Voices in the Street: Growing Up in Dundee

by Maureen Reynolds (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $24.67

  Born in Dundee in 1938, Maureen Reynolds grew up in wartime Scotland, a young girl surrounded by adult concerns. There was the endless queuing for rations that never seemed to stretch quite far enough, the blackouts and the air raids. But, if times were hard, they were also simpler and, in Voices in the Street , Maureen remembers with great fondness her early years with her wise old grandad, the enjoyment of riding on tram cars, the weekly wash-house gossip and the people and places of her childhood.When she left school at fifteen, Maureen immediately started her working life with a job at the local sweetie factory. Coming of age in the era of Teddy Boys and rock 'n' roll, she enjoyed dancing with her best friend Betty. Then, as Maureen grew up, she found her love, only to see him borrowed in the name of National Service. But, through good times and bad, she would never forget growing up in Dundee. Voices in the Street is an intimate and moving account of a life, reflecting the memories, hopes and fears of a generation.

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.47

  This book presents a nostalgic account of life growing up in wartime Scotland. Born in Dundee in 1938, Maureen Reynolds grew up in wartime Scotland, a young girl surrounded by adult concerns - the endless queuing for rations that never seemed to stretch quite far enough, the blackouts and air raids - and as she came of age, a whole generation seemed to suddenly do the same, with the rise of the Teddy Boy and rock and roll. A memoir written with the grace and lucidity of a novel, Voices in the Street chronicles a life of typical proportions with all the heartache and hope that entails, and reminds us that the most commonplace stories, properly told, can give a greater insight into a time and place than any of the more exceptional. With great candour and earnestness, Maureen Reynolds' reminiscences of growing up with her wise, kind Grandad, of lumpy porridge, of tramcars and of broth night, of finding her love and then seeing him borrowed for the sake of National Service, will strike a chord with all those who see their own memories reflected there, and for everyone else Voices in the Street provides an intricate, caring portrait of a life and of a generation.