Silvertown: An East End Family Memoir

by Melanie McGrath

Book by Melanie McGrath

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, History, London, British Literature

235 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Aka M.J. McGrath

Melanie McGrath was born in Essex. Her first book, Motel Nirvana, won the John Llewelyn-Rhys/Mail on Sunday award for Best New British and Commonwealth Writer under 35. She is also the author of Hard, Soft and Wet: The Digital Generation Comes of Age, and Silvertown: An East End Family Memoir. She writes for The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Evening Standard and Conde Nast Traveller. She is a regular broadcaster on radio, has been a television producer and presenter. She lives and works in London.

Reviews

[Andrew Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

There has been a rise in popularity of personal histories over the last few years. It is hard to pinpoint what stimulates this interest in personal recollections of history. Is it symptomatic of a society that has no clear vision of the future and so looks for solace and authenticity in the past, or is glorified sentimentalism filling in the void created by a cultural meltdown? The working-class today are often not portrayed as a class of people that work at all and are commonly derided and dismissed as 'chavs'. Perhaps, recollections of past life experiences in books like 'Silvertown,' or Jennifer Worth's 'Don't Call the Midwife', recreate in the popular imagination the lost world of working class communities and solidarities that appear to have been eroded over time

In 'Silvertown', Melanie McGrath, through an interesting use of personal and historical archives tells the story of her grandparents and their east-end dockland family; and also their relationship to their wider community. It is an unsentimental account which doesn't gloss over the poverty and squalor of docklands life, yet celebrates the spirit of people fighting to survive in adversity. She is very sympathetic to both her grandparents, particularly her grandnother and her grandfather, in spite of his many flaws and shortcomings.

Thankfully, there is no rose tinted view of the Second World War, for which McGrath pulls no punches in describing just how terrible and devastating it was. VE day is portrayed as one big relief for the people of Silvertown that all the carnage and slaughter had come to an end and not one huge, joyous party. The east-end in particular had been devastated by the blitz and Silvertown was one of the worst affected areas.

This is a touching account of ordinary lives, which avoids being maudlin or rose-tinted in its description of working-class life. I was put in mind of some of the wonderful stories in historian David Kynaston's tome 'Austerity Britain 1945-1951', which beautifully compiled and captured history from the everyday perspective of people living at that time. A well researched book and one that is worth reading to gain an understanding and appreciation of the evolution of London's working-class history and how it compares and contrasts to today.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant personal history of a working class woman who witnessed the transformation of the East End docks throughout the 20th century

[Rose Auburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I well-written and thought provoking book. I think the Author is selling it short with the description, 'An East End Family Memoir', - for me, that made me rather half-heartedly pick the book up feeling it would be rather cliched and Knees Up Mother Brown and I say that as someone whose family came from the East End of London. The East End Memoir has been done to death. This was very different, I had to remind myself that it was not a fictional novel. Some of it so heart-breaking in pathos - and some of it was oddly familiar to myself - my Mother had TB and was sent away to a sanitorium, as were many in the early 50s from the same part of London, for some years when she was a little girl which is referenced in the book. I found the central character of the Author's grandmother somewhat one-dimensional and the constant reference to her sweet tooth a little grating. It may well be that she was a rather weak, and simply not very nice person but I felt the characterisation of her was a little cruel too. I had a feeling that there was more to the woman than this downtrodden, toothless vessel of East End hardship. A slight formatting gripe too - the lack of speech-marks confused me a little and caused re-reading at times to realise that a character had stopped speaking and the narrative had started up again, not quite sure of the the editor's reasoning.

[What Lynsey Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of the subject matter was fascinating, along with the history of the East End, but I could barely stand the author's writing style. For a start it was very strangely written in the present tense & didn't seem to flow as a result. I don't see how you can carry off writing someone else's memoirs in the present tense, let alone do it well. Yes, did I mention that it isn't a first hand account? More like a series of reminiscences from various sources folded together with a pinch of supposition and a liberal sprinkling of artistic licence. Additionally, it jumped around a lot & sometimes went into way to much detail, probably to bulk out the book.
Jenny's story isn't even a particularly unusual or sensational one. It's only the wider social & cultural backdrops which keep your interest.
I'd say, if you are interested in reading an historical memoir, read a first hand account and an interesting one at that.

[Schopflin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and poetic, as well as historically interesting. It's an alternative picture of the Second World War in particular and I'm interested in the fact that the long-accepted idea that rationing improved the health of the urban poor has no part here. There's a whole other story which the author hasn't chosen to tell, about the next generation, but perhaps that's in another book.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seldom give a book five stars, so why on this occasion? "Silvertown" isn't a perfect book, but it perfectly captures the sense of the places I grew up in (Not Silvertown, though I knew the area a little, but the also-mentioned and nearby Poplar and East Ham.) Even at nearly 70 years of age, I'm too young to remember the East End inhabited by Len and Jenny Page, but I am old enough to remember the seismic shift from the old Docklands to what the area became, a kind of corporate behemoth. I now live some thirty miles or so away in a leafy district, far removed from the concrete and bombsites of my childhood. But, like the author was, I'm still drawn back to my old haunts to look for the remaining traces of the things and places all these years on. And, if Silvertown made me feel a little sad for the things that have been lost across the years, it is a warm sadness for a place and time fondly, if fuzzily, remembered.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since a book took hold of me and wouldn't let me read anything else till I finished it. It reads much more like a novel than non-fiction, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I really enjoyed the first half as the memories of the old East End are sharply evoked. However the closer we get to the modern day and the author's own time, the descriptions are less interesting and there are far too many paragraphs that are simply lists of things or places separated by commas.
Not really a "family memoir" as the only person it focusses on is Jenny, the mother. Her two children vanish from the narrative after they return from evacuation; we have no information at all on how the son adapted to living with the family again, and even the daughter disappears after her second hospitalization. Did she die? McGrath either doesn't know or doesn't care.

[Leila Atallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the simple life of Jenny through WW1 and 2,this book beautifully transports you to the hard and tough life of the East End. You begin to smell the London air, feel the river, recognise the subtleties of poverty and appreciate the small comforts of life. As Silvertown is soon to be redeveloped I wanted to get a feel for its identity and sense of place which this book illustrates beautifully.

[Pratiti Majumder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awed by the prose. Someone commented that the book had an unsentimental feel to it and I quite agree that due to the fact that it was so unsentimental made it all the more sentimental to the reader. The author puts forth the story as raw and naked as possible and that is perhaps why you are more invested in the lives of the protagonists. Its harrowing to read about them but you keep going. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Sedona Mcnally · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best non fiction book I’ve ever read. The stories flowed like fiction but you had to keep reminding yourself these were real life people - difficult when you read how life was back then. It describes a now unimaginable London and unbelievable hardships. It is a book that draws a full range of emotions whilst also describing history in fascinating detail.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book of life at this time

[Jane Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story but what a terrible life many people have

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good description of London through the 2 world wars. Daily life for the very poor.........

[Andi Gaywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book and what a memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Jane/Jenny and her husband Len Page. I could not put this book down as alt of the people lived in the same area as I lived and went to school. It evoked wonderful memories of my own East End childhood. I loved hearing about Jenny and her life, aid felt sad for her and happy for her. I hope that I may have crossed her path when I was younger and that she gave me sound advice. It is beautifully written with depth of feeling and a real knowledge of the East End. Thanks Melanie for sharing your family story, it was a fight to read, thanks.

[Julieanne Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant social history. The hardships and low horizon aspirations of the woman in the story shocked me. I felt i caught a taste of the East end. I would love to visit London and find remnants of these places. This book will be required reading for my home schooled teen in 2013. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the greyhound tracks, the dogs were inconsequential to the human suffering. The food, the clothes, the talk, the relationships, the attitudes all governed by the docks, the tides, and the prevalence of overwhelming poverty and survival.

[Jimmy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revealing insight into what life was really like for people on the bread line in the East End less than one hundred years ago - an area that is quickly becoming a redeveloped and trendy part of London.

A graphically tragic but absorbing read.

[Bookwizz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Most enjoyable!! Recommended.

[Jenny Keenan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned quite a lot from this book, about the living conditions and social life of people in the East End of London from the 1920s to the 1940s. An interesting and an easy read.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this book had some vivid scenes. I still shudder with horror recalling when Jenny has her teeth pulled. It was amazing to discover this time/place.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provided some useful insights for a project I'm working on at the moment on growing old in east London

[Cherish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally it was good. I love reading about how Jenny's life was like from the Edwardian Period towards WWII. However the ending left me quite sad.

[Joanne]

An amazing family memoir with history very new to me. I knew things were tough in the East End of London during the previous century, but had never read such details! Very moving indeed!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

East End isn't easy place to live. Story of three generations from that part of London.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite interesting from a historical perspective. Stu's Mum Grace gave it to me & it's like she said her parents childhood was. Quite bleak but a community. Enjoyed it but not a classic.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly good because I was reading about actual lives; real people who existed.
Other than that, it lacked a bit of personality from the author, in her style of writing.