With her radio show 'Sincerlty Yours', Vera connected emotionally with the men fighting for their country and those left behind praying for their loved ones, and became known as 'The forces Sweetheart'. Performing the songs she will forever be associated with - 'We'll Meet Again' and 'The White Cliffs of Dover' among others - Vera toured Egypt, India and Burma with the Entertainment National Services Association, bringing troops a sense of 'back home'. But what she saw out there affected her profoundly.
Her career after the war flourished, but Vera never left behind her wartime role. Still heavily involved with veteran and other charities, this is Dame Vera's extraordinary story of her life and her war - from bombs and rations to broadcasts and air raids, and the searing heat of her appearances abroad.
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I have heard the wartime songs of Dame Vera Lynn my entire life, both in the original versions and remakes by more recent artists. However I have never known the story behind the music and the lady who sang them so wonderfully. This book covers Lynn's entire life from her birth through to present day (yes she is actually alive and in her 90's!). However the majority of the book is centred around the war years. I find the Second World War a fascinating subject in any case so I really enjoyed reading about the daily struggles and restrictions that affected the country on a personal level.
Lynn paints a fantastic picture of a time when life was much simpler and the pace of life slower. While explaining the hardships of war she successfully shows how life continued on in much the same way as before. People went to work, enjoyed evening entertainment and children went to school as best they could. I have to say I enjoyed the war years element the most.
I did become a bit bored towards the end of the book which focused on the post war years. It became more of a book about her privileged life and having the ability to buy a twenty-four bedroom house (which turned out to be a much loved but expensive mistake) than a book about a 'real' person. The small details such as the fact she would make her daughters clothes in her dressing room, during breaks between performance's, were what kept me reading. I felt I really gained a glimpse of the real person that I read about in the war years and not the just the image of a music star.
The book also gives a fascinating look into the works of the BBC before, during and after the war. It really portrayed the BBC as having the ability to make or break careers at the drop of a hat, and at times it appeared to have a little to much power and the wish to control society. I found some parts humorous such as the fact that in the 40's television was so expensive that only the rich could afford to view it, so much so that one of the cookery programmes of the day was called 'Cooks Night Off'.
Overall it was a fabulous book to read, I really escaped into the world of music halls, concerts and recording studios. Lynn's voice is strong throughout and you really feel she is talking to a close friend and this really helps make a strong connection with the reader. As I mentioned above I have only heard the wartime songs and so knew nothing of the period or the people, managers or stars she was surrounded by at the time. It didn't matter at all, I was able to easily follow the book and Lynn made me feel like I knew the people she was working with even if I didn't recognise their names personally.
I recommend this books to anyone who has an interest in the Second World War, especially on the home front although it does cover the front line further in. It is also a good read for anyone who likes a good biography about someone who has lived an extraordinary life and achieved remarkable things.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I really enjoyed it and found it a very interesting and thought provoking book.
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