Publisher's Synopsis
A young British woman's life is forever changed in the summer after World War I, when she visits a seaside town, befriends a group of thoroughly modern women, and realizes that the future might offer more possibilities than she'd ever dare imagine-from the New York Times bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Her mother has just passed away, her brother is newly married, and now that the Great War is over, she has been asked to give up managing the estate she helped to run when the men all joined the army. It is suggested to her that she become a governess. But first, she will act as caretaker to Mrs. Fog, an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside resort. Constance is soon swept up in the social whirl of the Meredith Hotel and its colourful inhabitants, most notably, Poppy Wirrall.
Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women and manages a ladies' motorcycle club. She and her friends welcome Constance into their circle, despite the differences in their stations-Poppy is, for all her empowered modernity, the daughter of a land-owning gentleman, while Constance has only weeks before she must find a position and a home. Constance soon learns, however, that not everything is as it seems in this pocket of English high society. As her connection to this new group deepens and she makes a powerful impression on Poppy's recalcitrant but handsome brother-a former fighter pilot who recently lost a leg in battle-old secrets come to light. Soon, the women are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are likely to be revoked as the country settles into a hard-won peace.
Refreshing as a light breeze, bracing as the sea crashing against the British coast, The Penniston Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club captures the mood of a generation as it faces seismic change brought on by war. Helen Simonson-the bestselling author whose "crisp wit, gentle insight" (Washington Post) and "delightfully winsome storytelling" (The New York Times) have charmed millions of readers-offers an enchanting escape.
