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The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm | 
 enlarge | Author: Juliet Nicolson
Publisher: Grove Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $8.82
You Save: $6.18 (41%)
New (32) Used (15) from $4.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 19441
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0802143679
Dewey Decimal Number: 390
EAN: 9780802143679
ASIN: 0802143679
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
The Perfect Summer chronicles a glorious English summer a century ago, when the world was on the cusp of irrevocable change. Through the tight lens of four months, Juliet Nicolson’s rich storytelling gifts rivet us with the sights, colors, and feelings of a bygone era. 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--The Perfect Summer is a vividly rendered glimpse of the twilight of the Edwardian era.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 England before the Great War September 3, 2008
This is an extremely well-written social history of England during the summer of 1911. We follow the activities and actions of many different people, from high to middle to lower class, during what was considered one of the most beautiful three summer months in the 20th century. The author gives us a carefree look at how the folks lived, and what they did and how they thought. Over everything, however, looms the cloud of the coming war, even though the people at that time were completely unaware of it. That is what makes this book so poignant; they laughed and loved, and probably believed that their way of life would continue into the foreseeable futre, when in reality the end of their era was swiftly approaching. It's an informative, and sad, book that shows we can never really plan for the future, because fate is making its own decisions for us, and taking our lives out of our hands.
 From the perspective of privilege September 1, 2008
Having access to some wonderful archives, Juliet Nicholson gives us a view of a fading era from the perspective of privilege. While the social unrest that marked the time weaves through the story as a subtext, the focus is on the rarified life of the upper class. Despite it's title, the summer was anything but perfect--marked by an unprecedented heatwave. If anything, the reader may well see the title as filled with irony rather than paradox. One gets the sense of an empire on the decline, much as anything because of the decadence of its leadership--and that is where this story really misses the bigger picture. Ultimately, this is more of an individuated presentation of the age, akin to "The Shooting Party", than a political analysis or true sociological study. As such it is a good summer read.
Charming August 26, 2008
The Perfect Summer is a charming history of Edwardian England before the upper class existence was irrevocably changed by WWI. Nicolson has written a truly lovely book that reads almost like a novel. If you enjoy 19th century English history this book is a delightful good read. Enjoy!
Engaging and absorbing August 3, 2008
This is one of the best social histories I have read. It reads like a novel with intriguing characters and plot twists. It was very informative to read about the famous and well-known (e.g. Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill) as they were just starting out. The book gives real insight into not only a pivotal year before World War I, but into the birth of 20th century as a whole. Highly recommended.
 Not Such a Perfect Summer August 2, 2008
Because I am a long-time admirer of Nicolson's grandfather Harold Nicolson and his wife Vita Sackville West I read "The Perfect Summer".
I found it disappointing: a collection of many repeated and well-known anecdotes from contempory accounts of the early 20th century.
Far better to go to her sources which can be found in most libraries, second hand bookstores and Amazon. Sources like Harold's great political diaries, Diana Cooper's wonderfully engrossing memoirs, Chips Channon's Diaries not to mention all the collections of letters and novels of the era.
The photographs are sadly indequate, poorly chosen and often irrelevant. I feel Ms Nicolson was taking advantage of her illustrious connections and shows an intellectual laziness.
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