Full Hearts and Empty Bellies
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Product Description
Review
'Enchanting . . . a gloriously vivid memoir' --Daily Mail
Book Description
* An enchanting and utterly absorbing memoir of growing up in the Forest of Dean in the 1920s and 1930s
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Maybe i am a bit biased, as i grew up in the village where this book was written (I lived just above the chapel which is often mentioned, and am pretty sure I attended the same school) during the 1980s, and so all the settings are familiar to me. However, I think the writing really puts the images and pace of forest life across. There are moments when the kindness shown by some members of Winifred's family / community are extremely touching, and the characters come across very vividly. Heartily recommended to anyone who lives in/knows the forest of dean, and to all others who are looking for a slice of history which is heartwarming, sometimes very sad, but overall inspiring. A good read.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, though obscure and mostly unheard-of, is completely absorbing. It's not meant to be a children's book, but the language and style are easy enough for children and I first read it at the age of about ten. I have re-read it many times since, well into adulthood. It's not great literature, nor is it exciting or amazing or anything like that, but it's a fascinating and honest insight into the life of the working classes three generations ago. It's moving, funny and informative, and is written in a simple, enjoyable and disingenuous style. Give this book to any child or teenager who is complaining about not having the latest mobile phone / trainers / CD / iPod / {insert child-type demand here} and it might bring home to them exactly how much many children DO have these days, compared with this book's author, whose most prized possession as a little girl was a rag doll made by her mother out of an old sock because the family couldn't even afford to buy her a toy for Christmas. And yet, despite the endless hard work and grinding poverty which the book describes, it seems that the family were far more robust and content (if not always happy as such) than the average family of nowadays. Interesting and very readable, and highly recommended to any age or class of reader.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a lovely book - a fascinating autobiography of Mrs Foley as she grew up in a small mining community in the Forest of Dean. The idyll of the unspoilt forest and the sense of community that existed there are offset against the harshness of the way of life and the unremitting poverty. Her accounts of going into service at 14 remind us how lucky we are that this system is now finished, at least in this country. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Story of how it was
This story brings to life how family life was in the 1920's onwards. If you are a reader who enjoys accurate accounts by an author who has been there this book is for you. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. James W. Coles
A really good read
This is a marvellous book, couldnt put it down. Cant recommend it enough. Would make a good Christmas read. 5 stars.
Published 6 months ago by Bernardette
winifred foley
i have read 3 winifred foley books so far as i love social history about eastend and the north etc, she puts into the book lots of her own life experiences very well and i was... Read more
Published 16 months ago by donna52
full hearts and empty bellies
great reading for those of us who believe things were better in the old days.They weren't of course but it gives a pretty good idea.
Published 17 months ago by rudy
A wonderful, heart-warming read.
I've just finished reading my mother's rather ancient and battered copy of this after I discovered it in a box in her loft. Read more
Published 19 months ago by LindsayH
A must read book
Written about a time when money was tight, but people were friendlier to each other, more caring, the elderly were cherished and respected, and did not fear for thier own safety as... Read more
Published 19 months ago by peppermint
child in the forest
Winifred Foley writes an insightful and touching memoir of her life in the New Forest at the start of the 20th century. Read more
Published 21 months ago by ninka
Yesterday's World
This is a fascinating glimpse into a past not too removed from today yet very very different. A good story, easy to read which leaves one wanting to know more. Read more
Published 22 months ago by G. R. Lockley
Full Hearts and Empty Bellies
Fantastic read. Really interesting to hear about an ordinary life and not a famous person. Would recommend this book and the follow on one.
Published on 18 May 2010 by Angel
Full hearts and empty bellies
Again, bought for my wife who assures me that it is excellent. A must for all nostalgic persons
Published on 28 April 2010 by P. M. Carlini
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