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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
A mixture of poignant biography and marvellously entertaining social history, Daughters of Britannia is the story of diplomatic life as it has never been told before, seen through the eyes of some of its least-known participants: the wives, daughters and sisters who accompanies their men to the far corners of the globe.
Recommended to me by my parents, this is indeed a fascinating look at how the wives of British amabassadors and diplomats tried to live their lives in often harsh and unpleasant conditions as they followed their spouses, brothers or fathers around the world on various postings. Hickman (herself the daughter of a diplomat and therefore no stranger to the rigours) draws on letters and biographies in a well-researched book that shows life from the late 17th century right up to examples taken from the 1990s.
There are some harrowing stories within the text, including recounts of surviving a plague in Libyia, many accounts of losing children to disease and perhaps most poignantly, the diary entries of the author's mother recounting what happened after the murder of the British ambassador to Ireland in 1976.
If I have any criticism, it's that Hickman is very fond of lists - there are frequent examples of the kind of equipment and clothing that women would take with them which, for me, wasn't that interesting. I also found that I confused some of the women she was talking about and lost track of where they were and in what period they were living in. These are minor gripes however as this is a genuinely absorbing and much over-looked area of social history.
The Verdict:
This made me look at diplomatic life in a totally different way and whilst I think at times that Hickman is too keen to share all her extensive research, it's an absorbing read. Definitely worth a look for anyone interested in social history.
A mixture of poignant biography and marvellously entertaining social history, Daughters of Britannia is the story of diplomatic life as it has never been told before, seen through the eyes of some of its least-known participants: the wives, daughters and sisters who accompanies their men to the far corners of the globe.
Recommended to me by my parents, this is indeed a fascinating look at how the wives of British amabassadors and diplomats tried to live their lives in often harsh and unpleasant conditions as they followed their spouses, brothers or fathers around the world on various postings. Hickman (herself the daughter of a diplomat and therefore no stranger to the rigours) draws on letters and biographies in a well-researched book that shows life from the late 17th century right up to examples taken from the 1990s.
There are some harrowing stories within the text, including recounts of surviving a plague in Libyia, many accounts of losing children to disease and perhaps most poignantly, the diary entries of the author's mother recounting what happened after the murder of the British ambassador to Ireland in 1976.
If I have any criticism, it's that Hickman is very fond of lists - there are frequent examples of the kind of equipment and clothing that women would take with them which, for me, wasn't that interesting. I also found that I confused some of the women she was talking about and lost track of where they were and in what period they were living in. These are minor gripes however as this is a genuinely absorbing and much over-looked area of social history.
The Verdict:
This made me look at diplomatic life in a totally different way and whilst I think at times that Hickman is too keen to share all her extensive research, it's an absorbing read. Definitely worth a look for anyone interested in social history.
