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Family Britain, 1951-1957 (2009)

by David Kynaston(Favorite Author)

4.27 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0802717977 (ISBN13: 9780802717979)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Walker & Company

series

Tales of a New Jerusalem

review 1: I think the general reader will find this book long and somewhat disjointed. I enjoy reading the history of England but, felt as though I were an outsider reading this complex and detailed social history of Britain in the 1950's. While this book certainly belongs on the shelf I think perhaps it is more suited to the student of British history rather than a casual reader. People and events pop in and out of this volume that have not be introduced previously. [return][return]My hope is that because I read this series out of sequence I'll have a better understanding of this volume once I read the 1st volume.[return][return]Still, I recommend this book as it does present a history of Britain from a fresh perspective.
review 2: I was a big fan of Kynaston's earlier ... morebook in the series, Austerity Britain. In my opinion, Family Britain is just as good, and maybe even a bit better. Again, the book is less of a history book and more of a snapshot, or series of snapshots, of the culture during a certain period of time (1951-1957). What makes these books so special is that instead of focusing on major events, they let us see into the everyday lives of Britons of different classes. Family Britain touches on the end of rationing, the rise of television (threatening to End Civilization As We Know It Since At Least 1951), the housing situation, labor strikes, Communism, the relationship between the sexes, the differences between the classes, race relations, vacations, and much much more. Kynaston goes into some depth on all of these subjects, which makes this book big and dense and a slow read - but so worth it! less

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