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Diary of a Wartime Affair

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Diary of a Wartime Affair

By: Doreen Bates
Narrated by: Christine Mackie
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About this listen

London, 1934. Doreen Bates is working in the same office as E, an older married man. They strike up a passionate affair and Doreen records it all in her diary - secret midnight walks, countryside escapades and stolen moments of intimacy.

But Doreen longs for a child with E.

Despite all the taboos at the time and against the wishes of E, Doreen gets pregnant and is amazed when twins are born during the war. However, Doreen faces an uncertain future - will E ever leave his wife and join his new family? This is a story of a young woman forging her own path in a period of turbulence and uncertainty.

©2016 Doreen Bates (P)2017 Oakhill Publishing 21st Century Diaries & Journals Historical Letters & Correspondence Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Military Modern Women World War

Critic reviews

"A fascinating period piece." (Sunday Express)
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The diary was well narrated throughout. I was struck by how selfish the author of the diary seemed and really felt for 'K', the man's wife, who struggled with her mental and physical health due to her husband's affair which went on for many years. The constant pestering and manipulation by Doreen Bates to have a child with 'E' made her come across as quite desperate and controlling at times. The diary was a good insight into attitudes towards single working women during the war era and recorded some significant events of the time.

Good historical record, but I had misgivings about the author.

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The title is slightly misleading as this is a diary of the period from 1934 to 1941, and the war is seldom the dominant concern of Doreen, the diarist. But it is impossible not to admire the spirit, courage, determination and honesty of this amazing woman who decided what she wanted and needed from life and who went out to give herself the best chance of achieving it in an age when so much was against her.

It was fascinating to hear my own small village in Surrey referenced numerous times as the location for many of Doreen and E’s trysts. The landscape they walked together is still recognisable. The mental landscape Doreen had to battle through is, mercifully, far less recognisable today.

A fascinating insight into the physical and mental landscape of 1930’s Britain

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I would love to be able to read Kathleen’s and E’s diary ……. A different perspective I think ?

I enjoyed it ….

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