The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

Constance Haverhill's future is dismally uncertain. During the Great War, she managed the estate office for the Mercer family. Lady Mercer and Constance's mother were childhood chums, but because of their social class differences, Constance's mother was relegated to part-time governess and invitee to the “less distinguished” dinner parties. With the war over now, Constance is just one of thousands of women who are being told to vacate their jobs to make way for the returning soldiers. Constance's beloved mother was a victim of the influenza epidemic, and the young woman is not welcome at her brother's farm, where he and his wife are grieving the flu-related loss of their baby. A temporary reprieve is found when Constance is asked to be caretaker for Lady Mercer's mother, who is planning a summer-long seaside holiday. At the Hazelbourne-on-Sea's Meredith Hotel, Constance meets Poppy Wirrall, an ebullient iconoclast whose cadre of female motorcycle riders provided messenger services during the war, and are now planning to continue working as taxi drivers. Constance is drawn into Poppy's circle of friends and family, including her brother Harris, a former fighter pilot who lost his leg in a fiery plane crash. The plot takes most of the novel's first half to get off the ground (sorry not sorry), but once it is truly launched it soars. Simonson (author of the bestselling [b:Major Pettigrew's Last Stand 6643090 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Helen Simonson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320539020l/6643090.SX50.jpg 6837577]) weaves in numerous themes on her way to an explosive climax: the post-war reversal of women's equality gains; the reestablishment of class distinctions that were weakened in the trenches; the hypocrisy of honoring the men who died in battle while hiding away the seriously wounded; the toxic, lingering anti-German sentiment; and the unyielding racism towards Black and Indian people. The redoubtable Constance is a bit Mary Sue-ish, always on the side of Justice and Fairness (her name can't be a coincidence), but it's rewarding to watch her come out of her shell and find a place in the this New Normal. Predictably, she is a key to Harris' emergence from depression and isolation, but his recovery journey is predicated on more than just the love of a Good Woman. Poppy is a fascinating character, torn between forging a new path and acknowledging the still limited choices available for women. And it's impossible to not love the elderly Mrs. Fog, who proves that there's no age limit on a HEA ending. There is a bit of humor in the story, primarily in the townspeople's increasingly futile attempts to get rid of a German U boat that washed up on their shore. But the events of the final chapters have a sobering effect. Constance has found her place and her man, but there's already a hint that the extreme xenophobia seen in Hazelbourne's otherwise delightful residents will contribute to a short-lived peace. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.