Interesting and insightful!
I do have a real fondness for this era, so I was eager to read this book, though it didn't live up to my expectations it, I thought that it lacked something, it was a little light for a history book which was OK for me as it was a straightforward read. I would recommend it for those readers who love the era as there are some very interesting topics covered.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for a copy of “ Britain in the 1920s” for an honest review.
As someone who has been looking into my family history for over 10:years I have appreciated any help I can get for my research. Pen and Sword publications have never failed me ,
I found this a really entertaining read , and as my parents were both born in the 1920s , it was really interesting to see how they , and their parents lived their lives. It’s easy just to put names in your family Tree but books such as this help to ‘ flesh out the bones ‘ and round out their characters.
Another recommendation for this wonderful publishers.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great descriptions and fascinating knowledge that is informative! I've not read this author before but will do so again in the future!

A rather comprehensive look at the period of time after World War I in Britain. Includes chapters on innovations in fashion, sex, dances, etiquette, etc. The portraits of perhaps lesser-known or "forgotten" figures are interesting.

I especially enjoyed the inclusion of political cartoons and advertisements of the era. Recommend this most to history buffs.

This was a wonderful read for me.Written in an informative chatty style full of nuggets of information.I really enjoyed visiting Britain. In the 1920s from my armchair will be following this author,#netgalley#penn&sword

*Many thanks to Fiona McDonald, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A well-written in a semi-chatty way non-fiction that covers the most significant moments, and less significant, too, which were of interest or came into being in the 1920s Great Britain. As I often read historical fiction, I am sure I will find this book useful for appreciating more books set in that period.

This was a book that managed to pack a lot of information into small bits. I enjoyed reading this, as I learned a lot about the various events in Britain during this time, from the invention of Winnie the Pooh, which I have always been a fan of, to the impact that jazz had during a time of high unemployment and inflation. So many events happened during this period, some I knew about, but a lot I didn't. This is such an interesting time period and the author did it justice.

Britain in the 1920s by Fiona McDonald was first published in 2012 but is being reissued by Pen and Sword. It has sections on Society (with chapters on Women, Fashion, Dancing, Social Etiquette, men, Children Education, Food and Drink, Sport and Domestic Bliss); Politics; Transport; and Culture.

The sections that analyse how things changed, e.g. the chapter on Education, are very good. However, too much of the book is made up of lists. For example, the section on Fashion includes potted biographies of fashion designers; and that on Transport includes lists of airlines and car manufacturers with a couple of paragraphs on each. I expected interpretation by the author, for example, showing how the expansion of bus services enabled country dwellers to commute to towns on a daily basis, thus enabling better education and more job opportunities. Instead, we have regurgitation of facts that anyone could have taken from Wikipedia, etc.

I was also puzzled by the inclusion of information that was neither about Britain nor about the 1920s. Although I accept the inclusion of Coco Chanel because of her influence, I’m not sure why Charles James was included when he didn’t move back to England until 1930, nor Edward Molyneux, whose fashion business was in Paris. There are many quotes from Emily Post, an American. But there’s nothing about the decline of British music hall.

Some of the facts quoted don’t ring true. “Thomas Burberry founded his company in 1856, in Basingstoke, out of his background as an inventor and fabric technologist. […] In 1891, he opened his first shop, in London’s West End”. Burberry was only 21 in 1856 and had been a draper’s apprentice. I’m not convinced he had much history as an inventor or fabric technologist at that point. And that first shop was opened in Basingstoke in 1856, not in London 35 years later. Also, Ernest Shackleton explored the poles rather than climbing Everest, although both he and Edmund Hillary (who did tackle Everest) did wear Burberry. I don’t think many people would agree with the description of Lloyd George as “an honest man who abhorred the abuse of power”. Charlie Chaplin’s film was The Gold Rush, not The Golden Rush. And it’s unforgivable that the book still states that no British man has won Wimbledon since Fred Perry! Although I, personally, am more offended by the reference to TS Eliot’s poem Alfred J. Prufrock rather than The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; and it’s the first time I’ve heard Valerie Eliot referred to as Esme. These casual mistakes about famous things make me question the accuracy of McDonald’s other statements.

The tone is uneven. For most of the book, it presents facts as most history books would, in formal factual language, but every so often the author’s chatty voice bursts through, e.g. “people no longer attended balls (unless they were big state dos)” or the wording is clumsy such as “… the hall (which may well have needed to be hired)”. Rather than mentioning a “music ensemble”, why not use the word “orchestra”?

It’s a shame. The chapter on education is good but the lack of fact-checking and the amount of material that’s unrelated to Britain or the 1920s is disappointing.

A nice and quick overwiew of Britain in the 1920's, with all its major developments and changes, from technical progress in production and transport to popular stars in British culture. All related to and influenced by the 1.. World War.
This is not a social study of the British society, but an entertaining glance at what determined the Roaring 20's in Britain, from car models to cocktail recipes.

I enjoyed this well written and informative read. I appreciated how it is organised and well researched.
It was an entertaining read that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love to read historical fiction, especially that taking place in Great Britain, so I was definitely interested in this volume, if nothing else to see how historically accurate some of the stories I had read were. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip through 1920s Britain, even though the writing was quite matter-of-fact and really held no surprises.

This book is exactly what the title says it is - a history of Britain in the 1920's. It is split into 4 parts - Society; Politics; Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; and Culture. The author's obvious interest in women and fashion ensure that part one is the largest by far. The 1920's was a fascinating decade full of change and this book serves as a good overview of it.

I was disappointed with this book about a very interesting decade. The book was dully written with little sense of an exciting time

I initially thought this was a serious social history of the 1920s in Britain. It instead is a lighthearted unscholarly look at life as those in the middle an upper classes led it. Nor is it exclusively about Britain. It is filled with information about individuals such as Coco Chanel who lived elsewhere. Much of the book is filled with photographs of the author's family, and others culled from magazines of the time. There are also pages long quotes from Emily Post and others. I do not mean to say that reading this book was a chore; it was at points fun and enlightening.. However, the title is, to say the least, misleading. This would have been a much better book published as a coffee table book.

Fiona McDonald’s book on Britain in the 1920s is a conglomeration of quick views into the various aspects of this era. Obviously, to fully encompass everything would lead to a massive tome of knowledge. Ms. McDonald has condensed the information into short bits sorted into chapters. The earlier sortings provide a look at life in Britain and we are provided different glimpses into areas such as family life, jobs, food, etc. I found this interesting, although much of the information came from one source (Emily Post) and I toyed with potentially reading that book also to provide a deeper grasp of 1920s British life.

From there the book branched off on other paths. At times, the author provides a look at what is going on in other parts of the world and then revolves back to Britain and ties everything together. Notable examples would be the chapter on Adolph Hitler (linked then to 1920s British politics) and the American Jazz Era (followed by a long section on British artists and composers). Much of the last third of the book deals with the arts (music, theatre, and art), with most of the chapters devoted to the various people and what they created during the book’s chosen era.

There were times when I was mildly dismayed when I read a section on something I already had familiarity and felt that important information had been omitted. However, as I stated earlier, this would have been a huge, unwieldy book if everything was included, and some items would have to be cut for the book to be a manageable length.

Although some of the information is short and sometimes has an encyclopedic feel due to the brevity of each entry, there is much that most people will not know and thus the book serves as an introduction. Ms. McDonald also tries to lighten this up with her numerous “Fun Facts,” which make their way into many of the chapters. For me, there were stories and facts that will serve as springboards into research of new areas. Four stars.

Very interesting book to read. My grandmother was born in 1921, and it gave an insight to how life was for her during this time. Woman's rights were improving and the vote was finally available to her too.

Glad to of read It through and contains some very informative facts

A very enlightening read of life in the 1920's. The author has clearly researched this decade an era that changed peoples lives and how they lived in the UK and across the rest of the world. It also sets how how the decade has had influence on our nation for the past hundred years. It covers many areas - women's rights, transport, politics, literacy, the arts etc etc, so the book can be used for specific subject matter. Thank you for allowing me to read this book

I’ve always been interested in this time period. It’s so fascinating how quickly the world changed and this book did a great job of show how it changed. This book covers a lot and is relatively short so certain aspects of the era are quick and even glossed over. This is not a thousand page manifesto but if you are interested in dipping your toe, this is a good place to start.

I looooove these types of books and I never get tired of them.

I particularly enjoyed this one as it was very well detailed and easy to read. Some can get confusing to follow, but this one definitely wasn't.

I requested this book and my wish was granted really wanted to see how life revolved. We should be so happy with how are life or compared to years ago makes you sit back and wonder how everyone seemed happier. True saying less is better than more