MixedThe Miami HeraldThe Summer Before the War would be easy to categorize as a charming English village novel — as it mostly is. But its ending makes it more than just a cozy read.. Simonson begins each of the book’s sections with an epigraph. For the epilogue, she could have chosen a line from Beatrice’s beloved Aeneid: 'It may be that in the future you will be helped by remembering the past.'
Geraldine Brooks
PanThe Miami HeraldAs skilled as Brooks’ portrayals are, they’re ultimately not enough to keep The Secret Chord vibrating with the sort of passion that it evokes in its early pages. By the time David dies an old man’s death and Shlomo ascends the throne, its energy — like that of the great king himself — seems mostly spent.
