Becky asked Helen Simonson:

Is there another book on the way? My book group read and loved Major Pettigrew last year. Now I am recommending that we read Summer this year. I really liked the way the characters grew as the story progressed and how the book itself changed from a sweet little "women's" story to a much larger and more important story as it progressed. That is the way life so often is -- we discover an entirely new and complex world.

Helen Simonson Thanks for writing Becky. I think the whole world can be explained in a small town and I often think more truth about human existence can be found in the average 'women's' story than in all the big war and politics epics. In my view, even Kings and generals are largely driven by whether their bunions hurt! It was important to me to show the horrors of war but not to forget that above all, the horror affects our domestic life. We are left to pick up the pieces. Glad the story worked for you. I'm already at work on a third book but no promises as to when it will be done! Best wishes, Helen S.

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