Paper Faces

Post 1945 England is re-created with painstakingly palpable detail as Dot tries to cope with the alien phenomenon of peace. The deprivations of Blitz-torn London are tellingly contrasted with the relative bounty of the country. Through it all young Dot is trying to extract some sense from a post-war world where even the adults, whom she longs to trust, seem confused, or at best too preoccupied with the day to day to explain the vicissitudes of survival in rapidly altering circumstances. Published originally in 1991, this is a timely reprint. The pace is gentle, not much that is remarkable happens, but it would certainly be an excellent way to learn some National Curriculum Social History from the last century.