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A History of Modern Britain

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Andrew Marr

May 02, 2008
Bought this as a christmas present, so unable to comment on content, (sure it is very good!), but audio book is abridged, which wasn't clear from the description and might be an issue for some.

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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: John O'Farrell

May 05, 2008

I almost gave up reading this book after 50 pages because of the appalling attempts at humour. However, I persevered, and it is a good summary of British history, and in the end I enjoyed it. There are about two terrible jokes per page, but eventually you can see them coming and just skip to the end of the paragraph. The author has created a 95% readable account of the period from 55BC to 1945 AD - worth reading.

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Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries Of Housewife 49

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Trustees of the Mass Observation Archives

October 02, 2008
I bought this book for my Mum who was born in Barrow and lived there during the war.Nella writes with the pen of an ordinary woman in extraordinary times.Her writing is wonderful, from the description of an ordinary yet delightful lunch to her description of the countryside on a day out with a picnic, her fears for times to come and of course her family.Complemented with some black and white photographs,its amazing to think that if it had not been for the Mass Observation Project,we may have all been deprived of the world of Nella Last.

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The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Harry Patch, Richard Van Emden

June 02, 2008
Disappointing. Patch's own words are fine, especially for a man of his age, but the ghost-writer (Richard van Emden) is too intrusive and spoils the flow of the narrative.

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

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Trustees of the Mass Observation Archives

November 16, 2006
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading ... Read More:

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Remember, Remember (The Fifth of November): The History of Britain in Bite-Sized Chunks

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Judy Parkinson

October 09, 2008
What a great, fun and manageable way to remember the most salient points of British history that we've all forgotten from school. It takes all the boring bits out and covers history from Roman Britain to the second world war. It's easy to dip in and out of and the perfect accompaniment to the brilliant I Before E that I bought last year. This book makes history fun!

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Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, Britain's Oldest Man and the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Henry Allingham

October 02, 2008
I've seen so much of Henry on TV and in the press over the past few months - and his attempts to get out of his chair at the 90th anniversary celebrations at the cenotaph was very emotional. You cannot believe the tenacity someone of that age must have to get out and converse with people of all ages. I have bought and read the book and it is a fascinating read, it is astounding when you study the list of world events he has lived through - it is the history of the world as we all know it, which has been taught to us all in schools. To look at this old man and realise he is an actual living link to the long distant past is humbling, as well as profound. The message conveyed in the book is 'never give up' and I hope when he does eventually pass away, we will celebrate ... Read More:

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Henry: Virtuous Prince

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: David Starkey

October 01, 2008
I was really looking forwards to this book, I am an avid reader of anything to do with Tudor history and the wars of the roses and as there is relatively little written on the early years of Henry VIII I was keen to discover more about his personality, his friendships, his marriage, his life and what made him into the tyrant most people recognise him as. Starkey's introduction was promising, I was chomping at the bit to get into this book, but it never really got going for me. Maybe I have read too much on the subject and it was all old news to me, there were little nuggets but no real meaty information.
It is possible, of course, that there is no documented evidence other than what Starkey bought to his book, or that he did not want to make any inferences - he is ... Read More:

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Fathers and Sons

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Richard Madeley

October 06, 2008
This is a fantastic, well written book that I could not put down. Having a interest in family history I found this very informative about life at the start of the 20th century. Excellent read.

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The Boleyn Inheritance

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Britain and Ireland
by: Philippa Gregory

May 01, 2007
I have only recently discovered Phillipa Gregory and have clocked up The Other Boleyn Girl, followed by The Queens Fool and then The Boleyn Inheritance in 2 weeks. Wow....how had I missed her? Amazing! Out of the 3 I have read, this book stands out the most, mainly due to the style of writing giving us the 'voices' of the 3 leading ladies. In TOBG Henry VIII is portayed as the charismatic handsome young King, but in this book I couldn't help but crinkle my nose up as I could almost 'smell' him due to the fantastic description of his rancid leg wound and rotten teeth.....urgh! The initial meeting between Anne of Cleves and Henry when he rolled up in disguise and she spat out his kiss made me cringe with despair.....poor Anne.... Out of all 3 ladies, I empathised with her the most.
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