Stranger in the House: Women's Stories of Men Returning from the Second World War: 2
Read by Lesley Manville. Abridged by Neville Teller. With contributions from the author, Mollie Lodder, Amy Clifford, Carol Cooper and Stephanie Hess. A moving and honest look at how war altered ordinary women's lives forever. More than four million servicemen returned home over the course of 1945 and 1946 after the most destructive war in history. Much has been written and spoken about men's experiences of the war but, uniquely, STRANGER IN THE HOUSE focuses on the women's side of the story which has been largely ignored in the intervening years. STRANGER IN THE HOUSE took JULIE SUMMERS on a remarkable personal journey. During the three years spent researching the book, she travelled all round Britain and across the world meeting the feisty and courageous women who had rarely, if ever before, spoken about 'their war'. She found out how they coped when the door of the family home closed for the first time behind their 'returning hero'. This recording brings to life some of these remarkable women's stories. Human, poignant and often humorous, they are testaments to a quiet, everyday courage which has been little recognised - and they are stories which have a very real resonance for us today as wars continue to destroy and disrupt the lives of families all over the world.