The House In South Road

by Joyce Storey

In this new edition of Joyce Storey's autobiography, the previous three editions are amalgamated and the complete story of her life is told. Born near Bristol in 1917, Joyce began her autobiography at age 66. The House in South Road follows her pre-war life in Bristol, an era of chocolate factories and glamorous silent movies. With a brilliant eye for the comic in the tragic, Joyce unfolds her experiences at school, her first job, her first love, and a mismatched marriage. During the war Joyce is a mother of two and her RAF husband is rarely on leave, and after the war Joyce begins to enjoy the luxury of a prefab house, first holidays, and the growing independence of her four children, but suffers a breakdown in her marriage and her husband's final illness. With humor and intelligence, Joyce Storey charts a good deal of the 20th Century.

Genres: Autobiography, Nonfiction, Memoir, British Literature

452 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read, while moving house .... enjoyed
....

[Darla Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and compelling. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a sense of the plight of families in Great Britain in wartime. While the actual details of that time period were fairly scarce, the people and their emotions were very real. I did feel sadness for the author due to her having been a victim so often throughout her life, having experienced tuberculosis as a very young child and feeling herself abandoned at a hospital for 18 months during which time she only saw her parents from afar and only a couple of times. The sense of abandonment and the fear that she had brought it on herself because she was "bad", these wretched feelings characterized and defined the author's life from thereon. She seemed at times throughout the book to be a half a person or only impersonating a person. I felt her bewilderment and despair over and over especially as applies to the time period and the way women were supposed to behave and react.

[Ann Summerville]

I loved this book, mainly because it brought back memories of my childhood in England. It was a sad time for women who wanted to be independent and were so restricted. Such a difficult life for those growing up in England during the war years.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book..it was so enjoyable and easy to read. I live in the area it is written about so found it interesting on that account as well as just being a great autobiography.

[Alison Gray]

Nice book detailing life during a lost era

[Cristina Reid]

Sad book for a women's libber who had a lot of chance, but one kee3pon, the working classes and the poverty of soul that existed for women, and I loved the fact that broke away and actually expressed herself and had time and money to do something she wanted, the attitude of the husband is not knew just as was for thousand of Women back then.

Women became detached and angry and uninterested, like a mouse on a wheel.

[Robyn Davill · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a wonderful memoir written by a woman who lived in England from the 1920's to 2001. This period covered such great social change, WW2, women's rights, a universal health care and education system amongst other things. Through Joyce's life she covers difficult family relations, marriage and work as well as great joy found in her children, family and home making. This is a very enjoyable informative read and a valuable social comment of a difficult period of history to live through..

[Pam Boardman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first looked at the book I thought that it would be boring. It is just the story of the life of an ordinary woman. I was wrong! She lived from 1917 to 2001, a similar time as my mother, and I realised what a hard time they had and how lucky I have been. The biggest difference was that they had little if any control over having babies. Also the lack of comfort we take for granted.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about another time and another place. A bit of history of post-war England by someone who lived it, told with humour and feeling. Well worth a read.

[Sheila Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story. It makes you realise how things have changed for the working class in a relatively short time

[Debbie Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at the past and society’s expectations of women. Makes me glad I wasn’t born then. Not a fantastic book but still worth a read.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ½

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true joy of Bookcrossing - a really enjoyable book I might well not otherwise have read.

This was something of a balm for a Nella Last-deprived state having come to the end of Nella's published diaries. Initially I missed the contemporaneous recording of the diary form and was a little worried about the portentous comments which so often characterise autobiography "Little did I know..." However as I read on, I did not find the book hackneyed.

Joyce Storey's life and family relationships were complicated, not in the 'tragic childhoods' genre but very sad all the same. i found it a fascinating portrayal of life in the mid 20th Century. So much has been written about the Second World War and the Home Front, yet I found this fresh. It was interesting to read the postscript by one of Joyce's children. What I would have enjoyed still more is to hear Joyce reading aloud so that the proper Bristolian accent - 'Shrampton' for Shirehampton for example - could add to the authenticity of the book.

[Jane Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book description sounded great but reading it I'm not drawn into it & finding it hard going.