A slow start, but a fun read , I learnt a lot about aeroplanes and motorcycles as well as hotel life in the 1919. Delightful characters and then realised that I had already enjoyed Major Pettigrew, a previous book.

I have never read anything from this author before and I will now go back and rectify that.

It is 1919, The Great War has finished and the men are returning home and therefore the women now have to relinquish all their roles they took up during those long years. For the strong women such as Poppy, privileged but wanting to do something she wants to work. So she starts what is effectively a taxi service for women via motorcycle. Some of the skills they used can be kept fresh whether that me riding or tinkering on machines. Poppy has higher aspirations, what if flying a plane could also be an option.

Meet Constance, having had a far more reserved war and is now contemplating what she does next, as accompanies a family friend who is recuperating. Meeting Poppy, her family and the members of the club change everything for Constance.

This is a gentle book of women and society of it’s time and works really well as a social history of that period. It seems ridiculous now that women were told to stop working because of the men and that they couldn’t possibly have lives for themselves away from a man. This was only just over 100 years ago and seems so recent and also such a long time ago.

A book I really enjoyed, which tapped into my love of historical period and of course strong women characters.

It's 1919, the war is over and the world is starting to return to normal. Except that normal seems to mean that all the gains that women have made during the war are being rolled back and having had a taste of independence the world is now trying to relegate them back to domesticity. Helen Simonson's new novel focuses on three characters trying to figure out what their place is in the post-war world. Constance had taken over the management of an estate, but is now losing her job and her home to make way for returning men. After nursing the mother of her employer through influenza, she is sent with her to the seaside, where she meets Poppy and her group of lady motorcycle riders, and Poppy's brother Harris, an injured wartime pilot who is still coming to terms with his new reality. And then there is Klaus, German by birth but a naturalised British citizen, who has got a job as a waiter again, but is finding that he has to keep a low profile on account of his name and accent.

This is a smart and thought-provoking novel set at an interesting time that is ripe for fiction. It's also a coming of age story, but there is a deal of darkness to balance the tea dances and parties. The interwar period is one that I love reading about - but I haven't read a lot of fiction set exclusively at the start of that period, and it gave me plenty to think about as well. It took me a while to read, but that's mostly because my brain was having trouble concentrating on reading, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out- and I wasn't in the right frame of mind for the uncertainty!

I enjoyed Helen Simonson’s previous two novels, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Summer Before the War, but we seem to have had a very long wait for her third one. Eight years, in fact!

Although there’s not really any connection with The Summer Before the War, this book could easily have been titled ‘The Summer After the War’. It’s set in a small English seaside town in 1919, the year after the end of World War I. Now that the men have been returning from the front, Constance Haverhill has had to give up her wartime job running an estate and is now at a loose end. Reluctantly contemplating work as a governess, she is given a temporary respite when a family friend asks her to accompany her elderly mother to Hazelbourne-on-Sea for the summer. Working as a lady’s companion is not really what Constance has in mind, but she agrees and soon she and Mrs Fog are settling into the hotel that will be their home for the next few months.

Everything changes for Constance when she meets Poppy Wirrall, a young woman from a wealthy local family who has started a motorcycle club for ladies so that they can use the skills they gained during the war. Some of the women are mechanics, while others are using their motorcycles to provide a taxi service for Hazelbourne residents. Constance is intrigued, particularly when Poppy decides to buy an old Sopwith Camel fighter plane so the club can begin training women pilots in addition to their other services. Poppy herself has never flown a plane, but she knows who will be the perfect instructor: her brother Harris, a former fighter pilot who returned from the war missing a leg and has been sinking into depression ever since.

The Hazelbourne Ladies… is a fascinating portrayal of life in the aftermath of the war. The War Practices Act, which is referred to in the novel, means that men returning from war must be given their jobs back – jobs which have been filled by women during their absence. It’s easy to have sympathy for women like Constance and her new friends who had, at least in some ways, experienced a greater degree of equality during the war that seems to be being eroded again in peacetime. Simonson also explores a different but equally frustrating situation through the story of Harris, whose disability has left him feeling useless and unwanted.

Another interesting character is Klaus, originally German but now a naturalised British citizen, who is working as a waiter at the hotel and is worried for his safety and position due to the general anti-German sentiment of the public. Although most of the novel is written from the perspectives of Constance and Harris, we do occasionally hear from Klaus as well, adding another layer to the story. I felt that the book was a bit longer than it really needed to be and it took me a while to become fully absorbed in it, but once I did I found it a perfect summer read.

Set in an English seaside right after the WWI, this novel with a lengthy title justifies it, if you manage to read the story with patience. The plot circulates around Constance Haverhill, a young lady acting as a companion to an older, rich woman to a small seaside town called Hazelbourne. Looking to find a long term employment to sustain her after the loss of her mother to the great influenza of 1918, Constance's life changes (for the better) during her stay in the town. She makes new friends, learns new life-altering skills, falls in love, introspects a lot and re-discovers her worth as a woman.
What I loved most about the entire book is the aftermath of the WW illustrated very deftly through the entire story, especially from the perspective of Klaus, the waiter.
While the climax felt a little rushed and perhaps a bit filmy, the threads culminated well and it was quite a satisfying read. I liked the way the author writes, I'll be sure to find and read other books by her.

This story's strength lies in its vibrant characters and the rich, vivid descriptions that bring the post-war seaside town of Hazelbourne-on-Sea to life.

Helen Simonson skillfully captures the mood of a generation facing the seismic changes brought on by war and the unforeseen challenges of post=war. With sharp humour and a warm heart, she paints a picture of a society in transition, where the freedoms gained during the war are being challenged. We see women trying to maintain their livelihoods in the face of the patriarchy, the ousting of those who were disabled by war, racism and the treatment of minorities after the war as well as the careful latticework of the landed gentry, the working man, and the drive for change which all makes for a facinating and nuanced read.

This book is a delightful mix of comedy, drama, and historical insight. A pleasant and warming read that sent my emotions through the ringer. I did not expect that this book could make me giddy, laugh and tear up. But it did. The characters are memorable, and the narrative is as refreshing as a summer breeze by the British seaside.

Reader beware: this book may break your heart.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is a charming and uplifting read, perfect for fans of historical fiction who appreciate well-drawn characters and a heartfelt story.

3* For lovers of historical fiction

Opening immediately after the end of the Great War when people were trying to return to the normality of peacetime. As men returned from war they needed employment, women who’d successfully covered their jobs, were no longer accepted in the job market, leaving them to go home (if they still had one) and hope to find a husband.

The absorbing story of Constance's summer in Sussex while she cares for an elderly relative. After successfully running an estate during the war years, Constance is now a temporary companion to an old lady, once summer is over she'll have to find work and faces competing in a man's world.

The author has captured the life of one hundred years ago, a forgotten and simpler way of life but with the discrimination of women and colour prejudice prevailing at the time.

A fascinating summer read, but sidecars on a UK motorcycle would be fitted onto the left side of the machine, not as illustrated on the book cover. Also lost authenticity by the use of US spelling for a book set in England.

eARC generously supplied by Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

We're in 1919 and Constance has had to give up her wartime job running a farm and estate to become the companion to her old employer's mother. She and her mother have been friends with Lady Mercer and her daughter for years but in an unequal position, and now Constance's mother has died of the flu and the men have returned home, she's thrown out to make her own way.

Accidentally encountering Poppy Wirrall at the hotel they're staying at, she finds new friends and allies and new ways to be. But Poppy's motorcycle courier and taxi business is threatened by new laws that are keeping jobs for the returning soldiers, her brother has been disabled by the war and is drifting, and her love interest is getting nastier and pushier. Oh, and she's just brought a broken aeroplane.

Constance grows and flourishes but there are many reminders of the deterioration in society, with Klaus, the head waiter, a naturalised British citizen but originally German, persecuted during the war and now, and two Indian ex-airmen who experience the genteel racism of the British. And the war heroes who have returned with disabilities both physical and mental are shunned by polite society but cared for by Poppy's women, and the racism that bubbles away is heightened when young Rachel Mercer's fiance comes to visit.

There are triumphs and tragedies, and I do like Simonson's careful attention to colonial issues, fitting attitudes carefully within the tenor of the times she's writing about. But it's also light enough for a casual read and the clothes are nicely described and there's some exciting flying and plotting. A good one, though I'd have preferred UK English spelling in a book so redolent of the British post-WW1 experience.

Blog review published today: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/07/14/book-review-helen-simonson-the-hazelbourne-ladies-motorcycle-and-flying-club/

Fabulous read first time reading this author a very intresting read kept me engaged through out.
Would definitely read more by this author.

AA historical novel of England just after WW1 in the ‘20s. It centres on a small town by the sea on the forces for social change due to so many men killed in the war. From the opening stages of the war the need of the army resulted in women doing mens work to replace men called up butA historical novel of England just after WW1 in the ‘20s. It centres on a small town by the sea on the forces for social change due to so many men killed in the war. From the opening stages of the war the need of the army resulted in women doing mens work to replace men called up but when peace came they were discharged and expected to be lady like wives and mother. With a shortage of men, how women were to survive when society tried to bar them rom earning a living. . Far worse a fighter pilot discharged wounded after losing a leg was considered a useless invalid. The motor cycle and flying club was formed from the discharge of a team of ladies dispatch riders as a guise for offering a ladies taxi service to women without need for a chaperon. when peace came they were discharged and expected to be lady like wives and mother. With a shortage of men, how women were to survive when society tried to bar them rom earning a living. . Far worse a fighter pilot discharged wounded after losing a leg was considered a useless invalid. The motor cycle and flying club was formed from the discharge of a team of ladies dispatch riders as a guise for offering a ladies taxi service to women without need for a chaperone

England, 1919. Men have returned from the war, and women are being sent back to their kitchen sinks.
Poppy, a determined young woman, with a strong-minded group of friends, decide to defy the conventions being thrust upon them and form a motorcycle and side car taxi service, repairing motorbikes on the side.
Inevitably, some of the men who have returned from the front have life-transforming injuries and they too are faced with all kinds of hurdles when trying to rebuild their lives back home.

This book is a compassionate and gently humorous tale of different genders, nationalities and classes all trying to figure out their new place in society. There's some lovely characters, enough sweet romantic stuff, and a lot of fun.

Don't be lulled into a false sense of security, though; Helen Simonson doesn't shy away from the horrible prejudice that many people from overseas experienced during the period, and inevitably, the ladies of the club have their struggles against the men in their lives, too.

I found myself yearning for a happy ending, as there was a bit of a teary moment or two, but I'm not about to spoil it by telling you what happens!

I reckon this would be a great beach read, but you might need a decent sized bag to put it in- it's quite a chonk at over 400 pages!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review this one.

The Hazlebourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is publishing on July 18th.

Taking place immediately after the Great War. The women that had been doing work to fill the jobs vacated by men who had joined the military were now expected hand back the jobs to men and revert back to “ladylike” pursuits. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club weren’t ready to do that so the novel follows their attempts to find a modern place in society. Not everyone sees it their way. It’s also a love story.
I enjoy Helen Simonson’s novels and this is no exception. Immensely readable.

This book is a brilliant reminder of the horrors of war and how women's lives have changed over the last century.
The 1st WW left 2 million disabled and 40,000+ amputees amongst the soldiers who came home. At a time when health care was still private and money for soldiers' pensions was limited.
Women played an immense part in keeping Britain afloat during both wars, but after both, were told to go home and play wife and family. Tp, as Poppy puts it in the book, 'simper, faint and hide our abilities.
It was rare for any to continue on in their work.
Despite this there were 3000 female motorcycle dispatch riders between 1917 and 1919, and they were expected to be able to maintain their bikes too. But the WRENS, WRAF, WAAC were not official until 1918.
During WW1 there were no combat female pilots or aviatrix. Princess Eugenie Mikhailovna Shakhovskaya was the first known to fly as a reconnaissance pilot, their roles were mainly exhibition flying and recruiting - for male pilots!
The writing style was warm, empathetic and assured. Initially I found it a little slow as the style was reminiscent of older books but I became entranced with her characters and how the young women struggled against the role restrictions of the time, and aggrieved at the careless attitudes of the titled gentry to those who were not titled. Or perhaps were the wrong nationality or colour.
A good read.

I really enjoyed this captivating historical novel. It covers interesting aspects of history, such as the role of women in post war Britain and the struggle for demobbed soldiers to find their place in peacetime Britain. I connected to the characters and couldn't stop reading as I wanted to know what was going to happen to them! Highly recommend.

This book is an absolute gem and a pleasure to read it's engaging, spirited and a book I wish could keep going, despite the fact world war one has just happened I genuinely wanted to drop myself into this landscape.
It remined me of visits to my grandparents and the summers spent in a similar way of life absolutely adorable

Set just after the end of WW1, this book looks at how hard life was for women, of any background, but is written in a very readable, lighthearted way.
The upper class women are struggling to be taken seriously and to carry on working as they did during the war, but are fighting against authorities that wish them to revert to their pre-war roles and allow men returning from the front to take the jobs they want. Women from less privileged backgrounds need to convince men that they need to work to survive as their war widows' pensions cannot provide for them and their children.
All this comes through a group of young women who want to ride motorcycles, fly planes and enjoy life, plus there are some love stories to be enjoyed.
A fun read!

I very much enjoyed The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club. Set in 1919 on England's south coast, it explores the fate of women and injured servicemen in the immediate aftermath of the Great War. There are two female leads: Constance, a poor almost-relation and Poppy, the daughter of a wealthy but unconventional mother. By accident, Constance finds herself in Poppy's orbit and that of her injured brother a former pilot. Through the course of the story we see how the freedoms won by women during the war are now being clawed back. In spite of the partial right to vote for women, society seems less and less equal.

I felt the book was slightly long and perhaps too meandering. Some tighter editing would have served it well. The ending felt rushed and I think it deserved more depth. Poppy's story is simply left hanging. But I was eager to keep reading. Maybe there's a sequel to come...

This was a wonderful read.

It gave a real feel of how women felt after World War I and the men coming home expecting everything to go back to how things were prior to the war.

The challenges women still have in many occupations.

A delight with a mix of everything.

This is an amazing book! I enjoyed every second of it.
I'm so grateful I didn't have to live then. The injustices made me gnash my teeth!
It's all in there: snobbery, racism, sexism, xenophobia -- and yet, there is hope, and a bit of romance, and light.

It is a bit like a mix of Jane Austen Novels and Downton Abbey. The writing is fluid, and light.

It is a wonderful book which I recommend to everybody!

Many thanks to #BloomsburyPublishing and #netgalley for me review copy!

Helen Simonson has written an atmospheric novel that takes the reader back to a period when women still had to fight for an independent life, especially if they did not have any financial means. She does an excellent job at portraying the different characters and their struggle to find a place in world that is fundamentally changed after the first world war. It is pleasure to read as the author writes beautifully and is very good at portraying feelings, trauma and challenges. Through her protagonist Constance Simonson tells the story of female intelligence and independence. Well worth reading.