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Peace at last, after Lloyd George declared it had been ‘the war to end all wars’, would surely bring relief and a renewed sense of optimism? But this assumption turned out to be deeply misplaced as people began to realise that the men they loved were never coming home.
The Great Silence is the story of the pause between 1918 and 1920. A two-minute silence to celebrate those who died was underpinned by a more enduring silence born out of national grief. Those who had danced through settled Edwardian times, now faced a changed world. Some struggled to come to terms with the last four years, while others were anxious to move towards a new future.
Change came to women, who were given the vote only five years after Emily Davidson had thrown herself on the ground at Ascot race course, to the poor, determined to tolerate their condition no longer, and to those permanently scarred, mentally and physically, by the conflict. The British Monarchy feared for its survival as monarchies around Europe collapsed and Eric Horne, one time butler to the gentry, found himself working in a way he considered unseemly for a servant of his calibre. Whether it was embraced or rejected, change had arrived as the impact of a tragic war was gradually absorbed.
With her trademark focus on daily life, Juliet Nicolson evokes what England was like during this fascinating hinge in history.
The Great Silence is the story of the pause between 1918 and 1920. A two-minute silence to celebrate those who died was underpinned by a more enduring silence born out of national grief. Those who had danced through settled Edwardian times, now faced a changed world. Some struggled to come to terms with the last four years, while others were anxious to move towards a new future.
Change came to women, who were given the vote only five years after Emily Davidson had thrown herself on the ground at Ascot race course, to the poor, determined to tolerate their condition no longer, and to those permanently scarred, mentally and physically, by the conflict. The British Monarchy feared for its survival as monarchies around Europe collapsed and Eric Horne, one time butler to the gentry, found himself working in a way he considered unseemly for a servant of his calibre. Whether it was embraced or rejected, change had arrived as the impact of a tragic war was gradually absorbed.
With her trademark focus on daily life, Juliet Nicolson evokes what England was like during this fascinating hinge in history.
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Reviews
A fascinating read
Thoroughly entertaining . . . full of memorable detail
'The strength of the book lies in the sensitivity and skill with which the private lives and relationships of the protagonists are recounted. Nicolson writes fluently and paces her narrative expertly'
'The strength of the book lies in the sensitivity and skill with which the private lives and relationships of the protagonists are recounted. Nicolson writes fluently and paces her narrative expertly'
'This detailed account of that period is both fascinating and lucidly written'
'I devoured it . . . It's a wonderfuly written book about the aftermath of the First World War with something I didn't know on every page'
Juliet Nicolson examines a much overlooked period of history. She painstakingly recounts how those who had stayed at home came to terms with a brutally changed world in the aftermath of the first world war and how the returning soldiers struggled to cope with the horrors they faced
Praise for The Perfect Summer:
'As page-turning as a novel '
'Nicolson has opened the door onto a time of misery, introspection and change'
Praise for The Perfect Summer:
'As page-turning as a novel '
'There is an unpretentious directness about Nicolson's approach to her subjects that gives the book a freshness and vitality. Happily, she also has an eye for the amusing or the ironic'
'Nicolson writes well and thoughtfully'
A fascinating read
'Nicolson writes well and thoughtfully'
'A fascinating read'
'There is an unpretentious directness about Nicolson's approach to her subjects that gives the book a freshness and vitality. Happily, she also has an eye for the amusing or the ironic'
Thoroughly entertaining . . . full of memorable detail
'Nicolson has opened the door onto a time of misery, introspection and change'
'Juliet Nicolson examines a much overlooked period of history. She painstakingly recounts how those who had stayed at home came to terms with a brutally changed world in the aftermath of the First World War and how the returning soldiers struggled to cope with the horrors they faced'