British Summer Time Begins
The School Summer Holidays 1930-1980
$35.50
- Paperback
352 pages
- Release Date
17 August 2021
Summary
British Summer Time Begins is about summer holidays of the mid-twentieth century and how they were spent, as recounted to Ysenda Maxtone-Graham in vividly remembered detail by people who were there. Through this prism, it paints a revealing portrait of twentieth-century Britain in summertime: how we were, how families functioned, what houses and gardens and streets were like, what journeys were like, and what people did all day in their free time. It explores their expectations, hope…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781408710562 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1408710560 |
| Author: | Ysenda Maxtone Graham |
| Publisher: | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Imprint: | Abacus |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 17 August 2021 |
| Weight: | 280g |
| Dimensions: | 196mm x 126mm x 30mm |
You Can Find This Book In
What They're Saying
Critics Review
This book has enough stories for a hundred novels … it is unbearably touching, probably because it is tales of children; their vulnerability, their talents, their dreams. It recalls a shabbier, parochial England … I wept – Tanya Gold * Oldie *
[A] joyously addictive history of British summer holidays … Maxtone Graham is a wonderfully spry and eloquent writer … she has a fine ear for others’ words - and a high sense of comedy – Laura Cumming * Observer *
Hilarious, nostalgic and tragic in turns, this captivating social history is a must * Country Life *
I defy anyone who lived in it not to be irresistibly transported back to their eight-year-old self, reliving the wild, eccentric, poor-yet-rich fun of pre-internet, pre-neurotic-parented childhood. This is a joyous book, one to make you smile in recognition, yearn to talk to your best pals from the time and wish to record your own memories – Melanie Reid * The Times *
This splendid book rings bells galore … with her beady eye, Maxtone Graham keeps things tight and purposeful. The sweet aroma of nostalgia is never far away … this perfect little book serves as both a celebration, and a lament – Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
A wonderfully evocative and unashamedly nostalgic account of how our childhood minds were formed * Guardian *
British Summer Time Begins does a remarkable job of awakening the reader’s deepest and most tender memories: with
a deceptively light touch it took me by the hand, and led me across sunlit lawns towards my own childhood … Graham evokes the muted magic of empty hours and nearsilences
Glorious nostalgia … A Miss Marple of memory, she detects all the things that made us us … Almost every page of this glorious book triggers a Proustian rush of recollection … Lots of books have tried to capture the essence of the summer holidays. Maxtone Graham’s is the best. There are moments when the quality of her noticing allied to a deep sympathy for the men and women who lent her their younger selves achieves a rare poetry – Allison Pearson * Telegraph *
British Summer Time Begins is shot through with brilliant phrases and vignettes that have nothing and everything to do with the subject at hand … I wonder whether Maxtone Graham has founded a new school of historical writing – Tom Crewe * London Review of Books *
This hugely enjoyable book, ranging from 1930 to 1980, is not just about seaside holidays. Its subject is that ‘vast stretch of untimetabled time’ which began with the school bell ringing for the last time in July and went on until lessons began again in September. Drawing on the memories of dozens of people, it’s a wonderful portrait of long summer weeks when so many of us, free from adult scrutiny (‘My parents had no idea where I was’), found our true selves through play * Daily Mail *
About The Author
Ysenda Maxtone Graham
Ysenda Maxtone Graham was born in 1962 and educated at The King’s School, Canterbury and Girton College, Cambridge. She has written widely for many newspapers and magazines, as features writer, book reviewer and columnist. She is the author of Terms & Conditions; The Church Hesitant: A Portrait of the Church of England; The Real Mrs Miniver, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography of the Year Award; and Mr Tibbits’s Catholic School. She lives in London with her husband and their three sons.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.