When Bloomsbury got in touch a few months ago to tell me of their plans for a series of reprints and to ask for suggestions of much-loved titles to go on the list, among the books I mentioned to them was Joyce Dennys' Henrietta's War. Originally a series of articles for The Sketch magazine, the wartime letters from Henrietta, the wife of a doctor in a Devon coastal town, to her 'Childhood's Friend', Robert, who is serving abroad with the Forces, are about "the trivial doings of protected people in what is called a safe area". But for all their self-deprecating humour and their 'making the best of it' light-heartedness, they are also a perceptive study of people's attitudes to the war, of the way they thought and how that affected daily life.
Evacuees from London are prone to 'bombing oneupmanship', the locals find themselves becoming compassion-weary, and Henrietta admits, "I have been rather bad about the war lately. This time the feelings of waste and desolation have taken the form of extreme irritability with Mrs. Savernack whom I suspect of enjoying the war because she can sit on committees and boss everybody about...."
The plumply comfortable, always good-natured Lady B. says, "I am a great believer in the Power of Thought...I take a big breath and shut my eyes and send great waves of hope and courage and confidence across the Channel. And what's more, they get there!" (Lady B. also memorably describes the enemy as "mentally and spiritually pot-bound").
As Henrietta wistfully recalls "more spacious days", and she and her friends and neighbours try to carry on as normally as possible, the letters - with their sharp and funny illustrations by Joyce Dennys herself - amuse and reassure as they chronicle the seemingly unimportant daily doings of those whose job it was 'to carry on'. As I've said before, they are a delight and they deserve a wide readership, and I hope that Bloomsbury will publish the second volume, Henrietta Sees it Through, in due course.
But don't wait for that, buy this book in quantities!
I guess it should be obvious but, for this cat of lttle brain, perhaps you could clarify whether this is a work of fiction or a publication of a collection of "real" letters. I shan't be buying it despite your exhortation but I'll see if my library has a copy (quite likely).
Posted by: Dark Puss | 29 June 2009 at 11:44 AM
Fiction firmly based on fact!
As Joyce Dennys was herself the wife of a doctor in a Devon coastal town (Budleigh Salterton, I think), the letters are clearly founded on her own experiences. She said later "When I stopped [writing them] after the war, I felt quite lost. Henrietta was part of me. I never quite knew where I ended and she began".
And here's a radical idea for you, Dark Puss: you could buy a copy and present it to your library!!
Posted by: Cornflower | 29 June 2009 at 02:53 PM
Thank you for the helpful clarification; I'll consider your radical suggestion - I have already bought one novel this year!
Posted by: Dark Puss | 29 June 2009 at 03:51 PM
I ordered this book and The Brontes Went to Woolworths, and I`m now looking forward to their delivery. Perhaps one of the upcoming volumes from the Bloomsbury Group would make a good book group selection.
Posted by: Lisa W | 29 June 2009 at 09:27 PM
I have read and reviewed this book and simply love it and cannot understand why I have not read it before. I have now tracked down the second one and ordered it as I simply must must must have it after reading this one.
Posted by: Elaine | 29 June 2009 at 10:04 PM
I started reading Henrietta Sees It Through in the Bodleian today - equally wonderful, I'll be emailing Bloomsbury encouraging them to reprint that one too. Obviously my favourite of the series is Miss Hargreaves, but Henrietta has rocketed into second place :-)
Posted by: Simon T | 30 June 2009 at 01:21 AM
Fingers crossed Bloomsbury will bring out the second volume!
Posted by: Cornflower | 30 June 2009 at 10:27 AM
I'm so glad they are bringing out Miss Hargreaves, though no doubt "without fuss", but Henrietta is terrific!
Posted by: Cornflower | 30 June 2009 at 10:29 AM
Good idea, Lisa.
Posted by: Cornflower | 30 June 2009 at 10:30 AM
Good news is that Bloomsbury are 'strongly considering' the second one but obviously are waiting to see how the first one does so everyone please go out and buy it NOW!!
Posted by: Elaine | 03 July 2009 at 09:58 PM
Saw a few copies of this today prominent in the ??? branch of Daunt Books. Of course I didn't buy it, but I did buy a card with a picture by the artist Margaret Bradley which appeared in The Sketch in 1927.
This one: http://www.ilnpictures.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductDetailID=82397
Posted by: Dark Puss | 04 July 2009 at 05:23 PM