Nella Last's War: The Second World War Diaries of 'Housewife, 49'

(Paperback, Main)

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'Next to being a mother, I'd have loved to write books.' Oct 8, 1939


When war broke out, Nella's younger son joined the army while the rest of the family tried to adapt to civilian life. Writing each day for the Mass Observation project, Nella, a middle-aged housewife from the bombed town of Barrow, shows what people really felt during this time. This was the period in which she turned 50, saw her children leave home, and reviewed her life and her marriage - which she eventually compares to slavery. Her growing confidence as a result of her war work makes this a moving (though often comic) testimony, which, covering sex, death and fear of invasion, provides a new female perspective on the war years. In September 1939, housewife and mother Nella Last began a diary whose entries, in their regularity, length and quality, have created a record of the Second World War which is powerful, fascinating and unique.

Reviews

"'Next to being a mother, I'd have loved to write books.' Nella Last, Oct 8, 1939 * 'The intimacy and immediacy are extraordinary' Sunday Times * 'Anyone who has the least curiosity about what it was like to live through the Second World War should read this' New Statesman * 'The whole post-war women's movement anticipated and rehearsed by a solitary pioneer on the most unlikely of stages' Guardian"

Author Bio

Suzie Fleming is a feminist writer and speaker who lives in Cornwall.


Richard Broad is a film-maker and resides in Ireland.