What a treasure of a book! We’re told that Ivy’s grandmother “..took the view that we had to get on with it...” and that’s what everyone in this book does. Although there is a war raging, fathers, brothers, husbands are separated from their loved ones, this book is littered with stories of community, recollections of helping each other out and smatterings of joy during difficult times.
An anthology of tales from eye witnesses of British Christmas celebrations during WWII. However, this little book is also educational. I learned that the evacuation mission was called pied piper and that the government recommended that pets be destroyed in 1939 in the beginnings of war. Fortunately for many there were rich philanthropists that turned their homes into animal sanctuaries. Why have we never been told these tales before? Perhaps I’ve just not looked hard enough.
There were occasions where reflections and excerpts were cut shorter than I would have liked and I was occasionally sat wishing I knew what happened next, but I understand that the author wanted to move things on fairly swiftly and this book does have great pace. Or perhaps the answers we seek are lost to history. In all fairness to the author, she at times shares this frustration, after a letter about a Christmas present scarf she says “Did it turn up? Sadly, we shall never know.
This particular excerpt struck a cord with me and there is much we can learn today from this environmental, ecological approach to Christmas presents:
“Nobody wishes to waste money on the merely pretty or transitory thing, but even the useful gift can and should be a little festive. If possible, it should be something the recipient really needs, but which he or she would consider a slight extravagance to buy.”
Another favourite excerpt comes from Nany:
Our outlook on life was very different from what it is now. There was no pouring out your feelings on Facebook or anywhere else. We weren’t sentimental - we hadn’t been taught to be sentimental. We just got on with living and made the best of everything.” That’s exactly what this book is about, making the best of things, during atrociously difficult times.
I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
An anthology of tales from eye witnesses of British Christmas celebrations during WWII. However, this little book is also educational. I learned that the evacuation mission was called pied piper and that the government recommended that pets be destroyed in 1939 in the beginnings of war. Fortunately for many there were rich philanthropists that turned their homes into animal sanctuaries. Why have we never been told these tales before? Perhaps I’ve just not looked hard enough.
There were occasions where reflections and excerpts were cut shorter than I would have liked and I was occasionally sat wishing I knew what happened next, but I understand that the author wanted to move things on fairly swiftly and this book does have great pace. Or perhaps the answers we seek are lost to history. In all fairness to the author, she at times shares this frustration, after a letter about a Christmas present scarf she says “Did it turn up? Sadly, we shall never know.
This particular excerpt struck a cord with me and there is much we can learn today from this environmental, ecological approach to Christmas presents:
“Nobody wishes to waste money on the merely pretty or transitory thing, but even the useful gift can and should be a little festive. If possible, it should be something the recipient really needs, but which he or she would consider a slight extravagance to buy.”
Another favourite excerpt comes from Nany:
Our outlook on life was very different from what it is now. There was no pouring out your feelings on Facebook or anywhere else. We weren’t sentimental - we hadn’t been taught to be sentimental. We just got on with living and made the best of everything.” That’s exactly what this book is about, making the best of things, during atrociously difficult times.
I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.