Customer Reviews
Best book I've read in a long time - By: Mrs. Nichola A. L. Murphy, 29 Jul 2008 
I love reading & frequently devour a book a day on holiday. I've recently had ample time to read after a holiday & recuperation from an operation. This was probably my favourite book out of all the ones I've readin that time. The openness of the women was surprising for the period, for instance how they thought you could conceive a girl rather than a boy. It was an eye opener & I could see how my Grand Parents may have lived. I've lent this book to my Mum & hope she enjoys it as much as I did. A really lovely read & I would recommend to anyone who is interestedin people and/or period books.
Gels reunited - By: Dr. Cath L. Murphy, 21 Jul 2008 
This is the story of the Cooperative Correspondence Club, a group of women, who between 1935 & 1990, circulated a magazine to which they all contributed. There were several examples of these forerunners to the Book Club, but the CCC has become the subject of this book because it was donated to the Mass Observation Archive & discovered by Jenna Baileyin the course of other work.
Through the remaining material & interviews with the surviving women & their families, Bailey has pieced together a detailed record of the lives of the educated middle-class female during one of the most turbulent centuriesin human history. It's a fascinating read - well edited accounts of the lives of others usually are - which shatters certain cosy illusions about the good old days. There were frank discussions about sex, for example, husbands who could easily rival modern day equivalents for self obsession & navel inspection & deadening, pointless rules about women's career aspirations. My only criticism is that the focus is very firmly on the day to day & biographical. The magazine was set up to allow the women to share views & opinions as well & while there are tantalising mentions of topical discussions, these are not included, while a great deal of space is given to the depression & subsequent breakdown of one member following the birth of a Down's Syndrome baby. There's always a temptation with this kind of material, to satisfy the eavesdropperin the reader & here was a place where I felt Bailey succumbed. This apart, the fresh & lively voices of the contributors shine through & it is not a surprise to hear that many of them became friendsin person & eventually met on an annual basis.
A fascinating read - By: Clare Booth, 07 May 2008 This is the first book I have ever reviewed - anywhere! However I was so spellbound by this wonderful collection of extracts from the CCC that I felt I had to let others know what a fascinating read it is. As a working mother of three I am grateful that I have had the chance to combine both roles - & empathised with the plight of these highly intelligent, opinionated women forced to give up work after marriage & often left feeling very isolated at home with very young children. You get to know these women so wellin the course of the book - the confessional style makes you feel as though you know them personally - & by the end I felt strangely disappointed that I hadn't had the chance to meet them. A compelling read - have bought 4 more copies of the book to give to friends!
Part history, part biography, totally interesting....... - By: M. Butler, 17 Feb 2008 Thesis...Mass Observation Unit....all sounds such an unlikely premise for an absorbing read, but this book is exactly that. Jenna Bailey uncovered the story of the CCC (the Cooperative Correspondence Club), a group of women coping with family life during wartime Britainin the 1940s & after, whilst searching for a suitable subject for her Masters thesis. The CCC was formed when a cry of helpin the shape of a letter to `Nursery World' magazine was answered by an assortment of other lively, intelligent women eager to connect with a world outside of domestic drudgery & child rearing.
`Can Any Mother Help Me?' is part history, how women coped during that period & what was expected of them, & part biography, each of the participants have really rather interesting lives. A well presented & rivetting read - highly recommended.
before the internet - By: Amy Bell, 31 Oct 2007 I loved this book. As a mother I know how isolating being at home can be, & this books gives a great example of how women used their ingenuity to keepin touchin the days before cheap technology. The stories are wonderful, & I felt I really got to know the women, even though they were anonymous. A great read, & can be readin little bursts if you don't have much time!
