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jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
The wartime diary of Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly is fascinating and probably nothing like you'd expect a Countess's wartime diary to be. I would have guessed they'd be about a privileged woman spending the war languishing on her country estate, possibly volunteering for the Red Cross in her spare time. Instead, Hermione was a strong willed force of nature who spent most of the war working as a PA to senior Generals in Jerusalem, Cairo, Baghdad and Italy.
Hermione grew up in a wealthy upper class family, but her father burned through all his money and she worked as a secretary before marrying. When war broke out in 1939 she had been married less than 9 months. Her husband Dan was immediately called up for military service and departed for North Africa with his valet (Whitaker) and horse. Hermione was determined to follow him and found her own way to Palestine. A few months later the army decided that Army wives must leave and she was deported on a ship bound for England. She disembarked in South Africa, persuaded a friendly bank manager to lend her enough money to get back to Egypt and despite all the odds acquired a ticket on a sea plane from Durban to Cairo (a journey that took 4 days with multiple stops). Eventually the authorities allowed her to stay in Egypt, and she became known as the woman who "outmanoeuvred all the Generals in the Middle East".
She was a descriptive and lively writer. Here's her description of Colonel "Jumbo" Wilson who became Commander in Chief of the Middle East: General Jumbo was sitting at his desk with his tin spectacles on the end of his nose; he held a fly swotter in one hand. Tall, immensely fat, with kind twinkly little eyes, he looks exactly like an elephant - an elephant standing on its hind legs...From time to time he paused to swipe a fly; though they are sleepy now he nearly always missed and uttered, "Winged it".
At another point, when she's told at short notice that a group including Marshall Tito are coming to her house: This was typical of my job, I thought, as I dusted angrily. Apart from office work you might be sent anywhere at any moment, be asked to meet aeroplanes, do hostess at official parties, comfort lonely officers, give tea to Partisan dictators when you don't even own a teapot..."
Hermione took great interest in everyone she met, whether they were important or insignificant, and seemed to like almost all of them (General Eisenhower was a notable exception). And while she's too modest to say so, it's clear that she was enormously charming and popular herself as well as extremely hard working. Throughout, the love story that is her marriage to Dan shines through and they remained happily married for many years after the war.
I read this after reading her childhood memoirs "The Ugly One" - both are quite delightful.
Hermione grew up in a wealthy upper class family, but her father burned through all his money and she worked as a secretary before marrying. When war broke out in 1939 she had been married less than 9 months. Her husband Dan was immediately called up for military service and departed for North Africa with his valet (Whitaker) and horse. Hermione was determined to follow him and found her own way to Palestine. A few months later the army decided that Army wives must leave and she was deported on a ship bound for England. She disembarked in South Africa, persuaded a friendly bank manager to lend her enough money to get back to Egypt and despite all the odds acquired a ticket on a sea plane from Durban to Cairo (a journey that took 4 days with multiple stops). Eventually the authorities allowed her to stay in Egypt, and she became known as the woman who "outmanoeuvred all the Generals in the Middle East".
She was a descriptive and lively writer. Here's her description of Colonel "Jumbo" Wilson who became Commander in Chief of the Middle East: General Jumbo was sitting at his desk with his tin spectacles on the end of his nose; he held a fly swotter in one hand. Tall, immensely fat, with kind twinkly little eyes, he looks exactly like an elephant - an elephant standing on its hind legs...From time to time he paused to swipe a fly; though they are sleepy now he nearly always missed and uttered, "Winged it".
At another point, when she's told at short notice that a group including Marshall Tito are coming to her house: This was typical of my job, I thought, as I dusted angrily. Apart from office work you might be sent anywhere at any moment, be asked to meet aeroplanes, do hostess at official parties, comfort lonely officers, give tea to Partisan dictators when you don't even own a teapot..."
Hermione took great interest in everyone she met, whether they were important or insignificant, and seemed to like almost all of them (General Eisenhower was a notable exception). And while she's too modest to say so, it's clear that she was enormously charming and popular herself as well as extremely hard working. Throughout, the love story that is her marriage to Dan shines through and they remained happily married for many years after the war.
I read this after reading her childhood memoirs "The Ugly One" - both are quite delightful.
lisamck's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
stormhawk's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Diary entries from WWII woman who worked administratively for top generals. She was in the thick of the action. Very interesting and a nice different view of the war. Got a bit long and there were hundreds of names I had no idea who they were. Not meant to be a history book or a prose novel so to be expected that it was choppy. Worth the time.
mimi13's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not very keen on rating this book since it’s a diary, hence the real life of a real person, and I don’t like judging people. But I really enjoyed the book.
sarahtebb's review
4.0
What an incredible book. This should be used in schools to show a women's POV during WWII, I say that as I wish I had it at school as we studied this era extensively. What a refreshing perspective and a real insight what happened away from the fighting. I didn't even know that wives could (or couldn't) go with their husbands abroad. The work Hermione did as well was truly fascinating and again a refreshing insight to various cultures and attitudes to the war during this time.
I will be recommending this one to lots of people.
I will be recommending this one to lots of people.
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