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Product Description
Review
Juliet Nicolson examines a much overlooked period of history. She painstakingly recounts how those who had stayed at home came to terms with a brutally changed world in the aftermath of the first world war and how the returning soldiers struggled to cope with the horrors they faced
(Elizabeth Day, Observer )Praise for The Perfect Summer:
'As page-turning as a novel '
'There is an unpretentious directness about Nicolson's approach to her subjects that gives the book a freshness and vitality. Happily, she also has an eye for the amusing or the ironic'
(Scotsman )'A fascinating read' (Mail on Sunday )
'Thoroughly entertaining . . . full of memorable detail' (Spectator )
'The strength of the book lies in the sensitivity and skill with which the private lives and relationships of the protagonists are recounted. Nicolson writes fluently and paces her narrative expertly'
(BBC History Magazine )'Nicolson writes well and thoughtfully'
(Sunday Telegraph )'Nicolson has opened the door onto a time of misery, introspection and change'
(Lancashire Evening Post )'This detailed account of that period is both fascinating and lucidly written'
'Juliet Nicolson examines a much overlooked period of history. She painstakingly recounts how those who had stayed at home came to terms with a brutally changed world in the aftermath of the First World War and how the returning soldiers struggled to cope with the horrors they faced'
(Observer, Great Poolside page-turners )'A fascinating read'
(Observer )'I devoured it . . . It's a wonderfuly written book about the aftermath of the First World War with something I didn't know on every page'
(Barry Humphries, Sun Tel Christmas books )Product Description
Peace at last, after Lloyd George declared it had been 'the war to end all wars', would surely bring relief and a renewed sense of optimism? But this assumption turned out to be deeply misplaced as people began to realise that the men they loved were never coming home.
The Great Silence is the story of the pause between 1918 and 1920. A two-minute silence to celebrate those who died was underpinned by a more enduring silence born out of national grief. Those who had danced through settled Edwardian times, now faced a changed world. Some struggled to come to terms with the last four years, while others were anxious to move towards a new future.
Change came to women, who were given the vote only five years after Emily Davidson had thrown herself on the ground at Ascot race course, to the poor, determined to tolerate their condition no longer, and to those permanently scarred, mentally and physically, by the conflict. The British Monarchy feared for its survival as monarchies around Europe collapsed and Eric Horne, one time butler to the gentry, found himself working in a way he considered unseemly for a servant of his calibre. Whether it was embraced or rejected, change had arrived as the impact of a tragic war was gradually absorbed.
With her trademark focus on daily life, Juliet Nicolson evokes what England was like during this fascinating hinge in history. (20100605)
The Great Silence is the story of the pause between 1918 and 1920. A two-minute silence to celebrate those who died was underpinned by a more enduring silence born out of national grief. Those who had danced through settled Edwardian times, now faced a changed world. Some struggled to come to terms with the last four years, while others were anxious to move towards a new future.
Change came to women, who were given the vote only five years after Emily Davidson had thrown herself on the ground at Ascot race course, to the poor, determined to tolerate their condition no longer, and to those permanently scarred, mentally and physically, by the conflict. The British Monarchy feared for its survival as monarchies around Europe collapsed and Eric Horne, one time butler to the gentry, found himself working in a way he considered unseemly for a servant of his calibre. Whether it was embraced or rejected, change had arrived as the impact of a tragic war was gradually absorbed.
With her trademark focus on daily life, Juliet Nicolson evokes what England was like during this fascinating hinge in history. (20100605)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 78 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"The Great Silence" is Juliet Nicholson's second book, after publishing "The Perfect Summer" in 2007. The first book was a social history of that glorious summer of 1911, the first summer after the ending of the Victorian and Edwardian ages.
With "Silence", Nicholson has returned with a meticulously written view of the two years in England after the end of "The Great War" in 1918. British soldiers returned after demob to their homes but in many cases, their lives would never be the same after four years in the trenches in France. So many men - who had marched gaily off to war in 1914 - had been killed or badly wounded, both in body and in spirit. So many women lost their sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers. An entire generation of young men were decimated in the four years of war.
Nicholson writes about all strata of British society, both "above" stairs and "below" stairs. Some of the people she interviewed were children in 1919 and are alive today. She also relied on written histories, both personal and academic. All together, Nicholson takes the reader back to that two year post-war period that saw the beginnings of the "Roaring '20's" with a national obsession for dancing and drinking by all levels of society. She also writes about the toll the "Spanish Flu" had on those at home who caught it from returning soldiers.
Nicholson is a very good and controlled writer. This book is not yet available in the States and I had to order it from Amazon/UK. It is a wonderful look at a very interesting time in British society.
With "Silence", Nicholson has returned with a meticulously written view of the two years in England after the end of "The Great War" in 1918. British soldiers returned after demob to their homes but in many cases, their lives would never be the same after four years in the trenches in France. So many men - who had marched gaily off to war in 1914 - had been killed or badly wounded, both in body and in spirit. So many women lost their sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers. An entire generation of young men were decimated in the four years of war.
Nicholson writes about all strata of British society, both "above" stairs and "below" stairs. Some of the people she interviewed were children in 1919 and are alive today. She also relied on written histories, both personal and academic. All together, Nicholson takes the reader back to that two year post-war period that saw the beginnings of the "Roaring '20's" with a national obsession for dancing and drinking by all levels of society. She also writes about the toll the "Spanish Flu" had on those at home who caught it from returning soldiers.
Nicholson is a very good and controlled writer. This book is not yet available in the States and I had to order it from Amazon/UK. It is a wonderful look at a very interesting time in British society.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I started reading this book with high hopes of an in-depth discussion of the social aftermath of this devastating conflict because it included a great, informative chapter on facial reconstruction that I found riveting in its detail. There was a reference to Tommy Atkins along the way, leading me to think there would be an even-handed approach to all parts of society, allied to an excellent writing style. However, it was not to be, as other reviewers have pointed out. By the middle of the book, the author has largely given up on any objective view of working class families and their suffering and there are extended descriptions of the Savoy, upper-class gatherings and little mention of 'ordinary' people - aligned to a falling off in the writing quality. As others have also stated, there is an alarming amount of name dropping, to little purpose. This is such a pity because there is much to commend but it is just not sustained.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed Juliet Nicolson's previous book on the summer before WW1 and I was not disappointed with this book. It looks at the time of the Armistice on the 11th November 1918 and then the 2 years immediately after.
Taking the perspective of many different people from various walks of life, the author narrates how their world changed from that moment at 11am. Although the war was over and no-one was in danger of being killed, for a lot of people the war didn't end then.
Most poignant of all are the war widows who slept with their husbands uniform or sprinkled his shampoo on their pillow. The description of the ceremonies at the Cenotaph and the burial of the Unknown Soldier are very moving and I read them with tears in my eyes.
A valuable book on a period of history that is sometimes forgotten.
Taking the perspective of many different people from various walks of life, the author narrates how their world changed from that moment at 11am. Although the war was over and no-one was in danger of being killed, for a lot of people the war didn't end then.
Most poignant of all are the war widows who slept with their husbands uniform or sprinkled his shampoo on their pillow. The description of the ceremonies at the Cenotaph and the burial of the Unknown Soldier are very moving and I read them with tears in my eyes.
A valuable book on a period of history that is sometimes forgotten.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Poorly-written name-dropping
How does this belong in a book about the aftermath of one of the most dreadful episodes in the shared history of our country:
'Diaghilev often appeared exhausted. Read more
'Diaghilev often appeared exhausted. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bamber
Better than some reviews suggest
The existing reviews for this book are distinctly mixed, and I think this reflects varyng expectations about what sort of book this is. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephen Bishop
Disappointing
This book was an interesting idea - examining the two years after the Armistice - and parts of it were interesting. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Pelargonium Pete
The Great Silence
This is an excerpt from a review by a friend for our book club. We all felt similar about it.
"The Great Silence" is an eye opener and can only make us thankful that we... Read more
"The Great Silence" is an eye opener and can only make us thankful that we... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Barbara Berrisford
A book about the Aristocracy!
Unfortunately I was very disappointed with this book. Not enough writen about ordinary people, far too much about the royal family, and far too much about what posh people liked to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by s j banfield
The Great Silence
as per several previous reviews, this was all rather a disappointment. way too much emphasis on lord or lady so-and-so and the awful trouble they had finding a decent butler after... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Lord P
the lost chance
This is almost typical drivel about how the upper classes didn't suffer anything like as badly as the working classes did. Read more
Published 20 months ago by James Wells
Stunning
I have enjoyed both of Juliet Nicolson's books. Yes, they are a social history and, as she is at pains to point out, a lot of material she has from diaries, etc over represents... Read more
Published 22 months ago by S Riaz
A national resurrection from the emotional ashes of The Great War
THE GREAT SILENCE spans the time period from August 1918 to November 1920, i.e. two months prior to the armistice that ended The Great War (World War One) to two years after the... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Joseph Haschka
Product description - incorrect facts for a start
Perhaps I should not write a review on a book that I have not yet read, however, on reading the product description the first thing to jump straight out at me was the statement... Read more
Published 23 months ago by historymiss
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