I read Austerity Britain, 1945-1951 by David Kynaston over Christmas, in preparation for writing a novel set in the period. It was a fascinating read on how Britain coped in the aftermath of the Second World War.

The book details the social history of Britain from the end of the war to the Festival of Britain, charting the realities of worsening rationing, housing shortages, the birth of the welfare state, political change and the changing roles of women. Overall it gives you a real feeling for just how tired the country and its people were after the long years of the war, the end of which did not bring instant relief, through its chronicling of daily life around the country.

For now, I stopped at the end of A World to Build, which ends in 1948, and look forward to the second part, Smoke in the Valley, which documents 1948-1951, which I’m sure will be equally fascinating.