{"product_id":"9781471152559-our-uninvited-guests","title":"Our Uninvited Guests","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOrdinary Lives in Extraordinary Times in the Country Houses of Wartime Britain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe brilliant new book from one of the country’s foremost social historians celebrating those who lived through the Second World War. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Julie Summers has an amazing instinct for unearthing good stories and telling quotes.'\u003cb\u003e Craig Brown, \u003ci\u003eThe Mail On Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'This is an enjoyable book, peppered with examples of under-reported wartime heroism.\u003cb\u003e' Robert Leigh-Pemberton, \u003ci\u003eThe Daily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'It’s hard to believe that there are still untold stories about Britain and World War II, but Julie Summers has unearthed a fascinating one that she tells with great verve and style. All in all, \u003ci\u003eUninvited Guests\u003c\/i\u003e is a sheer delight.' \u003cb\u003eLynne Olson\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCitizens of London\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eand\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eLast Hope Island\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA remarkable narrative set against the dark days of World War Two, from one of the country’s foremost social historians.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOur Uninvited Guests\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e perfectly captures the spirit of upheaval at the beginning of the Second World War when thousands of houses were requisitioned by the government to provide accommodation for the armed forces, secret services and government offices as well as vulnerable children, the sick and the elderly, all of whom needed to be housed safely beyond the reach of \u003cb\u003eHitler’s Luftwaffe\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJulie Summers\u003c\/b\u003e gives the reader a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life in some of Britain’s greatest country houses that were occupied by people who would otherwise never have set foot in such opulent surroundings.\u003cb\u003eBlenheim Palace\u003c\/b\u003e was colonised by schoolboys who slept in the \u003cb\u003eLong Library;\u003c\/b\u003e Polish special agents trained in the grounds of \u003cb\u003eAudley End House\u003c\/b\u003e, learning to forge and lie their way into occupied Europe in the old nursery. \u003cb\u003eBrocket Hall\u003c\/b\u003e, former home of Queen Victoria’s favourite Lord Melbourne, was used as a maternity home for women from the East End of London, and the Rothschilds’ magnificent French chateau-inspired \u003cb\u003eWaddesdon Manor\u003c\/b\u003e housed a hundred children under five. \u003cb\u003eThe Northern Highlands\u003c\/b\u003e, where the fierce warriors of Scotland’s past developed their unconventional military skills, played host to the most extreme form of warfare, training agents in the fine arts of sabotage, subterfuge and assassination.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The juxtaposition of splendour and opulence with the everyday activities of people whose needs were at odds with their new surroundings is at the heart of this book. This thought-provoking and evocative narrative captures a crucial period in the social history of Britain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Julie Summers:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Superb…highly recommended'\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWho Do You Think You Are Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e 'A remarkable collection of stories…a rich and moving book' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Summers is a good and knowledgeable writer…powerful, emotional stuff' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'A poignant, lingering account' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBBC History Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'A revelation – full of information, reminiscences, humour and social history. Reading it not only gave me great pleasure but also made me proud to be a member of such a long lasting, valuable and vital organisation' \u003cb\u003eHelen Carey OBE, former chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57535814107510,"sku":"9781471152559","price":7.82,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31852212.jpg?v=1774283319","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781471152559-our-uninvited-guests","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}