Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald BlytheMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
An amazing story about the changes in the rural life of an English village during the first half of the 20th century.This 20th century classic about the slow disappearance of a way of life in farming and the local community was touching and enlightening. It illustrated well how farming was becoming much more mechanized. The many people, who were interviewed, were all associated with farming in some way often had plenty to say about the changes. Some were positive but others, mainly older residents of the village, did not like the changes at all. For example, many older people thought that the village didn’t seem as friendly now that everyone stayed inside glued to the television. The book is a friendly but accurate study of a small farming village in England during the 1960s. While many missed the old days, no-one missed the poverty; children without shoes, and many families existing on a diet of consisting of meagre items like apples, potatoes and bread. It was a real eye-opener and so interesting.
