The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

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.