What the Grown-ups Were Doing by Michele Hanson

Skip to product information
1 of 1

What the Grown-ups Were Doing by Michele Hanson

Regular price $17.19
Condition - like new
1 in stock
Regular price $17.19
Condition - like new
1 in stock
Select Condition
Summary

Ahilarious memoir of growing up in 1950s suburbia by one of the UK's best-loved columnists.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free delivery in Australia
  • Supporting authors with AuthorSHARE
  • 100% recyclable packaging
  • Proud to be a B Corp – A Business for good
  • Buy-back with Ziffit

What the Grown-ups Were Doing by Michele Hanson

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 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 suspicious of her non-Jewish neighbour's 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 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.
Michele Hanson is one of UK's wittiest and most popular columnists whose funny and sensitive pieces on ageing and modern Britain strike a chord with millions of people. Previously, she was a school teacher for 25 years in inner London, and then escaped the chalk-face and began to write weekly columns for the Guardian. Her books have been serialised for radio and made into a BBC cartoon series. Her book 'Living With Mother' won MIND book of the year in 2006. She lives in north London, these days mostly on her own with her dogs.
SKU GOR012327795
ISBN 13 9780857204882
ISBN 10 0857204882
Title What the Grown-ups Were Doing
Author Michele Hanson
Condition like new
Binding type Hardback
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Year published 2012-02-02
Number of pages 368
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins