Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An odyssey through 1950s suburbia
    Unavailable
    What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An odyssey through 1950s suburbia
    Unavailable
    What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An odyssey through 1950s suburbia
    Ebook326 pages4 hours

    What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An odyssey through 1950s suburbia

    By Michele Hanson

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this ebook

    Michele Hanson grew up an 'oddball tomboy disappointment' in a Jewish family in Ruislip in the 1950s - a suburban, Metroland idyll of neat lawns, bridge parties and Martini socials. Yet this shopfront of respectability masked a multitude of anxieties and suspected salacious goings-on. Was Shirley's mother really having an affair with the man from the carpet shop? Did chatterbox Dora Colborne harbour unspeakable desires for Michele's sulky dad? Whose Battenburg cake was the best? An atmosphere of intense rivalry prevails, with Michele's mum very suspicious of her non-Jewish neighbour's domestic and personal habits, and Michele very wary of children's games like 'Doctors and Nurses' that might bring bottoms into the equation. And with glamorous, scheming Auntie Celia swanning around in silk dresses demanding attention, Michele has a lot to contend with. Only the annual holidays to the south of France relieve the tension.

    This hilarious and wonderfully evocative memoir charts Michele's childhood and coming of age in a Britain that was emerging from post-war austerity into the days of 'you've never had it so good'. It is a characterful and affectionate look at a way of British life long since disappeared but one for which we continue to hold huge affection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
    Release dateFeb 2, 2012
    ISBN9780857204905
    Unavailable
    What the Grown-ups Were Doing: An odyssey through 1950s suburbia

    Related to What the Grown-ups Were Doing

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Rag Doll

      May 3, 2018

      Rag Doll
      11 min read

    • Article

      Notes on Etiquette

      Mar 1, 2019

      Notes on Etiquette
      10 min read

    • Article

      Heirloom from an Angel

      Feb 27, 2020

      Heirloom from an Angel
      2 min read

    • Article

      Last Love

      Dec 8, 2023

      Last Love
      13 min read

    • Article

      Home For The Holidays

      Aug 10, 2021

      It’s been a year since I’ve been home. I missed Christmas because of work, so Thanksgiving marks a full lap around the calendar. My mom’s been complaining lately about how difficult things have gotten for her. Everything seemed so out of reach, so im

      7 min read

    • Article

      One Carrot

      Jul 2, 2020

      One Carrot
      5 min read

    • Article

      A House Called Carmen

      Sep 25, 2017

      WORDS MAXINE CASE “ALL HOUSES SHOULD HAVE A NAME,” MA SAID. THE NAME OF HER HOUSE WAS CARNEN. Though most people used the street address, Ma and I knew the true name of the house. “Is it a secret, then, Ma?”I’d ask. “No, my girl,” Ma would answer. “P

      3 min read

    • Article

      Shanda

      Jan 1, 2024

      Shanda
      13 min read

    • Article

      The Shape Of A Person

      Oct 20, 2022

      The Shape Of A Person
      25 min read

    • Article

      Night Visions

      Sep 10, 2022

      Night Visions
      6 min read

    • Article

      How Dementia Saved Mum & Me

      Mar 31, 2021

      How Dementia Saved Mum & Me
      5 min read

    • Article

      When I Say Goodbye

      May 31, 2018

      When I Say Goodbye
      16 min read

    • Article

      Grandma’s Secret Recipe

      Aug 2, 2022

      Grandma’s Secret Recipe
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Cup Of Tea With... SIMON HOLST

      Feb 14, 2021

      Cookbook author Simon Holst, 54, became a household name after publishing more than 40 family-friendly cookbooks with his mum Dame Alison Holst, as well as another nine of his own. The father of two is now a senior advisor for New Zealand Food Safety

      3 min read

    • Article

      Happy Endings

      Sep 1, 2023

      Happy Endings
      5 min read

    • Article

      Over the TEACUPS

      Dec 22, 2019

      All that was visible was the top of her head, as I sat beside my sister during a hospital visit. She slept a lot so I was prepared for a silent “sit in”. As the curtains were closed around the next bed, I spoke quietly to my sister. Her only response

      3 min read

    • Article

      Join The Weekly CONVERSATION

      Dec 11, 2022

      PROUD OF OUR LEADING LADIES I loved reading “Kiwi Icons Changing Lives”. I was familiar with most of these amazing women, but there were a couple I hadn’t heard of, so it was inspiring to read their stories. New Zealand has incredible women role mod

      3 min read

    • Article

      David Sedaris

      Sep 15, 2017

      Our house on Emerald Isle, The Sea Section, is divided down the middle, and has an E beside one front door and a W beside the other. The east side is ruled by Hugh, and the bedroom we share is on the top floor. It opens onto a deck that overlooks the

      12 min read

    • Article

      A Portal to Happiness

      Aug 3, 2021

      A Portal to Happiness
      3 min read

    • Article

      Our Door Was Always Open

      Jan 30, 2024

      I once thought my folks invented the opendoor policy. Our door was always open. Whether it was a neighbor searching for his cow who’d escaped through a low spot in the line fence, a student selling magazine subscriptions, or a Watkins salesman, all w

      3 min read

    • Article

      Mirror Mirror On The Wall

      Oct 5, 2023

      Mirror Mirror On The Wall
      10 min read

    • Article

      Mayo, Sir?

      Nov 12, 2021

      I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. I was 17 and meeting Caroline’s parents for the first time. Caroline was a friend I was hoping would become a girlfriend. I think the feeling was mutual because she’d invited me to a family meal. As I heard

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Care-Giver

      Mar 1, 2020

      The Care-Giver
      13 min read

    • Article

      Character Studies

      May 18, 2021

      Character Studies
      5 min read

    • Article

      My Story The Secrets We Keep

      Oct 7, 2020

      My Story The Secrets We Keep
      4 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2022

      one morning on her way the wife felt somethingnipping at her ankle. She bent to the dirt paththrough the dry grass between her husband’shouse and the city where she once lived. Andthere it was, a little fault, all alone and nippy.Whose fault are you,

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for What the Grown-ups Were Doing

    4/5

    1 rating1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Most enjoyable. Took me back to a simpler age.