A compelling memoir of post-war Britain. Jackie Skingley grew up with limited career choices but joining the Women’s Royal Army Corps offered her a different life, living and working in a military world, against the backdrop of the Cold War. Packed full of stories reflecting the changing sexual attitudes prior to the arrival of the pill and the sexual revolution of the mid 60s, Skingley’s memoir … memoir denotes a shift in the political and social fabric of the era. Follow her relationships with the men in her life from finding her first true love, which through a cruel act of fate was denied her, to embarking on a path of recovery.
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Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre:
Nonfiction + Memoir
I enjoyed reading this coming of age memoir about a young girl in the 1950s and the 1960s. Jackie Skingley, the author tells us the story about her life, experience with family, love, and being a working woman. A big part of the book is about how Jackie joining the Women’s Royal Army Corps has changed her destiny and life decisions.
I have never read anything before about women in the military. Reading this book was very insightful especially that it focuses on the post-war era. In an era that the world still was not as open as we are today. This memoir starts with Jackie’s childhood and her relationship with her mother and grandmother, to her problem with her stepdad. The reader will get to read about all the fascinating moments and hard times in her life. For those readers who are only into fiction, this book will not be a problem at all because it reads like fiction too. So in addition to an enjoyable story, you will also get some interesting facts and information about that era. The only drawback I could find with the book is that despite being in the Cold War era, the Cold War aspect did not have a big impact on the story. Yes, it was in the background, but I was hoping to read more about how it has affected people then.
High Heels & Beetle Crushers is a solid memoir and deserves 4 great stars out of 5.0.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher Chronos Books for providing me a free advanced reading copy for this honest and unbiased review.
High Heels & Beetle Crushers: The Life, Losses and Loves of an Officer and Lady by Jackie Skingley is certainly an interesting read. It takes place in a time before I was born, and shines a light on a way of life that no longer exists, and I enjoyed learning about many things I’d not previously been aware of.
For all this, I did find the book didn’t fulfil the promise of the book blurb. The Cold War and a society undergoing significant and rapid change were backdrops that were only infrequently referenced. Apart from a significant grey cloud in the author’s life when a loved one dies, the story is very ‘jolly hockey sticks’ and offers little of the author’s reflections about that time in history – it’s mostly a linear accounting of that time in her life. There is just not enough substance to elevate this memoir from a pleasant read to something truly compelling.
3.5 stars
A wonderful memoir.
I loved and thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by Jackie Skingley. The title having caught my eye; I didn’t know what Beetle Crushers were. I don’t know much about the Army-but you don’t have to know to read this. A truly wonderful read.
The author was a child at the time of the Second World. A coming of age memoir. Good atmosphere and scene-setting. Warmth and contentment which is suddenly changed irrevocably. Harder times, then chuckles and charming tales. Just a little way in and it was already a powerful read. Life, loves, losses, challenges, memories and emotions, all perfectly captured.
I like how there are mentions throughout the book of what music was playing at the time, as in this example: You Make me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra.
I can highly recommend this book. It was well written, easy to read, and totally engrossing from the outset.