Tag Archive | Anne Bennett

As Time Goes By by Anne Bennett

Feb26

Family And Community

As Time Goes By by Anne Bennett is a delightful historical novel set in early 1930’s Birmingham which is my home town. It was wonderful to recognise locations mentioned including St Martins, St Chads and the Bullring.

The 1930’s were a period of poverty following the global crash of 1929. The sense of community was high as people helped where they could.

Tragedies still happened as there were old factories which made shells during World War I which needed clearing and repurposing. This really spoke to my heart as my Nanny made shells during World War I in a factory in Birmingham.

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Child On The Doorstep by Anne Bennett

Aug8

Experiencing The Action

Child On the Doorstep by Anne Bennett is a family historical novel that will grip your heart and have your emotions in pieces.

Set in Birmingham in the 1920’s the country is still reeling from the effects of World War I and the Spanish influenza. Many women have lost their men folk. The returning servicemen did not always receive a hero’s welcome. Some were maimed, others had scars that were not so visible. “Many servicemen feel a measure of guilt that they have survived and left comrades… on the battlefield.” PTSD would be diagnosed today but people were less than sympathetic then. Returning servicemen would not necessarily want to relive their experiences – staying silent but suffering nightmares.

War altered the women too. Doing a man’s job strengthened their characters yet still they did not have the vote.

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