjoy the book as much as I was reading it, even though one was fully aware of the great shadow the people did not see coming, but after I finished the book I look back on it as poignant brooding account. Show Less
LibraryThing member elam11
2 stars because by the end, this book was draaaaaaagging and became a chore to finish. How pleased I was to find out the last quarter is all bibliography and notes! I now seen I've been "currently reading" this thing for over a month, which doesn't bode well for short nonfiction.
It is very slow
I'm still unsure of the central thesis of the book, this perfect summer before England really got slapped around by history. For one thing, a lot of time is spent on sweltering misery and unrest. And sure, England is stepping into the shadow of the Great War -- but why 1911 and not 1912? 1913? Is it just the heat wave, which seemed mostly miserable (as heat waves generally are)?
In the end, I feel like I've read an only-sometimes interesting gossip column and will not be walking away with a deeper understanding of life in this period.
PS, the Kindle edition has terrible formatting for all the poems, lyrics, or other bits of verse, which are all squeezed into a column about 0.75" wide. Boo.
It is very slow
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and meandering, and abruptly shifts from topic to topic. (Which I was initially okay with, but didn't improve with exposure.) I've decided the author basically got 4 months' of 1911 newspapers, and then started summarizing the major stories in chronological order. Non-sequiturs abound, occasionally wrapped in purple prose descriptive language to, I guess, set the scene/atmosphere. We get random plops of minutiae (number of tennis matches held, e.g.) but even potentially interesting subjects are moved past without even a cursory examination at context, significance, or other wherefores. There aren't footnotes, so I was left wondering in places whether a person's inner feelings were sourced or fabricated. I'm still unsure of the central thesis of the book, this perfect summer before England really got slapped around by history. For one thing, a lot of time is spent on sweltering misery and unrest. And sure, England is stepping into the shadow of the Great War -- but why 1911 and not 1912? 1913? Is it just the heat wave, which seemed mostly miserable (as heat waves generally are)?
In the end, I feel like I've read an only-sometimes interesting gossip column and will not be walking away with a deeper understanding of life in this period.
PS, the Kindle edition has terrible formatting for all the poems, lyrics, or other bits of verse, which are all squeezed into a column about 0.75" wide. Boo.
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