The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
A Novel
1 of 1 copy available
A timeless comedy of manners—refreshing as a summer breeze and bracing as the British seaside—about a generation of young women facing the seismic changes brought on by war and dreaming of the boundless possibilities of their future, from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.
Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.
Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 7, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593906743
- File size: 441910 KB
- Duration: 15:20:38
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 18, 2024
Simonson (The Summer Before the War) delivers a thoughtful and witty tale of British men and women adjusting to a new normal after WWI. Spunky and observant Constance Haverhill worked as an estate manager during the war. Now, she’s reduced to serving temporarily as a lady’s companion for Mrs. Fog, who is recuperating from influenza in a hotel in the seaside resort town of Hazelbourne. Here, Constance meets free-spirited spendthrift Poppy Wirrall and her attractive and morose brother, Harris, who lost his leg while flying a plane in the war. Constance, timid at first, gets involved with Poppy’s effort to provide local woman with jobs as motorcycle drivers for sidecar-riding passengers. Constance even tries her hand at flying Harris’s Sopworth Camel biplane, which Poppy bought to jolt him out of his rut. While Constance’s bumpy romantic adventures with Harris form the spine of the book, Simonson neatly interweaves multiple plotlines involving the chauvinistic and condescending local gentry, the travails of a German waiter scorned because of his nationality, and the bad behavior of visiting Americans. Readers are in for a treat. Agent: Julie Barer, Book Group. -
August 1, 2024
Simonson's (The Summer Before the War) latest follows resourceful Constance Haverhill, who finds herself at loose ends in England at the end of World War I. Having given up her position as an estate manager, Constance spends the summer at Hazelbourne-on-Sea, nursing a family friend who is recuperating from a bout of influenza. While staying at the Meredith Hotel, Constance meets Poppy, a wealthy young entrepreneur who has established an all-women motorcycle delivery service. Poppy's brother Harris, a pilot, has returned from the war missing a leg and despairs of ever being able to fly again. Hoping to prove him wrong, Poppy purchases a derelict plane and gets him working on its repair. Constance becomes a regular member of Poppy's group, connecting with Harris as his mobility and outlook improve. Class distinctions, women's rights, and the aftereffects of war all come into play. While Simonson engagingly reads her own author's note, Fiona Hardingham serves as the primary narrator, providing a delightful range of accents and voices and capturing the tension of a nation in flux. VERDICT Charming historical fiction, recommended for listeners with an interest in the era or in courageous, rule-breaking women.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Fiona Hardingham delivers Simonson's latest novel. In England in 1919, life has returned to a postwar normal. But Orphaned Constance worries about her future. What will she do when her current position as gentle Mrs. Fog's companion ends? Poppy is young, confident and eager to help her disabled brother. Hardinghan's tone of humility and empathy provides balance to Poppy's impulsive efforts to change the world. Hardingham's talent brings even secondary characters like the snobbish Lady Mercer; German waiter Klaus; Jock, the mechanic; and the mysterious Mr. Pendra to life. Most importantly, Hardingham keeps the large cast of characters distinguishable in this historical fiction enhanced with dashes of humor, romance, and shifting societal expectations. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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