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    Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945
    Unavailable
    Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945
    Unavailable
    Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945
    Ebook247 pages3 hours

    Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945

    By Joyce Dennys

    4.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    World War II is now in its third year and although nothing can dent the unwavering patriotism of Henrietta and her friends, everyone in the Devonshire village has their anxious moments. Henrietta takes up weeding and plays the triangle in the local orchestra to take her mind off things; the indomitable Lady B, now in her late seventies, partakes in endless fund-raising events to distract herself from thoughts of life without elastic; and Faith, the village flirt, finds herself in the charming company of American GIs. With the war nearing its end, hope seems to lie just around the corner, and as this spirited community muddles through, Lady B vows to make their friendships outlast the hardship that brought them together.

    Joyce Dennys was born in 1893 in India. The Dennys family relocated to England in 1896. Dennys enjoyed drawing lessons throughout her schooling and later enrolled at Exeter Art School. As she got older, her drawing took a backseat to the domestic and social duties of a mother and doctor's wife and she became increasingly frustrated. She voiced her frustrations through the character of Henrietta, a heroine she created for an article for Sketch. These writings were later compiled to form Henrietta's War, first published in 1985.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury USA
    Release dateFeb 1, 2011
    ISBN9781608195947
    Unavailable
    Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945
    Author

    Joyce Dennys

    JOYCE DENNYS was born 14th August 1883 in India. The Dennys family relocated to England in 1886. Dennys enjoyed drawing lessons throughout her schooling and later enrolled at Exeter Art School. In 1919 Dennys married Tom Evans, a young doctor, and they moved to Australia. While living in New South Wales, Dennys's work was constantly in print and exhibited in many galleries. In 1922 Joyce became a mother and moved back to England. Her drawing took second place to the domestic and social duties of a doctor's wife and mother and she became increasingly frustrated. She voiced her frustrations through the character of Henrietta, a heroine she created for an article for Sketch. Henrietta was to become so important to Dennys that she once remarked, 'When I stopped doing the piece after the war, I felt quite lost. Henrietta was part of me. I never quite knew where I ended and she began.' These letters were later compiled to form Henrietta's War, first published by Andre Deutsch in 1985.

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    Reviews for Henrietta Sees It Through

    4.5/5

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    • 4/5
      Perceptive humor.
    • 4/5
      Joyce Dennys was an artist who became frustrated when she married, moved back to England, and encountered strict societal expectations for a mother and doctor's wife. She created the character of Henrietta, her alter ego, and was able to express some of her frustrations through a series of letters that the fictional Henrietta wrote to her cousin, Robert, who was fighting in World War II. These funny, yet telling letters were published as a regular feature in The Sketch, a British illustrated newspaper weekly. The letters and accompanying illustrations were compiled into the book, [Henrietta's War], in 1985.Henrietta is the wife of the stolid doctor Charles and the mother of two children: Bill, who is waiting for a commission, and Linnet, who works as a nurse. Her days are taken up with domestic chores and the society doings expected of a woman of her class. Between the lines of her witty and upbeat letters, Henrietta mocks her class for their well-meant, but slightly ridiculous, efforts on behalf of the Home Front. Small details of life during wartime, such as pasting strips of linen on the windows to prevent them from shattering or maintaining a victory garden, become comic vignettes with a small sting. The line illustrations are hilarious. I can't wait to get the second volume, [Henrietta Sees it Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945].
    • 5/5
      Funny and touching The home front in WW2. A good read.
    • 5/5
      Jolly fun ?
      ( seems more words needed to post here )
    • 4/5
      This is a compilation of a set of fictional letters based one the real WW II experiences in Joyce’s town. While she and her family are given different names, everyone else in the book is fictional as is the childhood friend they are addressed to. They were printed in a London newspaper throughout the war.The humour is lovely, the characters endearing and the writing good. Naturally, WW II was a serious time, but there is almost always a time and place for humour to help people cope, and I think this is a good one. This book ends during 1941, and I’m waiting for the second in this two book series to arrive to read the letters from the rest of the war.
    • 4/5
      A slice of war-time life with great dashes of humor and excellent comical drawings. Takes the form of Henrietta's letters to a childhood friend now on the front, which first appeared in Sketch during WWII. A nice look at a time gone by and glimpse of day-to-day life on the home front. Pales a bit in comparison to High Rising, which is not really a fair comparison, they being very different ducks, but would likely fit the same sort of reading mood.
    • 4/5
      Joyce Dennys wrote a series of articles during World War II for Sketch Magazine. These articles, based on her own life, were in the form of letters written to her childhood friend, Robert. Through her character of Henrietta, she voiced the daily affairs, frustrations and trials of keeping a doctor’s house running though the changes that war inevitably brought.. With humor, verve and grace, Henrietta and her friends spring to life and everything from tea parties to their fears of Nazi invasion are covered. Many of these “letters” are accompanied by black and white line drawings that add to the overall amusement. Henrietta lives in a small coastal village in Devon. Her articles are peopled with quirky, endearing characters and actually give one a fairly accurate picture of upper middle class life in Britain during the war.From worrying about her children, one a soldier and the other working as a nurse to worrying about what to put on the dinner table, Henrietta appears to be a rather mild woman but nothing much gets past her, and she has plenty to say about her friends and neighbours, painting a vivid picture of village life.Extremely clever, optimistic and, at times laugh-out-loud funny, Henrietta’s War was a fun read. This book covered the years 1939 to 1941, and there is a sequel called Henrietta Sees It Through that covers the remaining war years.
    • 4/5
      This was original published as serialized letters during World War II. They are written from one childhood friend, Henrietta, who is married and living in Devonshire, to another, Robert, who is on the front lines. Henrietta paints a sweet picture of the Devonshire community where she lives. She tells him about how the war is affecting them and about the causes everyone is taking up in the war effort. It reminded me a bit of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. It shows what happens to a tight-knit community when it’s thrown into a war. You still have your regular life, but everything takes a backseat to the war. The book manages to find humor in the midst of a serious situation, providing levity in a time that people desperately needed it. “And then, suddenly, the sheer incredibility of this war struck me, as it does all of us from time to time, like a blow.” 
    • 5/5
      Yesterday was "Black Friday" and instead of shopping my brains out, I read this wonderful little book. Well, that's not entirely true, I did do a little shopping. This book is a total and complete charmer. There are some profound thoughts wrapped in entertaining anecdotes. It's a short read and it's perfect for a day spent in the house trying to escape the hullabaloo of the holiday season. I loved it. I can't wait to read her other books!
    • 4/5
      The word quaint, unfortunately, often carries a negative connotation of cutesy. When I call this book quaint, put that connotation far from your mind and stick to the more strict definition of having an old-fashioned charm or attractiveness. Charming and attractive describe this book perfectly...well, that and extremely funny.If you're unfamiliar, Henrietta's War is a compilation of Dennys' articles for Sketch magazine during World War II, which took the form of short letters from her alter ego, Henrietta, to a childhood friend, Robert, who was fighting in France. In them, she satisfies Robert's request for news of the little Devonshire village that is home, letting him know how they are coping with the war's tribulations. There is none of the slickness that so often accompanies modern humorous writing. Dennys' writing is simple and direct; she simply tells the village stories. And, yet, her observations are so keen and her wit so sharp that you can't help but laugh as she dryly skewers a bit of silliness (including herself). What emerges from the affectionate, ordinary stories is something that has just a hint of the extraordinary about it.
    • 4/5
      As a doctor's wife in a small English village, Henrietta has a unique perspective on the home front during World War II. Written as a series of letters to a friend on the front lines, Henrietta's view of the war is at times comical, but also a bit poignant. In focusing on the small details of life during war, Dennys not only provides insight into the challenges faced by those at home, but also creates a rich portrait of Henrietta, a character who I came to like very much. A number of other villagers add depth to the story.Here's just one example of the humor in this book:"'I was thinking to-day,' said Lady B dreamily, 'that if all we useless old women lined up on the beach, each of us with a large stone in her hand, we might do a lot of damage.''The only time I saw you try to throw a stone, Julia, it went over your shoulder behind you,' said Mrs Savernack.'Then I would have to stand with my back to the Germans,' said Lady B comfortably."I loved the resourcefulness and spunk of these characters!
    • 5/5
      If you want the ultimate comfort read, to make you feel better about almost anything you're facing, this one is a hot cup of tea, Aunt Midge's cinnamon buns and your fuzzy slippers all rolled up in one. A collection of pieces Dennys wrote during WWII, ostensibly letters to a childhood friend at the front, of the sort to lift his spirits with tales of how well everyone was making do on the home front. Full of humor and that particular sort of British woman who, if lined up on the beach, "each with a large stone in her hand" might have done a lot of damage to an invading force. When Henrietta and her husband, Charles, toasted the New Year with a combination of "remnants" from various depleted bottles, there were real tears in my eyes while I laughed out loud.'Damn Hitler''Hear, hear!.. And God bless the King.''And the Queen''And the Queen, God bless her! And the little Princesses.''Absent friends!''And the Americans.''The Americans...Good luck to them.''And the Choles and Pecks.''The POLES and CZECHS, and all our other allies''I feel better.''That was the idea.'
    • 4/5
      An absolute delight. Joyce Dennys created her alter ego Henrietta Brown for an article in SKETCH magazine. People enjoyed it so much that she continuted to write about Henrietta's life as the wife of a country doctor in a small village in England during WWII. The Bloomsbury Group has re-published this collection of the articles in a handsome volume accompanied by Dennys' wry illustrations. As Henrietta writes to her dear friend Robert fighting somewhere on the front, we meet the village folk always ready to do their part for the war effort. HENRIETTA'S WAR is perfect for fans of MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND. Her adventures continue in HENRIETTA SEES IT THROUGH, also a Bloomsbury edition.
    • 4/5
      Joyce Dennys, an illustrator by trade, wrote this series of essays as a weekly column during WW II; they purport to be letters written by Henrietta (the local doctor's wife) to her Childhood's Friend, Robert, at the Front. Gentle, wry, and often laugh-out-loud funny, Henrietta's letters describe the daily struggles of ordinary Englishmen and -women, Keeping the Home Fires Burning. Of course, each letter is illustrated by one of Dennys's witty illustrations.This may be my favorite Bloomsbury to date (except perhaps Mrs. Tim of the Regiment, of which I was already a longtime fan). I adored the motley collection of eccentrics that people Henrietta's coastal town, from ferocious Mrs. Savernack (who gives up sleep for the duration so that she can patrol the moor on horseback by night) to giddy Faith, whose heart is touched when her beau offers her ALL his clothes coupons. But my absolute favorite is elderly, unflappable Lady B., who spends her spare time writing nasty letters to Hitler.Here is a lovely bit: It is Lady B.'s birthday, and Henrietta notices with concern that she seems uncharacteristically blue. Gently, Henrietta probes for the wound: is Lady B. feeling frightened? No. Feeling her age? No. Well, then, what is it? "Well, it's like this," said Lady B, getting rather pink. "I know it's rather silly of me, Henrietta, but I did hope, I did HOPE," she added passionately, "that Hitler would try to invade us on my birthday."Oh, the Brits. Churchill was correct when he said it was the old ladies of Britain who would finally break Hitler.
    • 4/5
      I was captivated by this book - it recounts a woman's experience of war on the Home Front in a rural part of Britain, through the letters she writes to an old friend who is away fighting. Henrietta, who comes across as a slightly eccentric figure, describes her neighbours in a funny, charming way, and while the war never quite reaches Devon properly, she talks about evacuees, the blackout and rationing in a really endearing way. I can only imagine what the recipient of the letters would have thought! This book makes me want to go to Devon in 1941.
    • 5/5
      Henrietta’s War is a novel told in epistolary format. Henrietta is the wife of a doctor in Devon, living in a “Safe Area” during World War II. Her never-reciprocated letters are to an old childhood friend, “Robert” on the war front, to whom she narrates the minutiae of her life at home. Her letters are full of tales of her neighbors: Faith, a flirty young woman who enjoys showing off her legs; Lady B, who writes letters to Hitler (As Henrietta says, "She says it has never failed to give her a good night's sleep. I think her great-grandchildren will enjoy those letters, don't you?"); Mrs. Savernack the village's local Committee Woman; and others, including Charles, Henrietta’s sensible husband, who puts up with his wife’s sarcastic sense of humor with an incredible amount of patience.This is a short novel; it only covers the first half of the war, from 1939 to the end of 1941 (a copy of the second volume of Henrietta’s letters, also reprinted by the Bloomsbury Group, is sitting on my TBR shelf). Henrietta’s letters are warm, witty, and funny. There’s something about the tone of this book that’s very English and patriotic; and our middle-aged heroine regales us with tales of sitting on sewing bee committees, dealing with the people from London who invade every summer (and say things like, “you people down here don’t understand how the war really is”), gardening with lumbago while wearing a hot water bottle on her back, and going to court for showing a light during a blackout.All of the people in the village jump off the page, and are a delight to read about; even Henrietta’s dog, Perry, is a vibrant character in the book! The war itself isn’t a major part of this book, but it deals more with how average English people deal with the war, even in a place like Devonshire. In many ways, it reminds me a lot of Good Evening Mrs. Craven, by Mollie Panter-Downes, a collection of short stories about average Britons during the war. Henrietta’s War is a book that’s just as enjoyable, and highly recommended; I found myself laughing out loud in many places. I read it in one sitting, and I’m eager to read the further adventures of Henrietta in the follow-up, Henrietta Sees it Through.
    • 4/5
      Reason for Reading: I am reading all The Bloomsbury Group books.Joyce Dennys who at the time was more known for her illustrations and aid work during WWI found her time more limited during WWII, being now taken up almost full-time as a mother and doctor's wife so she turned to writing, publishing a fictional letter from "Henrietta" to a dear "Childhood's Friend" on the war front about daily life back on the home front. The article proved so popular that Henrietta's letters became a regular feature in Sketch. The letters were first collected into book form in 1985.Each letter is accompanied by one humorous illustration. The letters mostly deal with the local shenanigans going on around the village. The gossip, whose mad at who and why, the embarrassing things that happen to the writer plus the author also shows her concern for her reader "Robert", talks of the war occasionally, then gets back on track remembering her letters are supposed to make Robert forget the war and think of home.Of course, the town is filled with eccentric characters such as the dominating Lady B. with a dog the size of a rat and the will of Hitler, the bossy though very efficient Mrs. Saversnack, the dreamy-headed flirtatious Faith and the shy absolutely smitten Composer who is madly in love with her. Then there is Henrietta herself who is a bit of a klutz and will get into the strangest situations or find herself watching one delightedly and her doctor husband who being the strong, silent type stays mainly in the background.The book is whimsical and quaint. While concentrating on everyday life, enough information about daily living circumstances during the war such as rationing, air raid drills, committees, wardens, collecting tin and other such material for the army show just how much affect the war had on a tiny village in England even to this point where it has not been bombed. Especially when one considers that even while these letters are fictional, this is source material written at the very time the real events of those days were happening. Enjoyable, with some actual laugh out loud moments
    • 4/5
      Joyce Dennys was an artist and writer who wore the face of mother and doctor's wife to most of the world. She expressed her frustrations at the limiting nature of her roles in life through stories of the fictional Henrietta whose life bears a marked resemblance to her own. These stories, written in epistolary form directed to Henrietta's childhood friend Robert, were originally published one at a time in Sketch. Many years later, these missives were gathered together in (I believe) two publications, Henrietta's War being the first.These letters to Robert detail the unsettling time of the second world war in a small, English coastal community with great wit and with little maudlin focus upon deprivation, but perhaps written as a distraction for a friend fighting on the front. Henrietta is considered a bit vague by those around her - unsuitable for organized war efforts, giving blood, being a doctor's wife or even singing on cue in the choir. The community she resides in and her husband all affectionately seek to compensate for her perceived lack of organization in various ways, but the reader quietly cheers for her as we realize her hidden depths. It is hilarious when she falls down the stairs (see one of the charming illustrations above) and immediately begins to fantasize about the time she will now be able to spend in bed avoiding chores. Frightfully humorous but too close to home when she realizes that marketing is depriving the women of her Devonshire village of their once good looks. And laughably ridiculous when the demands of filling out a simple form with computations nearly sends her over the edge. But what emerges at the end, is a portrait of traditional housekeeping that is both an insightful window into another time and a reminder that women are meant for more than the roles written for them.The book concludes on a quiet note on a Christmas night. Perfect for the weather here, perfect for the season complete with a gentle reminder of a more meaningful viewpoint some twenty or so pages before the end:"Lady B smiled happily. 'The secret of happiness is to adopt this attitude towards possessions,' she said - and she made a pushing-away gesture with her hands - 'rather than this,' and she pulled an imaginary treasure to her bosom. 'Once you drop the grabbing habit everything is plain sailing.' "