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Janet Few

Goodreads Author

Twitter

janetfew

Genre

Historical Fiction, History

Member Since

January 2016

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The Jesuits say ‘give me a child until they are seven and I will show you the man’, or woman of course. When I was seven I spent my time making up impossibly large families in ‘my famerley book’ (spelling was not a strong point). I also wrote long stories or played complicated, extended games of schools. Although I enjoyed ‘dressing up’, I hadn’t yet started donning period costume but most other aspects of my current life were there in embryonic form.

Although I have, I hope, a reputation as an academic historian, I believe good history is for everyone. As The History Interpreter, I aim to bring history alive in a variety of ways. I am passionate about encouraging young people to become interested in the past, especially through living histo The Jesuits say ‘give me a child until they are seven and I will show you the man’, or woman of course. When I was seven I spent my time making up impossibly large families in ‘my famerley book’ (spelling was not a strong point). I also wrote long stories or played complicated, extended games of schools. Although I enjoyed ‘dressing up’, I hadn’t yet started donning period costume but most other aspects of my current life were there in embryonic form.

Although I have, I hope, a reputation as an academic historian, I believe good history is for everyone. As The History Interpreter, I aim to bring history alive in a variety of ways. I am passionate about encouraging young people to become interested in the past, especially through living history or family history. Many of my ideas are shared in my booklet Harnessing the Facebook Generation: ideas for involving young people in family history and heritage. I spend part of my time as my alter ego, Mistress Agnes, living in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, managing the Swords and Spindles team of historical interpreters. My social history book Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of our seventeenth century ancestors, emerged out of this experience. I am particularly interested in the role of women in the past and helped eighty ladies recall their memories of the pivotal period 1946-1969. These have been merged together in Remember Then: women’s memories of 1946-1969 and how to write your own.

I enjoy dissecting small, rural communities and trying to understand how they functioned in the past. I have written a guide to that peculiar blend of local and family history that is one place studies Putting Your Ancestors in their Place. I also research my own family history, with an emphasis on putting the lives of my ancestors into a wider context. I am responsible for the latest edition of the classic family history handbook Family Historian’s Enquire Within.

Recently, I was persuaded to return to fiction writing, something that I had not done since my angst-ridden teenage years. Blue Poppy Publishing will be launching Barefoot on the Cobbles on 17 November 2018. The story is based on a real scandal that lay hidden for nearly a century and includes murder, shipwrecks, disease and some lighter moments! Rooted in its unique and beautiful geographical setting, here is the unfolding of a past that reverberates unhappily through the decades and of raw emotions that are surprisingly modern in character.

You can read about my chaotic historical life on the blog at https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpre... under Latest News from the History Interpreter do click ‘follow’ if you want to keep up to date. You can also follow me on Twitter @janetfew but be warned, I have no idea where I am going. ...more

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Janet Few’s books

Average rating: 4.19 · 151 ratings · 63 reviews · 17 distinct works • Similar authors

	Barefoot on the Cobbles: a Devon tragedy 4.28 avg rating — 50 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A History of Women's Work: The Evolution of Women's Working Lives 3.77 avg rating — 26 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sins as Red as Scarlet: a Devon Town in Turmoil 4.05 avg rating — 20 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ten Steps to a One-Place Study 4.44 avg rating — 16 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Putting your Ancestors in their Place: A Guide to One Place Studies 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tracing Your Marginalised Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians 4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of our seventeenth century ancestors 4.43 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Remember Then: Women's Memories of 1946-1969 and How to Write Your Own 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Family Historian's Enquire within it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ten Steps To A One-Place Study really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Barefoot on the Cobbles: a Devon tragedy

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Dec 28, 2018 11:01PM

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Devon Book Club: Bubbles and Books in the Park	27	23	Aug 17, 2016 01:50PM
Devon Book Club: Historical Fiction Theme Week #4 2020	54	25	Nov 30, 2020 09:59AM