Received wisdom of much WWII history is challenged and compelling evidence is brought to support the position taken in this interesting work that confronts the common myth of Britain as the 'plucky underdog' coming from behind and triumphing, against all odds, over an unstoppable enemy.
Official government documents show that imports of fuel doubled during the war, imports of meat reduced by 25%, not the 50% commonly quoted and many foodstuffs were not rationed at all. Workers in war effort industries were provided with canteens where all food supplied was off rations. Food to the armed forces was not subject to any rationing. A similar picture is painted about the military supplies of hardware including tanks, rifles, aircraft etc. The idea that everything was left behind on the beaches at Dunkirk is not supported by the evidence offered by Edgerton.
A member of the audience asked about the colonial troops, all volunteers, including 2 million from India. - It may be just about time to attempt a more objective point of view about WWII and this book seems to be attempting that. Official history written in the late 40's doesn't really include the colonial troops and I speculate that this may be the source of some of the xenophobia and anti immigrant attitudes of some Britons.
Phil Rickman - Midwinter of the Spirit
Not really the type of book I would usually chose but I might just give it a go after hearing the author speak about it and do a reading.
Belinda Bauer - Darkside
Her second novel following the fantastic success of Blacklands
which I enjoyed very much. I've pre-ordered this from Amazon as its not yet out in paperback.Obviously the part where she actually wrote the first book required much more than luck but Belinda Bauer described how she had been astonishingly lucky to get an agent and a 2 book deal following her entry into a literary competition (that she didn't win). Then some duffer in the audience asked a very long winded statement that eventually turned into a question about how to self publish - you wonder why some people bother to maintain their ears.
Elly Griffiths - The Crossing Places
A rather un-Haylike welcome bit of glamour under canvas was provided by Elly Griffiths who's real name is Domenica de Rosa and she uses this name for another genre of her writing.
Alexander McCall Smith - The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
Interviewed by Anne Robinson who called him what sounded like Sandy throughout the interview although never gave any explanation for this. A very funny man who must be a nightmare to interview as its not clear where the line is between truth and comedy. He apparently quite seriously suggested that pushy mothers are a serious problem in Glasgow. Anne Robinson's deadpan delivery was a peculiar foil for this rather mercurial character. Fortunately she didn't (or couldn't) overshadow him.
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