Juliet Gardiner's critically acclaimed book - the first in a generation to tell the people's story of the Second World War - offers a compelling and comprehensive account of the pervasiveness of war on the Home Front. The book has been commended for its inclusion of many under-described aspects of the Home Front, and alongside familiar stories of food shortages, evacuation and the arrival of the GIs, are stories of Conscientious Objectors, persecuted Italians living in Britain and Lumber Jills working in the New Forest. Drawing on a multitude of sources, many previously unpublished, she tells the story of those six gruelling years in voices from the Orkney Islands to Cornwall, from the Houses of Parliament to the Nottinghamshire mines.
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Juliet Gardiner's 'Wartime' provides a marvellously rich, and often entertaining, recreation of life on the Home Front, 1939-45, drawing on an enormous range of oral testimony and memoir. (The Scotsman)
From lost loves to crabby children to the sorrow of receiving the worst possible news, this is a remarkably personal picture of wartime life at home. (The Good Book Guide)
Irresistably unputdownable (Scotland On Sunday (Angus Calder))
Danger, courage, deprivation, exhaustion, fear, humour and that old enemy 'boredom' were endured for six years. This exhilarating book is the voice of these people. (Despatches)
humorous and deeply moving (Despatches)
In a book replete with treasures, everyone will find a special jewel. (The Times Literary Supplement (David Stafford))
Juliet Gardiner's book is ...wonderfully readable (BBC History Magazine)
after the torrents of film and forests of print devoted to her subject over the last four decades, it is exhilarating that Gardiner finds so many under-described aspects of the Home Front to document through her fresh witnesses. (BBC History Magazine)
utterly gripping (The Spectator)
Gardiner explores every aspect of the British home front, and presents these deeply moving moments superbly. I have no doubt that 'Wartime' will become the seminal work on Britain at war. (Daily Mail (Max Arthur))
Plenty of nostalgia and war-time spirit in this comprehensive account of life on the Home Front (The Veteran)
From lost loves to crabby children to the sorrow of receiving the worst possible news, this is a remarkably personal picture of wartime life at home. (The Good Book Guide)
Irresistably unputdownable (Scotland On Sunday (Angus Calder))
Danger, courage, deprivation, exhaustion, fear, humour and that old enemy 'boredom' were endured for six years. This exhilarating book is the voice of these people. (Despatches)
humorous and deeply moving (Despatches)
In a book replete with treasures, everyone will find a special jewel. (The Times Literary Supplement (David Stafford))
Juliet Gardiner's book is ...wonderfully readable (BBC History Magazine)
after the torrents of film and forests of print devoted to her subject over the last four decades, it is exhilarating that Gardiner finds so many under-described aspects of the Home Front to document through her fresh witnesses. (BBC History Magazine)
utterly gripping (The Spectator)
Gardiner explores every aspect of the British home front, and presents these deeply moving moments superbly. I have no doubt that 'Wartime' will become the seminal work on Britain at war. (Daily Mail (Max Arthur))
Plenty of nostalgia and war-time spirit in this comprehensive account of life on the Home Front (The Veteran)
About the Author
Juliet Gardiner is a historian with wide academic and commercial credentials. She spent five years as editor of History Today magazine, and has been Academic Director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Head of Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University. She has contributed widely to the UK's national press and her television experience includes being a member of the on-screen member of the 'war cabinet' for The 1940s House, for which she was also the historical consultant. She is the author of ten books.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By koink
Format:Hardcover
Juliet Gardiner knows how to write readably. She keeps her language simple and her sentences short. She has a keen eye for a good quote. Best of all, she knows that a story can be made more interesting by hanging it on people. She hangs hers on many people - her subject, after all, is the People's War. And she develops it by lacing together a daisy chain of memorable anecdotes. This book is an entertaining read from beginning to end - and the further you read, the better it gets. A wonderful read!
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By M. R. N. Shackelford
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
For a post-war baby, this book is perfect in helping me understand what my parents went through. This is not a dry and dusty historical tome, but a lively record of people's words and thoughts carefully gathered into chapters on rationing, evacuation, the Home Guard etc.
It is also, surprisingly, very funny - with typical English eccentricities managing to survive the war.
I am amazed by what the people put up with in terms of impositions from the Government - many of whose decisions seemed (as they still are today!), illogical and irrelevant.
A highly recommended book which sheds light on a chapter of history that our parents were reluctant or unable to discuss with us.
It is also, surprisingly, very funny - with typical English eccentricities managing to survive the war.
I am amazed by what the people put up with in terms of impositions from the Government - many of whose decisions seemed (as they still are today!), illogical and irrelevant.
A highly recommended book which sheds light on a chapter of history that our parents were reluctant or unable to discuss with us.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By bookmouse
Format:Paperback
This was a fascinating read which kept me engaged all the way through. It was an objective and very accessible account of the Home Front interspersing letters, first hand accounts, diaries and official documents with the narrative to provide a very human description of a time that is fast passing out of living memory.
I agree that some of the source material is recognisable and has been used for other books but this is inevitable. I would disagree that it is the same as the Norman Longmate's How We Lived Then and would say it complements rather than copies it. Gardiner has access to material Longmate clearly didn't. I was particularly impressed by the chapter on conscientious objectors where not all of them were shown in a favourable light which gave me a different perspective on the subject.
I agree that some of the source material is recognisable and has been used for other books but this is inevitable. I would disagree that it is the same as the Norman Longmate's How We Lived Then and would say it complements rather than copies it. Gardiner has access to material Longmate clearly didn't. I was particularly impressed by the chapter on conscientious objectors where not all of them were shown in a favourable light which gave me a different perspective on the subject.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A war time commentary.
Having lived through WW2 in London, I found this an interesting commentary of the time. For me it filled out much detail behind the memories. Read more
Published 1 month ago by V. G. Nicholls
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb examination of how Britons experienced the war
While the phrase 'Home Front' typically is evoked to describe civilian support for a war effort, for Britain in the Second World War the words came to represent a very real... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mark Klobas
5.0 out of 5 stars
thorough and very readable
A great book, where the author combines detailed scholarship with a clear writing style. There is so much here about one of the most challenging and important times in our history,... Read more
Published 12 months ago by hardtruth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly readable account of life `on the home front' during World War...
This is an extremely thorough and wide-ranging account of life in Britain during World War II. It draws extensively on Mass Observation studies carried out at the time, as well as... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jeremy Bevan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
This is an excellent book. I disagree with the reviewer who suggested that it is the same as Longmate's "How We Lived Then" (which I also think is excellent) - of course it covers... Read more
Published 22 months ago by bredfield12
4.0 out of 5 stars
wartime britain 1939-45.
A very good book on life in wartime Britain, 1939-45.
It covers topics such as, evacuation, rationing, the dig for victory, home guard and civil defence. Read more
It covers topics such as, evacuation, rationing, the dig for victory, home guard and civil defence. Read more
Published on 1 May 2011 by road nomad
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvellous account of the home front in WWII
A splendidly readable narrative account of Britain during the second world war, focusing on the fabric of civilian life, rather than on major political and military events, though... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2011 by John Hopper
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wartime Britain
A great read, especially for anyone living during that time period, also it is good information for anyone studing that time frame. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2011 by Elizabeth
1.0 out of 5 stars
Do not touch it...
If you have read "How We Lived Then" by Norman Longmate published in 1971 by Hutchinson you will not need to read Juliet Gardiners book as it appears to be in many places almost a... Read more
Published on 18 July 2010 by DavidOrlo,London
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full marks!
Completely satisfied with book, price and speed of delivery. Book was exactly as I hoped and more...and ridiculously cheap.
Published on 4 July 2009 by M. P. Roberts
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