madeleinesbookshelf's Reviews (96)

Our Hidden Lives: The Everyday Diaries of a Forgotten Britain, 1945-1948

Simon Garfield

4.0

emotional reflective fast-paced

---

This book compiles diary entries from everyday British people who sent their entries in to the Mass Observation project. Very recommended for showing a human everyday perspective on 1945-1948. One doesn’t agree with everything they write, as they have racial and gender prejudices of the time, but this shows humans aren’t just black or white. 

The Long Week End: A Social History of Great Britain, 1918-1939

Robert Graves, Alan Hodge

3.5

informative medium-paced

The Everyday Dancer

Deborah Bull

4.0

informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

---

Structured in vignettes of a dancers day from morning to night, this nice book gives a look into the behind the scenes of the Royal Ballet. 

The House at Riverton

Kate Morton

3.75

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Rise and Fall of the Matinée Idol: Past Deities of Stage and Screen, Their Roles, Their Magic, and Their Worshippers

Anthony Curtis

3.5

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

The Making of Markova: Diaghilev's Baby Ballerina to Groundbreaking Icon

Tina Sutton

4.0

informative reflective medium-paced

The Royal Ballet: 75 Years

Zoë Anderson

3.75

informative reflective medium-paced

Bloomsbury Ballerina: Lydia Lopokova, Imperial Dancer and Mrs John Maynard Keynes

Judith Mackrell

4.0

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

4.25

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

We Danced All Night: A Social Historyof Britain Between the Wars

Martin Pugh

3.75

challenging informative slow-paced