A one-of-a-kind record of wartime London
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I was drawn to Ms. Hodgson's book, not only because of my interest in wartime Britain, but because she was a social worker, as I am. The book proved a marvellous record of daily life during the Blitz -- so "daily" in fact, that I'm sure many would find it boring and repetitive (STILL No Eggs and Few Oranges???), but I feel that this is what made it work. As I read the book, I began to feel a part of life in a London kept awake by nightly bombardment -- or fear of it. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to capture the flavor of this vanished time.
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Ordinary people, extraordinary times
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Vere Hodgson's book is subtitled "A diary showing how unimportant people in London and Birmingham lived through the war years". This wonderful book is so much more than that. Hodgson's diary brought home to me more than anything else I've read about London in the Blitz just how difficult life was. London rarely seemed to have an uninterrupted night. Think how cranky you feel after one night's broken sleep and multiply this many times. Add the constant worry about family and friends in the services or living in areas prone to bombing, apart from the fact that you could never be sure if you were safe in your own house, and you have some idea of the life endured by Vere Hodgson and her circle. Hodgson felt it showed a lack of patriotism to complain too much and her good humour shines through, even when she must have sometimes felt like having a good grumble. Although her long diary (over 600 pp) sometimes seems to be a constant catalogue of bombing raids and worries over rations, it is always absorbing reading. She comments on all the war news, and her extravagant enthusiasm for Churchill makes me sorry for the cynicism with which we look at politicians today. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a picture of London during the Blitz through the eyes of an "unimportant" person.
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