Jambusters

It was a practical historical chronical. In that regard, it was fine. I misunderstood and thought I was buying the early fiction developed in the PBS series, Home Fires. If fact, I bought both of her books and they were redundant. In places, it was the exact verbiage of the prior book. The same photos were used in both. I was disappointed.

Ordered this because I thought it would be more like the t.v. show, ' Home Fires' as this is the book that it is "based" on. More of a story. This book is more academic and a history of the Women's Institute in the U.K. Somewhat interesting, but kind of dull too. I think if you were a member of that organization you would find it interesting.

I loved the Home Fires TV series so purchased the book to learn more about the history of the Women's Institutes during WW2. The book is a remarkable documentary, from the social collision of the upper and lower classes called upon to work together, to the specialized education the WI afforded women, to the amazing productivity of the Institutes, without any special rations, in support of the armed forces. (An estimated 20 million items hand knitted in just 5 years, some from wool collected off pasture fenceposts!) The complexity of of men being shipped off to fight just as city dwellers and foreign refugees arrived by the score in the countryside completely ill-prepared for farm, country, and small village life. The book is well-researched, loaded with stunning facts, insights into the hardships and camaraderie of the period. I have a richer appreciation for how ordinary women made exceptional contributions to the war effort.

Very interesting book, but it is NOT the story that was on TV. This is a factual account of the women's institute and very interesting. It was a challenge at times as the author would move from one topic to another and it wasn't seamless, so it could be disjointed. It is certainly worth reading, and filled me with admiration for the women of the era who were truly heroic.

Interesting and detailed (very deeply researched) background for the British Womens Institutes prior to and during WWII, as they formulated their abilities and the community needs to serve the British people during the war, despite rationing and transportation difficulties, and so many of the women also being called into active duty. A marvelous saga of how people can come together during hard times and forge ahead with determination and cooperation.

This took a long time to read. Lots of detail and documentation. It's fascinating to look at the war years through the filter of the WI. It made me recall the thrift and economy my grandmother and mom practiced, and explained so much to me. Even American women during the war years learned the economies and self-sufficiencies in this book. Fascinating!

I caught the BBC's "Home Fires" on Netflix and loved the show, so I bought this book on which the series is based. Big mistake. This does not read as a story with all of the great characters on the show, but is more about the women who inspired the series. It reads more like minutes of these ladies' meetings. It does not make for compelling or interesting reading. For me, it was a waste of money.

I watched the series and ordered the book. The quality of the book is excellent, it came in a library clear plastic cover which I love. the history of the WI and the strength of woman in Britain during the war is news to a lot of people. It is very interesting, informative and reads more like a novel with the continuing stories of the women of the WI.

This book is full of facts about the WI and is interesting, however it is not one of those books that you can't put down. It may have influenced the Home Fires television series but it is not anything like it. If you buy this book in the expectation of another Home Fires you will be disappointed. I did enjoy reading it but it was not what I expected at all. Julie Summers has obviously done a great deal of research into he subject.

if you watched the tv series and expected something like it - you will not be pleased.The book has a completly different aproach and I would only recommend it, if you want to knowmore about the dates and history of the womens institute,If you are looking for a nice story with a bit of drama and history as one finds in the tv series than the book is notthe right item for you!

The truly inspirational story of the Women's Institute and the part they played in the second World War. Researched using minutes, diaries and interviews with women and their families, this book tells the story of how the war affected all aspects of life especially village life. The nation-wide network of Institutes was utilised by the government to mobilise women across the country to help with evacuees, food shortages, making garments for soldiers and prisoners of war as well as providing much needed light relief for the women left to deal with farms and families when their men went to war.The Women's Institute is ubiquitous with British village life, however how many of us think of 'Jam and Jerusalem', 'Calendar Girls' and old ladies knitting in the church hall? After reading this book, I'll never think of the WI the same again, they are an inspiration to the rest of us and served their country gloriously during the second World War.The National Chairman of the WI during the war, Lady Denman, was invited to be the Director of the Women's Land Army by the Agricultural minister and so had great connections with government. This enabled the WI to be very influential in policies during the war regarding food, women and village life in general. They had an efficient network of thousands of Institutes which the government used for communication, they had over 300,000 members who could be turned to one task en mass to great effect.It was the WI who the government turned to to help find homes for hundreds of thousands of evacuees (not just children, but their mothers and teachers too) when they fled the bombing in the towns and cities. It was the WI who looked after the land girls and made sure they were included in village life, the WI who turned gardens into vegetable patches, the WI who turned the hundreds of tonnes of fruit left unharvested into jam and preserves to feed the nation. The WI made millions of knitted garments for soldiers on the front line, fur lined clothes for the people of Russia and the WI who visited Germany in the months after the war ended to help the devastated women and children put their lives back together.The WI are so much more then singing and baking, they have a history to be proud of and still number over 210,000 members in 6,600 Institutes.Although this book is a little dry in places, the author focusses on several women to tell the story of war so I felt I got to know them throughout the book. Nella Last (played by Victoria Wood in 'Housewife 49') is featured as well as some of the more 'individual' characters who typify the WI. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in that period of history or any woman who wants to feel proud of her gender and what they are capable of.

I really enjoyed this book, the TV series Home Fires is apparently based on it, although it is an entirely fact based book. The characters in the series do not appear at all in any recognizable form.The book takes you through the history of the WI (Woman's institute) with the main content focusing on WWII.The WI was very heavily called upon to do their bit for King and country, helping with the war effort in some very surprising ways! The women went above and beyond the call of duty many many times taking on tasks that would have exhausted them many times over.A great comradeship between vastly differing woman of all walks of society sprang up and still continues to this day. The women were awe inspiring and I am not sure the likes will be seen again.

I thought this was a brilliant book. It isn't a story, it is a collection of personal records and memories of WIs and individuals. The opening chapter is rather slow moving as it describes the beginnings of the WI but as the book progressed I found it fascinating. The work done by the WI during the second world war was amazing. They undertook such a variety and number of tasks. They often lived without such basic amenities as running water and electricity and yet they took in refugees, ran canteens, bottled and preserved on a huge scale, collected plants for medicines, collected waste paper and waste food for pigs, made and mended endless garments, grew food, kept pigs and poultry, helped each other out, organised social events. The list is endless, as was their ingenuity. They never seemed daunted whatever the request. Read it and feel humbled.Thanks to Julie Summers for collecting all these memories in one account which gives a very different slant on history. A very worthwhile effort.