In her apron and rubber gloves, a smile lipsticked permanently across her face, the woman of the Fifties has become a cultural symbol of all that we are most grateful to have sloughed off. A homely compliant creature, she knows little or nothing of sex, and stands no chance at all of having a career. She must marry or die. But what if there was another side to the story? In this book Rachel Cooke tells the story of ten extraordinary women whose pioneering professional lives - and complicated private lives - paved the way for future generations. Muriel Box, film director. Betty Box, film producer. Margery Fish, plantswoman. Patience Gray, cook. Alison Smithson, architect. Sheila van Damm, rally car driver and theatre owner. Nancy Spain, journalist and radio personality. Joan Werner Laurie, editor. Jacquetta Hawkes, archaeologist. Rose Heilbron, QC. Plucky and ambitious, they left the house, discovered the bliss of work, and ushered in the era of the working woman. This is the Fifties, retold: vivid, surprising and, most of all, modern.
Interesting but a bit gossipy. I have no idea what the criteria was for choosing the 10 women, three of them were in a menaage too so it's a bit of a stretch because their lives were quite interwoven, and two others share a chapter too. Instead of it being about 10 women it's more about 7 women whose lives also intersected with others that are integral parts of their lives. While interesting I wanted more.
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