Being compiled from the Mass Observation Archive much of the writing was rather mundane being the writing of ordinary people (not being insulting to them or their words) living in a time of crisis far worse than today. This of course is out of the control of the 'author' as she can only select from what is available.
An interesting book but not really for me but my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to write an unbiased review.

Thank you for early sight of this wonderful book. I have posted about it on both Twitter and Instagram, and posted a full review on the Waterstones website. I will post a full review on Amazon when it's available to do so.

I have always been fascinated by the mass observation project so suspected I would enjoy this book, which I did. What I did not expect was to find it so moving and startlingly prescient. I don't know if it was intentionally edited this way, but for most of the book it felt like I could have been reading about the current pandemic. If that sounds too depressing, I assure you this book is not. The participants express the universal concerns of the British people (which by and large haven't changed) with humour and an appealing directness.

The presentation in the book is very pared down, we are only given the most basic details about each writer (gender, occupation and location). It would have been nice to have the writers' ages too, so as to see how different generations were reacting to the war, but this is a minor quibble.

I would recommend Blitz Spirit to anyone looking for a dose of perspective and distraction in these times.

This is the second book taken from the Mass Observation archive that I've read. This one was thanks to NetGalley.

This is a series of exerpts from diaries kept by people all over Britain during WWII. It was a fascinating read - it would have been fascinating anyway, but to read it in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis was particularly interesting. I recognised a lot of responses - boredom, frustration, criticism of the government, stoic common sense. The entries from North Devon (my bit of the world) complain about all the people coming down here to get away from the cities, making life harder locally. I've heard that so much this summer.

It's a great treat to hear these genuine voices, and to get a feel for what the "Blitz spirit" was really like. Not quite as plucky and perpetually positive as the movies make out. If you're interested in social history, this is a must-read. I enjoyed it very much.

The Mass Observation Project was set up just before WW2 to record the experiences of ordinary people during an extraordinary time. People of all ages, with all sorts of occupations, from housewives, factory workers, nurses, teachers, journalists; training to retired and from all over the country, from villages, towns and cities, write in their diaries to record their war.

This book collects many of these diary extracts together to take us through the war. It is a fascinating look at not only what was happening to people, but how they were feeling about things. I raced through the first half of it, but slowed down later on and It felt as though it dragged on a bit later on. I think this is actually just how the writers of the diaries were feeling themselves, and it translated into their writing. I'd recommend this book to anyone with any interest in the subject.

*Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

This is quite interesting but not one I would read cover to cover. A lot of it is quite mundane, but maybe as we live through the coronavirus crisis our diaries would be similar. I have read a couple of chapters and will probably dip into it again at a later date.

This is a compilation of ordinary people’s everyday lives written in diary form for the Mass Observation study of the home front during World War II.
At times moving, funny, mundane and fearfully dramatic, the diarists run the full gamut of emotion from frustration at the limits of rationing and the tedious difficulties of the blackout restrictions, through criticism of neighbours behaviour to fear for the future and the threat of invasion.
It features everyone from housewives, ARP wardens, WRENs and ATS recruits to factory and office workers, farmhands and injured servicemen.

I never tire of these Mass Observation diary compilations, and having read quite a few over the years this is an enjoyable addition to the field.

I did find it quite difficult to follow who was who when the diarists are numbered instead of named, and some of the entries start with ‘then...’ and ‘also...’ or ‘she said...’ giving the feeling that you have missed something and come in mid paragraph, which could have been solved by the editor/s but these were minor irritants and didn’t spoil the overall enjoyment of the book.

A fascinating read an intimate look at the Blitz at the people living through it.I find these diaries a true look at history as it’s being lived by real people. .Reading these really is living through the diarist lives a really feel for the time the struggles.Highly recommend this excellent read.#netgalley#hodderstoughton

The Mass Observation diaries are endlessly fascinating, and paint a varied portrait of wartime life around the country.

While this book is very good, I feel it might have been better to concentrate on fewer diarist to give a fuller picture of certain lives