What a fascinating story. I had never heard of Michael Stewart, and when you said he studied PPE I had a horrible sense of foreboding that things would not end well, so I was relieved to see the spoiler! Funnily enough I am currently reading Joan Bakewell's autobiography, and I've just been reading the bit about her experience of WWII so it's fresh in my mind. I never cease to marvel at people's bravery and stoicism during that time.
I would love to know who the female novelist was. Didn't Harriet Vane live at Mecklenburgh Square too? I've heard of it somewhere...
Sarah, your work continues to be a masterclass in biographical storytelling. You manage to balance the sweep of history with the intimacy of lived experience, and the result is history that feels both urgent and personal. It’s an absolute pleasure to read. Thank you.
Such an interesting and inspiring story thank you. It makes me think of Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After Life in which she paints a very sympathetic portrait of a woman doing much the same sort of self-sacrificial work during the blitz in London.
I should have said too that I didn’t know until yesterday about the King's Proctor and the genuine fear that a divorce might not go through at the last minute. But yesterday I finished reading Barbara Comyn’s 'A Touch of Mistletoe' and the nosy proctor gets a walk on part there too. Funny how things happen like that.
This is so interesting, I’m looking forward to more. Thank you Sarah. Great to see a mention of 'The Love Charm of Bombs' which I read last year and was fascinated by.
Sarah, your writing is so inspiring! It makes me want to research women's stories in my own context. And I never cease to be moved by the experiences of your fellow citizens during the wars.
That's so kind. I do need these affirmations because I really want to pull these women's lives together and find the thread that might convince my agent that it's a book!
What a great piece! I didn't know Elizabeth Bowen as also an ARP warden, but perhaps that's one reason (that, and being one of the great novelists of her generation) that her novel The Heat of the Day is perhaps the best London Blitz novel of the lot.
For another novelist's insight into the damaging weirdness of the divorce system of the time, try E H Young's Chatteron Square.
Enthralling writing, as ever, and again introducing me to someone I had not previously encountered. Thank you!
I love to read stories about how real people manage to carry on a "normal" life even when circumstances scare them out of their wits.
What a fascinating story. I had never heard of Michael Stewart, and when you said he studied PPE I had a horrible sense of foreboding that things would not end well, so I was relieved to see the spoiler! Funnily enough I am currently reading Joan Bakewell's autobiography, and I've just been reading the bit about her experience of WWII so it's fresh in my mind. I never cease to marvel at people's bravery and stoicism during that time.
I would love to know who the female novelist was. Didn't Harriet Vane live at Mecklenburgh Square too? I've heard of it somewhere...
Smashing piece - thanks!
Sarah, your work continues to be a masterclass in biographical storytelling. You manage to balance the sweep of history with the intimacy of lived experience, and the result is history that feels both urgent and personal. It’s an absolute pleasure to read. Thank you.
Such an interesting and inspiring story thank you. It makes me think of Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After Life in which she paints a very sympathetic portrait of a woman doing much the same sort of self-sacrificial work during the blitz in London.
What an interesting woman, practical, articulate, empathetic. I look forward to more.
I should have said too that I didn’t know until yesterday about the King's Proctor and the genuine fear that a divorce might not go through at the last minute. But yesterday I finished reading Barbara Comyn’s 'A Touch of Mistletoe' and the nosy proctor gets a walk on part there too. Funny how things happen like that.
This is so interesting, I’m looking forward to more. Thank you Sarah. Great to see a mention of 'The Love Charm of Bombs' which I read last year and was fascinated by.
Sarah, your writing is so inspiring! It makes me want to research women's stories in my own context. And I never cease to be moved by the experiences of your fellow citizens during the wars.
That's so kind. I do need these affirmations because I really want to pull these women's lives together and find the thread that might convince my agent that it's a book!
Fascinating and intriguing, Sarah. I wonder who the woman novelist could be?
What a great piece! I didn't know Elizabeth Bowen as also an ARP warden, but perhaps that's one reason (that, and being one of the great novelists of her generation) that her novel The Heat of the Day is perhaps the best London Blitz novel of the lot.
For another novelist's insight into the damaging weirdness of the divorce system of the time, try E H Young's Chatteron Square.