October book club - Miss Carter's War

Thank you for the book. It certainly brought back memories - having a conduct mark for not wearing my school hat - I was SO upset. After years of teaching, I often wondered if I had any impact on the youngsters I taught. I like the way Miss Carter was actually thanked by ex pupils. Being of a certain age there were lots of memories - I wonder how much memories played in the writing of the book, and how much research. Whichever way, it was an excellent read - I enjoyed it.

Just finished this great story. Sheila certainly did a lot of research and it shows. I was a grammar school girl in the 50's and 60's and worked in London thereafter, so down memory lane for me.
I do hope it becomes a best seller, certainly has all the makings of one.
I am hoping to hear Sheila speaking at an event soon. Fascinating. Many thanks.

Sorry to say I did not get a copy of this book. However it sound so great that I have sent a sample to my Kindle and may even decide to buy it.

Have now finished this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have liked to have seen the year covered at the beginning of each chapter - but that's because I have a terrible memory for dates!

How can one woman be so talented, not only a wonderful actress but also an engaging writer! This isn't the sort of book I would normally read but am so glad I did.

Now I have finished Miss Carter's war I can see the overall picture (I had rushed to comment when half way through). Wonderful story of plucky young woman who still had her fighting streak well into old age. The description of the two "gay" friends was very moving, and indeed some of the book reduced me to tears. Interesting that gay meaning good as you, I've often wondered (unless Sheila Hancock made that up?) Not sure about the ending was it a bit Mills and Boon, but after all she had been through Miss Carter did deserve a bit of Mills and Boon I suppose!

But I found the presentation in the Festival Hall with her old students a bit unbelievable. Do people think that highly of their teachers. I left school at 14 to go to Secretarial college which I then left as soon as I was 15, the earliest I could leave in those days, a very badly trained shorthand typist. Delighted to have got away from school. Maybe if I had had a Miss Carter I would have felt differently. Are there such people?

All the background of Edward Heath, and Mrs. Thatcher and the marches made me feel as if I was in the book with them, so good to have something you can relate to.

By coincidence there was an old "Who do you think you are" on this week with Sheila Hancock, and I see she lived in Bexley Heath as a girl so maybe she actually went to Dartford Grammar. She also mentioned her two grannies living in their front room, unfortunately they didn't get on, but it was interesting that those were the days when families looked after their old folk, not put them in a home I am glad to say my family did much the same, Grandad spending a few months in each family home.

Thank you Sheila for a very interesting book.

sorry I seem to have got carried away and written far too much.

No such thing as writing too much if it`s interesting Milly!

I appear to be the only person who did not enjoy this book. I thought it was well written apart from the big jumps in time and the difficulty of then knowing which year she was in. But I found it very depressing. I am sure that I lived a very sheltered life in Watford and that life could be like this but I don't want to read about it all the time. There were not enough 'good times'. I agree with the person who said that ex pupils would not bother about their old teachers. Also were girls so good in those days - looking after each other and behaving on days out? It seems like as Miss Carter got older she only remembered the bad times, when I look back to these times I remember the good times, perhaps this is why I didn't enjoy the book as much as others here.

I've started reading it & am enjoying it so far, I love the characters I've met & can't wait to see what develops

Thank you for my copy. I loved the period details in the book; school life and politics of the time. I am always interested in how and where writers write and would like to ask Sheila if she can tell us a bit about that.

I have just been to the Cheltenham literary festival and was fortunate to hear Sheila Hancock talk about Miss Carter's War. WOW what an example she is. It is hard to believe she is 81. Fantastic woman and fantastic book. X

I think the gist of her talk can be found on the festival link, via The Times. X

littleflo she was on the BBC breakfast programme that morning. Sorry for delay in replying.

Started off well, but found I ran out of interest half way through, not enough "meat" on the bones of the characters and rather too much remembered social history for me. Sorry to you all who appear to love it.

Thank you so much for my free copy of Miss Carter's War. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and was able to relate to so much of the story, having been born in 1946 and having spent 43 years as a teacher!! It brought back so many memories and has made me even more aware of how much progress has been made in some parts of the world.
Cogratulations to Shelia Hancock for such a gripping read.

I've just finished the book. Shelia is a proper author! I'd like to ask why she didn't didn't start writing many years ago? Did she always know she could write? I wished the heroine of the book had returned to find her lover as soon as Tony told her was alive. It seemed a shame she waited until she was so elderly.

Thank you for kind words, Numberplease.

Belated thanks for my copy, it was on the doormat when I came back of holiday...good social history as well as bringing back memories of school days..the gaberdine coats aghhhhhh....

Nearly finished the book but want it to go on for longer! I can relate to a lot of the detail as I was growing up at that time. I love the writing style, it is so relaxed I just want to read on and on. I hope Sheila has another novel in the pipeline.

I found Miss Carter's War struck a chord with my own life. My mother left school at 14 to work in a factory. She could have gone on to secondary school, but her parents thought it was a waste of time as she would marry. She was pleased I passed the 11+ and could have more opportunities than she had. Lack of confidence and help, and a school that educated girls to be secretaries, teachers or wives meant I did better than my mother, but could have done much more. My own daughter had the advantages of parental help, a wider education curriculum and a Miss Carter figure who encouraged her to aim high. She went to Oxford and got a degree and doctorate in biochemistry. As implied in Shelia’s book, it takes more than one generation to get results. I sometimes worry about the next generation, will they appreciate the spring board they have been given?

I also had experience of the divisive consequences of the education system. I was parted from my primary school friends as I was the only one to pass the 11+ from my village school. My three brothers all went to different schools, two undertaking long journeys to the nearest city, to access technical school -- so the unity of the family was broken too, we had nothing in common and rarely saw each other in the week. ‘

Do the characters in the book believe that education is a life time’s task, not just for school years? I certainly think so!

I have just finished reading this wonderful book!! such a rich complex life miss carter had. Really interesting social history highly researched I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank You so much for the book, I really enjoyed it.
Sheila, I wondered whether it was harder to write a novel or an autobiography ? Some people think it's very easy to write about yourself, but I can see that actually it's rather difficult as you are sort of peeling off layers and letting people see the rawness underneath. However, all the resources are within you. Was it easier to tell the story from a character's point of view, in that they belong to you, but are not you ?
I think you did us all proud.Well done.

Half way through the book and thoroughly enjoying it. I wonder Sheila which character was the hardest to write for and also what prompted you to write this book. Did you "like" all the characters or were some less lovable than others?

This is an utterly fantastic read that I never wanted to put down! The sheer sense of rawness and truth within it's pages was fantastic. I loved all of the characters described vividly and with true emotion.

Cracking read - thanks Sheila. I do like a happy ending! I was born in '48 in London and it brought back a few childhood memories along the way through the decades.
I read The Two of Us when staying with friends near Vaison La Romaine (not far from your neck of the woods). It was on their book shelf. The poem from Nicholas Evans' The Smoke Jumper, which was read at your husband's funeral, moved me so much that I had it read at my own husband's funeral 2 years ago. I keep a copy near me always, and read it when I am particularly down : it always lifts my spirits albeit it reducing me to tears!