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Product Description
Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of Call the Midwife and Shadows of the Workhouse, true stories from London in the 1950s.
Product Description
Do you remember the West End of London during the 1950s? Did you live or work there? If so, I want to hear from you ...
This was the advertisement author Pip Granger placed in a local newspaper, and the response was immediate. Soon she was hearing from people who recalled what it was like when sweets were rationed; from families who'd been bombed out of their homes during the Blitz; from men who'd worked in the flower markets of Covent Garden; and from the son of a family of immigrants who'd opened one of the very first delicatessens in Soho. All had extraordinary stories to tell.
Based on the author's own memories and dozens of interviews and written testimonies, Up West evokes a unique and vibrant community, and a way of life that is vanishing fast.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An essential read for anyone who loves London. Up West brings alive the range of experiences of the many ,varied and fascinating characters who lived, worked and played in the West End during and after WW2. A very well written, entertaining and instructive book, which I wanted to finish, but at the same time I did not want to end. A mixture of enchanting voices and experiences, all of which I loved, and some of which reminded me of my own childhood. I am sure new readers will be surprised and enchanted by Pip Granger's vivid and lucid new book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Pip Granger is nothing if not versatile - she has shown herself capable of producing delightful novels and excellent non-fiction. "Up West" is a very well-written, thoroughly researched, historically valuable and highly readable book. It is difficult to imagine how anyone could better it as a record of Soho in the mid-20th century, in all its aspects; it has an inescapable air of being a truthful record but manages to avoid the paralysing dryness of some works of this type - Pip's irrepressible wit and sense of humour are well to the fore. She has succeeded in vividly describing every facet of Soho life in the 40's and 50's, as remembered by herself and others, men and women she interviewed at length, who thought of this unique little area as home. There are recollections of great hardship, sometimes, but so much else besides. I was fascinated to read about Pip's personal memories of the many celebrities she encountered in person as a child - including the wonderful Goons; I laughed out loud at the descriptions of some of the local "characters" - and felt very glad not to have encountered the more sinister. I do not know London at all well, so "Up West" holds no personal nostalgia for me, but despite this, the book held my interest, and I am sure anyone who reads it will find much to enjoy.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The events are little before my time but the 50s still lingered into the 60s and 70s in some parts of London, in particular, in Soho, so a lot of the things mentioned were very familiar; though as the book mentioned, places like Carnaby Street etc were just tourist places by that time. A totally fascinating story of rationing, the markets, shops, the food, the music, the characters, clothes, living a normal life (not the usual celebrity / famous ones) etc of Soho. There are a few other books on the subject, but this is possibly my favourite (Dog Days was pretty good). The only downer being the book only contains a few pages of photos (surely someone could bring out a book packed solid with pics of Soho of the 40s 50s 60s etc?)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Up West
An excellent read for anyone interested in post war London from the people who lived there. Transports you back to another time.
Published 3 months ago by blondlie
UP WEST IS LIVING HISTORY
I AM RESERCHING MY FAMILY HISTORY AND BECAUSE OF THIS FOUND A 2ND COUSIN; SHE ADVISED ME TO READ 'UP WEST' BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH SOHO & COVENT GARDEN AREAS AND IN PARTICULAR... Read more
Published 9 months ago by panache
Slow going
I bought this book as I'm really interested in people's everyday lives post war, but this was like reading a history book rather than a novel. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. S. Biddulph
worth a read
A very interesting book about people living in the West End of London telling extraordinary stories of there upbring and working life lots of interviews of peoples memories and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by bookworm
Up West Voices from the Streets.
So enjoyed this book as it transported me back in time to nearly all of the places
mentioned - happy days !
Marjorie.
mentioned - happy days !
Marjorie.
Published 20 months ago by avery
A poignant multi-memoir
This is much more than another oral history, and more, too, than a strictly personal reminiscing. Pip Granger's own vivid memories of her stamping ground in London's postwar Soho,... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Mr. Tony Thorne
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