Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Count your blessings, 26 Oct 2008
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading for everyone lucky enough to have grown up in times of peace and plenty.

Just read it!, 26 Feb 2008
I can only add to the unalloyed praise of others and wish that Nella Last could know what pleasure and enlightenment her "scribbling" would bring to others over 60 years later.

She writes beautifully and naturally, but what's most interesting is the way she changes as the war progresses. At the beginning she is sickly and weak, plagued with arthritis, and refers to a "breakdown" she had a few years before. But she determines to "do something" for the war effort and joins the WVS. From there she goes from strength to strength, and the evolution of her ideas is fascinating; she comes to see her conventional marriage to an old stick of a husband as "slavery". She's also very observant and perceptive of the people around her.
She writes lyrically of walks home by moonlight, and trips out to the countryside at Coniston Water, but also of the stresses of the blitz, the challenges of getting palatable meals on the table every day, and everyday squabbles and power games at the WVS. She has a truly open mind, always questioning and wondering what the future holds for her sons and the other young people she knows.

I don't want to say too much about it; just read it. It's one of those books where you long to meet the author; she really does seem like someone you know and admire.

Quite Incredible - read it, 20 Feb 2008
A fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. Nella could never have imagined that her diaries would have such meaning so many years after she wrote them. The detail is interesting in it's own right and well written. I love the ins and outs of Nella's life and difficulties. I am interested in the people she writes about. I worry for her sons with her. But beyond that, she has made me look at myself. I have started to look at the way I cook, wastage, how to make things last and go further. The book has made me consider some of my own personal relationships and opened my eyes to the way a mother feels and thinks about her son. It has had me thinking about my grandmother and how she would have gone through the same thing. I hope Nella can look down and know how wonderful this book is.

An Ordinary Woman living through an Extraordinary time. , 09 Feb 2008
This is a book that I really enjoyed. Nella Last is an ordinary housewife aged 49 in the second world war, and it is the story of her everyday life, and how the war affected it, and how she coped. I have total admiration for the people who lived through world wars, in whatever capacity, whether military or civilian. I think that we really don't appreciate their efforts enough, and speaking for myself, I really don't know very much about what it was like in war-time, other than what I have read or seen on tv. I empathised with her so much when her boys went to do their military service, and she tried to keep a 'stiff upper lip' while quietly breaking her heart. I loved the fact that she didn't just allow herself to be dominated by her husband, that she found her niche in the shop and the canteen, and she never lost sight of what she thought was important. These people went through so much, yet never lost their sense of humour, or their ability to make the best of a very bad situation. It is a great read, and a marvellous insight into the British personality, I feel. I wonder how Nella Last would feel, knowing that her 'scribblings' as she called them, were being read avidly 60 years after the war, and appreciated and enjoyed by people whose lives would be so altered had the outcome of that war been different.

Utterly engrossing, 18 Sep 2007
Like many other reviewers here, I bought this book having enjoyed the TV dramatisation so much. I was not disappointed! There is a great deal to enjoy as the diaries give so much detail about many different aspects of life during the Second World War. Nella's growing awareness of her own abilities and her increased self-confidence as she has to tackle new challenges are an indication of the changes in women's lives that would eventually surface during the following decades. She speaks to us so directly through these diaries, that you feel totally involved in her experiences. She also displays humour and perception, and I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Count your blessings, 26 Oct 2008
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading for everyone lucky enough to have grown up in times of peace and plenty.

Just read it!, 26 Feb 2008
I can only add to the unalloyed praise of others and wish that Nella Last could know what pleasure and enlightenment her "scribbling" would bring to others over 60 years later.

She writes beautifully and naturally, but what's most interesting is the way she changes as the war progresses. At the beginning she is sickly and weak, plagued with arthritis, and refers to a "breakdown" she had a few years before. But she determines to "do something" for the war effort and joins the WVS. From there she goes from strength to strength, and the evolution of her ideas is fascinating; she comes to see her conventional marriage to an old stick of a husband as "slavery". She's also very observant and perceptive of the people around her.
She writes lyrically of walks home by moonlight, and trips out to the countryside at Coniston Water, but also of the stresses of the blitz, the challenges of getting palatable meals on the table every day, and everyday squabbles and power games at the WVS. She has a truly open mind, always questioning and wondering what the future holds for her sons and the other young people she knows.

I don't want to say too much about it; just read it. It's one of those books where you long to meet the author; she really does seem like someone you know and admire.

Quite Incredible - read it, 20 Feb 2008
A fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. Nella could never have imagined that her diaries would have such meaning so many years after she wrote them. The detail is interesting in it's own right and well written. I love the ins and outs of Nella's life and difficulties. I am interested in the people she writes about. I worry for her sons with her. But beyond that, she has made me look at myself. I have started to look at the way I cook, wastage, how to make things last and go further. The book has made me consider some of my own personal relationships and opened my eyes to the way a mother feels and thinks about her son. It has had me thinking about my grandmother and how she would have gone through the same thing. I hope Nella can look down and know how wonderful this book is.

An Ordinary Woman living through an Extraordinary time. , 09 Feb 2008
This is a book that I really enjoyed. Nella Last is an ordinary housewife aged 49 in the second world war, and it is the story of her everyday life, and how the war affected it, and how she coped. I have total admiration for the people who lived through world wars, in whatever capacity, whether military or civilian. I think that we really don't appreciate their efforts enough, and speaking for myself, I really don't know very much about what it was like in war-time, other than what I have read or seen on tv. I empathised with her so much when her boys went to do their military service, and she tried to keep a 'stiff upper lip' while quietly breaking her heart. I loved the fact that she didn't just allow herself to be dominated by her husband, that she found her niche in the shop and the canteen, and she never lost sight of what she thought was important. These people went through so much, yet never lost their sense of humour, or their ability to make the best of a very bad situation. It is a great read, and a marvellous insight into the British personality, I feel. I wonder how Nella Last would feel, knowing that her 'scribblings' as she called them, were being read avidly 60 years after the war, and appreciated and enjoyed by people whose lives would be so altered had the outcome of that war been different.

Utterly engrossing, 18 Sep 2007
Like many other reviewers here, I bought this book having enjoyed the TV dramatisation so much. I was not disappointed! There is a great deal to enjoy as the diaries give so much detail about many different aspects of life during the Second World War. Nella's growing awareness of her own abilities and her increased self-confidence as she has to tackle new challenges are an indication of the changes in women's lives that would eventually surface during the following decades. She speaks to us so directly through these diaries, that you feel totally involved in her experiences. She also displays humour and perception, and I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

A fascinating insight, 10 Nov 2008
Knowing very little about John Barrowman other than his work in Doctor Who and Torchwood, this helped me learn much more about him and his life. I had no idea that he was so cheeky! He really has had an extraordinary life, and he recalls it in such an entertaining fashion. I laughed a lot while reading this. And though it concentrates a LOT on musical theatre - which I know zilch about - it didn't matter. It was entertaining anyway. Too short, though.

John = fantastic fantastic fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
A wonderful personal read, you feel as though you are hearing from the guy himself his life experiences. Very inspirational, he makes you think indirectly about your own life...he makes you question if you can do more to be happy and really go after your dreams. I found that this book was more influential and inspiring than some of those book written solely for that purpose.

All together a lovely fun read just like the man himself.. Thanks for sharing these stories with us John.. xxxx

I loved it, 05 Aug 2008
If you've ever seen any of John Barrowman's interviews or show appearances you know he's a funny guy. He's charming, witty, naughty and doesn't censor himself.
That's the same thing that can be said about this book. John openly talks about his life, and does so in typical Barrowman fashion (watch those footnotes, they're extra hilarious!).
The book is great fun, and as a fan I wasn't disappointed.

Superb..., 30 Jun 2008
As a fan of all John's work, from stage to screen, it was wonderful to finally have all the inside information of who he is and where he has been.
I'm not a big reader of books, but I bought Anything Goes and once i'd picked it up i didn't stop. I'd read the entire thing in only a few hours, and have read it again since.
It is highly entertaining, very funny, hugely touching and wonderfully honest. A brilliant story, wonderfully told.

Self praise is no praise!, 28 Jun 2008
Self confidence is a good attribute to have but endless pages of John telling us how beautiful, talented and good looking he is became a bit tiresome. This wasn't a memoir and I didn't see the humour that others have commented on - the best person to read this book will be John himself as he can then massage his ego even further! Not endearing, very shallow, annoying footnotes on every page and not even well written. Needless to say I gave up before the end.

Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Count your blessings, 26 Oct 2008
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading for everyone lucky enough to have grown up in times of peace and plenty.

Just read it!, 26 Feb 2008
I can only add to the unalloyed praise of others and wish that Nella Last could know what pleasure and enlightenment her "scribbling" would bring to others over 60 years later.

She writes beautifully and naturally, but what's most interesting is the way she changes as the war progresses. At the beginning she is sickly and weak, plagued with arthritis, and refers to a "breakdown" she had a few years before. But she determines to "do something" for the war effort and joins the WVS. From there she goes from strength to strength, and the evolution of her ideas is fascinating; she comes to see her conventional marriage to an old stick of a husband as "slavery". She's also very observant and perceptive of the people around her.
She writes lyrically of walks home by moonlight, and trips out to the countryside at Coniston Water, but also of the stresses of the blitz, the challenges of getting palatable meals on the table every day, and everyday squabbles and power games at the WVS. She has a truly open mind, always questioning and wondering what the future holds for her sons and the other young people she knows.

I don't want to say too much about it; just read it. It's one of those books where you long to meet the author; she really does seem like someone you know and admire.

Quite Incredible - read it, 20 Feb 2008
A fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. Nella could never have imagined that her diaries would have such meaning so many years after she wrote them. The detail is interesting in it's own right and well written. I love the ins and outs of Nella's life and difficulties. I am interested in the people she writes about. I worry for her sons with her. But beyond that, she has made me look at myself. I have started to look at the way I cook, wastage, how to make things last and go further. The book has made me consider some of my own personal relationships and opened my eyes to the way a mother feels and thinks about her son. It has had me thinking about my grandmother and how she would have gone through the same thing. I hope Nella can look down and know how wonderful this book is.

An Ordinary Woman living through an Extraordinary time. , 09 Feb 2008
This is a book that I really enjoyed. Nella Last is an ordinary housewife aged 49 in the second world war, and it is the story of her everyday life, and how the war affected it, and how she coped. I have total admiration for the people who lived through world wars, in whatever capacity, whether military or civilian. I think that we really don't appreciate their efforts enough, and speaking for myself, I really don't know very much about what it was like in war-time, other than what I have read or seen on tv. I empathised with her so much when her boys went to do their military service, and she tried to keep a 'stiff upper lip' while quietly breaking her heart. I loved the fact that she didn't just allow herself to be dominated by her husband, that she found her niche in the shop and the canteen, and she never lost sight of what she thought was important. These people went through so much, yet never lost their sense of humour, or their ability to make the best of a very bad situation. It is a great read, and a marvellous insight into the British personality, I feel. I wonder how Nella Last would feel, knowing that her 'scribblings' as she called them, were being read avidly 60 years after the war, and appreciated and enjoyed by people whose lives would be so altered had the outcome of that war been different.

Utterly engrossing, 18 Sep 2007
Like many other reviewers here, I bought this book having enjoyed the TV dramatisation so much. I was not disappointed! There is a great deal to enjoy as the diaries give so much detail about many different aspects of life during the Second World War. Nella's growing awareness of her own abilities and her increased self-confidence as she has to tackle new challenges are an indication of the changes in women's lives that would eventually surface during the following decades. She speaks to us so directly through these diaries, that you feel totally involved in her experiences. She also displays humour and perception, and I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

A fascinating insight, 10 Nov 2008
Knowing very little about John Barrowman other than his work in Doctor Who and Torchwood, this helped me learn much more about him and his life. I had no idea that he was so cheeky! He really has had an extraordinary life, and he recalls it in such an entertaining fashion. I laughed a lot while reading this. And though it concentrates a LOT on musical theatre - which I know zilch about - it didn't matter. It was entertaining anyway. Too short, though.

John = fantastic fantastic fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
A wonderful personal read, you feel as though you are hearing from the guy himself his life experiences. Very inspirational, he makes you think indirectly about your own life...he makes you question if you can do more to be happy and really go after your dreams. I found that this book was more influential and inspiring than some of those book written solely for that purpose.

All together a lovely fun read just like the man himself.. Thanks for sharing these stories with us John.. xxxx

I loved it, 05 Aug 2008
If you've ever seen any of John Barrowman's interviews or show appearances you know he's a funny guy. He's charming, witty, naughty and doesn't censor himself.
That's the same thing that can be said about this book. John openly talks about his life, and does so in typical Barrowman fashion (watch those footnotes, they're extra hilarious!).
The book is great fun, and as a fan I wasn't disappointed.

Superb..., 30 Jun 2008
As a fan of all John's work, from stage to screen, it was wonderful to finally have all the inside information of who he is and where he has been.
I'm not a big reader of books, but I bought Anything Goes and once i'd picked it up i didn't stop. I'd read the entire thing in only a few hours, and have read it again since.
It is highly entertaining, very funny, hugely touching and wonderfully honest. A brilliant story, wonderfully told.

Self praise is no praise!, 28 Jun 2008
Self confidence is a good attribute to have but endless pages of John telling us how beautiful, talented and good looking he is became a bit tiresome. This wasn't a memoir and I didn't see the humour that others have commented on - the best person to read this book will be John himself as he can then massage his ego even further! Not endearing, very shallow, annoying footnotes on every page and not even well written. Needless to say I gave up before the end.

The Men Commandments, 09 Nov 2008
This book was in my local library and as I had not heard of either Christian O'Connell or the Men Commandments I was curious.

I found it to be well written and highly entertaining, and had to check and ensure that my wife was still at home as Christian's description of his wife was so true to the way that I imagine mine to be that I thought they must be related.

I did wonder how he managed to write the book and remain living and actually wrote to him and asked if he was a re-incarnation of his former self following it's publication. He replied that he now knew how Salmon Rushdie felt and that he had gone into hiding.

To me, it was a book that you could open at virtually any page and find something amusing or true to life. I have recommended it to many of my friends as, a must read. Christian has put down on paper the subtle differences between men and women in a light hearted manner that is so true to life.

To me it was thoroughly enjoyable and I can thoroughly recommend it.

David A

Compulsory Marraige Guidance Text, 09 Nov 2008
What a saviour you have proved to be to mankind. The book completely captures what it's like to live life as a married man in the twenty first century. Reading it has proved life changing as I'm no longer going round wondering why the women in my life are so batty and why they just don't get 'stuff' that I think (or don't think) and do (or don't do)!

I virtually pissed myself laughing out loud at some (actually most) of the observations in the book and the logging of the gene differences is the funniest and most true analysis of genetics to have been undertaken!! Surely a nobel prize of some sort will be winging its way to you before the end of the year.

I don't know how many copies of the book you've sold but I must be responsible for a significant proportion as I've recommended it to every mate, mate's wife and passing strangers that I've encountered.

You are a liberator of men and relationships and the book should be a standard text in all schools (life skill courses), Relate sessions and divorce pre-hearings. I can feel the divorce rate statistics tumbling over the coming months and years as the text takes hold in society - placed alongside the Oxford Concise Dictionary and the Bible on the book shelves of millions of homes.

Other reviews here say its all been said before in other books - who cares, I havent read them and this one's great!!

Nail on the head, 16 Oct 2008
This book is laugh out loud funny. I don't listen to Virgin Radio so this is my first encounter with the wit and wisdom of Christian O'Connell. His commentary on the differences between men and women is sharp, accurate and observant. From the very start of the book, I found myself nodding in agreement with his wry observations and spot-on remarks. I recognise so many traits of both myself and my wife in this book. It's nice to know that nearly all men are basically the same. The only disagreement I have with him is that he hates cats. (I'm a cat person.)

absolutely loved it.... I read my husbands copy!, 21 Sep 2008
I brought this for my husband and ended up reading it myself.I have never listened to the show either but my husband does so I brought it on the off chance for him for christmas.I started reading and saw so much of my husband that I couldnt wait till christmas to say " oh my god your like that". I think the style of writing is talkative, lively and a great book to pull out at dinner parties and keep in your downstairs loo as everyone will have an opinion.

JOE IS RIGHT!, 21 Sep 2008
Joe is right. This book is totally unfunny and been done many times in the past but a lot better. All tired cliched stuff like women good at picking clothes but wanting men to pay for them. Hilarious stuff, eh?

Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Count your blessings, 26 Oct 2008
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading for everyone lucky enough to have grown up in times of peace and plenty.

Just read it!, 26 Feb 2008
I can only add to the unalloyed praise of others and wish that Nella Last could know what pleasure and enlightenment her "scribbling" would bring to others over 60 years later.

She writes beautifully and naturally, but what's most interesting is the way she changes as the war progresses. At the beginning she is sickly and weak, plagued with arthritis, and refers to a "breakdown" she had a few years before. But she determines to "do something" for the war effort and joins the WVS. From there she goes from strength to strength, and the evolution of her ideas is fascinating; she comes to see her conventional marriage to an old stick of a husband as "slavery". She's also very observant and perceptive of the people around her.
She writes lyrically of walks home by moonlight, and trips out to the countryside at Coniston Water, but also of the stresses of the blitz, the challenges of getting palatable meals on the table every day, and everyday squabbles and power games at the WVS. She has a truly open mind, always questioning and wondering what the future holds for her sons and the other young people she knows.

I don't want to say too much about it; just read it. It's one of those books where you long to meet the author; she really does seem like someone you know and admire.

Quite Incredible - read it, 20 Feb 2008
A fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. Nella could never have imagined that her diaries would have such meaning so many years after she wrote them. The detail is interesting in it's own right and well written. I love the ins and outs of Nella's life and difficulties. I am interested in the people she writes about. I worry for her sons with her. But beyond that, she has made me look at myself. I have started to look at the way I cook, wastage, how to make things last and go further. The book has made me consider some of my own personal relationships and opened my eyes to the way a mother feels and thinks about her son. It has had me thinking about my grandmother and how she would have gone through the same thing. I hope Nella can look down and know how wonderful this book is.

An Ordinary Woman living through an Extraordinary time. , 09 Feb 2008
This is a book that I really enjoyed. Nella Last is an ordinary housewife aged 49 in the second world war, and it is the story of her everyday life, and how the war affected it, and how she coped. I have total admiration for the people who lived through world wars, in whatever capacity, whether military or civilian. I think that we really don't appreciate their efforts enough, and speaking for myself, I really don't know very much about what it was like in war-time, other than what I have read or seen on tv. I empathised with her so much when her boys went to do their military service, and she tried to keep a 'stiff upper lip' while quietly breaking her heart. I loved the fact that she didn't just allow herself to be dominated by her husband, that she found her niche in the shop and the canteen, and she never lost sight of what she thought was important. These people went through so much, yet never lost their sense of humour, or their ability to make the best of a very bad situation. It is a great read, and a marvellous insight into the British personality, I feel. I wonder how Nella Last would feel, knowing that her 'scribblings' as she called them, were being read avidly 60 years after the war, and appreciated and enjoyed by people whose lives would be so altered had the outcome of that war been different.

Utterly engrossing, 18 Sep 2007
Like many other reviewers here, I bought this book having enjoyed the TV dramatisation so much. I was not disappointed! There is a great deal to enjoy as the diaries give so much detail about many different aspects of life during the Second World War. Nella's growing awareness of her own abilities and her increased self-confidence as she has to tackle new challenges are an indication of the changes in women's lives that would eventually surface during the following decades. She speaks to us so directly through these diaries, that you feel totally involved in her experiences. She also displays humour and perception, and I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

A fascinating insight, 10 Nov 2008
Knowing very little about John Barrowman other than his work in Doctor Who and Torchwood, this helped me learn much more about him and his life. I had no idea that he was so cheeky! He really has had an extraordinary life, and he recalls it in such an entertaining fashion. I laughed a lot while reading this. And though it concentrates a LOT on musical theatre - which I know zilch about - it didn't matter. It was entertaining anyway. Too short, though.

John = fantastic fantastic fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
A wonderful personal read, you feel as though you are hearing from the guy himself his life experiences. Very inspirational, he makes you think indirectly about your own life...he makes you question if you can do more to be happy and really go after your dreams. I found that this book was more influential and inspiring than some of those book written solely for that purpose.

All together a lovely fun read just like the man himself.. Thanks for sharing these stories with us John.. xxxx

I loved it, 05 Aug 2008
If you've ever seen any of John Barrowman's interviews or show appearances you know he's a funny guy. He's charming, witty, naughty and doesn't censor himself.
That's the same thing that can be said about this book. John openly talks about his life, and does so in typical Barrowman fashion (watch those footnotes, they're extra hilarious!).
The book is great fun, and as a fan I wasn't disappointed.

Superb..., 30 Jun 2008
As a fan of all John's work, from stage to screen, it was wonderful to finally have all the inside information of who he is and where he has been.
I'm not a big reader of books, but I bought Anything Goes and once i'd picked it up i didn't stop. I'd read the entire thing in only a few hours, and have read it again since.
It is highly entertaining, very funny, hugely touching and wonderfully honest. A brilliant story, wonderfully told.

Self praise is no praise!, 28 Jun 2008
Self confidence is a good attribute to have but endless pages of John telling us how beautiful, talented and good looking he is became a bit tiresome. This wasn't a memoir and I didn't see the humour that others have commented on - the best person to read this book will be John himself as he can then massage his ego even further! Not endearing, very shallow, annoying footnotes on every page and not even well written. Needless to say I gave up before the end.

The Men Commandments, 09 Nov 2008
This book was in my local library and as I had not heard of either Christian O'Connell or the Men Commandments I was curious.

I found it to be well written and highly entertaining, and had to check and ensure that my wife was still at home as Christian's description of his wife was so true to the way that I imagine mine to be that I thought they must be related.

I did wonder how he managed to write the book and remain living and actually wrote to him and asked if he was a re-incarnation of his former self following it's publication. He replied that he now knew how Salmon Rushdie felt and that he had gone into hiding.

To me, it was a book that you could open at virtually any page and find something amusing or true to life. I have recommended it to many of my friends as, a must read. Christian has put down on paper the subtle differences between men and women in a light hearted manner that is so true to life.

To me it was thoroughly enjoyable and I can thoroughly recommend it.

David A

Compulsory Marraige Guidance Text, 09 Nov 2008
What a saviour you have proved to be to mankind. The book completely captures what it's like to live life as a married man in the twenty first century. Reading it has proved life changing as I'm no longer going round wondering why the women in my life are so batty and why they just don't get 'stuff' that I think (or don't think) and do (or don't do)!

I virtually pissed myself laughing out loud at some (actually most) of the observations in the book and the logging of the gene differences is the funniest and most true analysis of genetics to have been undertaken!! Surely a nobel prize of some sort will be winging its way to you before the end of the year.

I don't know how many copies of the book you've sold but I must be responsible for a significant proportion as I've recommended it to every mate, mate's wife and passing strangers that I've encountered.

You are a liberator of men and relationships and the book should be a standard text in all schools (life skill courses), Relate sessions and divorce pre-hearings. I can feel the divorce rate statistics tumbling over the coming months and years as the text takes hold in society - placed alongside the Oxford Concise Dictionary and the Bible on the book shelves of millions of homes.

Other reviews here say its all been said before in other books - who cares, I havent read them and this one's great!!

Nail on the head, 16 Oct 2008
This book is laugh out loud funny. I don't listen to Virgin Radio so this is my first encounter with the wit and wisdom of Christian O'Connell. His commentary on the differences between men and women is sharp, accurate and observant. From the very start of the book, I found myself nodding in agreement with his wry observations and spot-on remarks. I recognise so many traits of both myself and my wife in this book. It's nice to know that nearly all men are basically the same. The only disagreement I have with him is that he hates cats. (I'm a cat person.)

absolutely loved it.... I read my husbands copy!, 21 Sep 2008
I brought this for my husband and ended up reading it myself.I have never listened to the show either but my husband does so I brought it on the off chance for him for christmas.I started reading and saw so much of my husband that I couldnt wait till christmas to say " oh my god your like that". I think the style of writing is talkative, lively and a great book to pull out at dinner parties and keep in your downstairs loo as everyone will have an opinion.

JOE IS RIGHT!, 21 Sep 2008
Joe is right. This book is totally unfunny and been done many times in the past but a lot better. All tired cliched stuff like women good at picking clothes but wanting men to pay for them. Hilarious stuff, eh?

Stories to revive the Wild Woman inside, 20 Jan 2008
The Wild Woman's archetype manifestation is an endangered aspect in our psyche. The chauvinistic/psychopathic societies we live in, are designed to strangle this feminine aspect as to deprive women from their instinctual nature to resist, to fight back and to overcome. Women are to be kept subservient. But despite the predators from outside, a woman's worst predator is that of her inner landscape, born of the suppression from outside.

And that is why Estes book is of vital importance to each and every woman on this planet: through excellent writing, the use of stories and a profound insight into the feminine realm, she offers us the means and ways to understand the inner and outer restrictions on our instinctual selfs, and a map out to freedom, the key to unlock the chains that hold the Wild Woman captive.

A must read!


Stories to revive the Wild Woman inside, 20 Jan 2008
The Wild Woman's archetype manifestation is an endangered aspect in our psyche. The chauvinistic/psychopathic societies we live in, are designed to strangle this feminine aspect as to deprive women from their instinctual nature to resist, to fight back and to overcome. Women are to be kept subservient. But despite the predators from outside, a woman's worst predator is that of her inner landscape, born of the suppression from outside.

And that is why Estes book is of vital importance to each and every woman on this planet: through excellent writing, the use of stories and a profound insight into the feminine realm, she offers us the means and ways to understand the inner and outer restrictions on our instinctual selfs, and a map out to freedom, the key to unlock the chains that hold the Wild Woman captive.

A must read!

A treasured book of loving wisdom, 21 May 2007
When I turned thirteen my mum gave me a copy of this book, telling me, "This is a book that no woman should be without." I was thrilled with having a "grown-up" book, and treasured it. It took me several years to understand it enough to read beyond the wonderful stories...but then one day I started reading and it all just clicked. I couldn't put it down and it has been my constant companion ever since.

This is a beautifully written book made up of many stories, some well-known and others less so, explanations of these stories and what they can teach us about ourselves and advice on how to implement these insights for the maximum feeling of freedom and happiness in our everyday life. This book has helped me through many times when I was in need of comfort and strength and will help me through more to come.

Whether reading the stories or the interpretations of them, it is like reading pure poetry. Clarissa Estes speaks with wisdom about things that she has obviously spent her life studying and learning.

One reviewer talked about this as being a book for man-haters. I have been reading it for well over 10 years now and I never ever got that impression. I don't see why glorifying the feminine has to equal hating the masculine. For me this book is about feeling more empowered in myself as a woman, and not anything to do with the putting down of men.

I have recommended it to many friends, as well as buying it for one (who loves it as much as I do), and I am planning on giving it to more friends soon. Give yourself a treat and buy it today, it's a purchase that will last you a lifetime.


wonderful, 03 Apr 2007
From reading the first page of this book i knew i wouldn't want to put it down.

Written so well and in the form of folk tales and story i found this book to be inspiring, humerous, empowering and enjoyable.

I have discovered things about myself that i have changed for the better and feel i am now living my life how i should have been and not as i was.

I have alot to thank clarissa for, i am now a much more content person.

This book is my bible too, i shall never part with it and am very proud to own it.



the most comfortable read of my life, 10 Feb 2005
This is a truly beautiful work of truth that any woman can find comfort in - when i am feeling anxious i pick it up and i am put at ease and inspired to make my next move with a clearer head and heart. I have surpressed my intuition for a while now and have been suffering panic attacks and feelings of complete betrayel (to myself) and shame in the face of society's expectations for me to conform and ignore my female emotions. But this book has highlighted what i always knew: i am the only one that i should listen to. When i put it down i have a stronger heart and a quicker mind and i would recommend this book to any woman going through powerful and frightening change -this book will become your best reference for a fulfilling way forward.

Made me want a daughter!, 08 Mar 2008
I felt completely depressed when pregnant with my second son when I read this book! Mr Biddulph basically tells you that, as a mother, you are important to your sons till they reach five, then you can basically forget it, as you will always be of secondary importance to them compared to their fathers and you should just get on with doing their laundry and cooking them the odd meal or two!
I'm sure he is right to a certain degree but, after speaking to many people after reading this, it is a huge generalisation to say that most men worship their fathers and take their mothers for granted.
Also, he could really have written one chapter instead of a whole book as the central message is repeated again and again: "Male children need strong male role models"
Very good, Steve, but this book didn't answer many of my questions or offer me practical advice as a mother of boys and left me wanting to have daughters!
Since tossing it in the recycling bin, I am now loving being mum to two boys and would not change them for anything!

Useful, 25 Feb 2008
I have read The Secrets of Happy Children by Biddulph, and found it extremely useful, so having a small boy on my hands decided me to investigate Raising Boys. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about Biddulph is that he is not preachy. He does not try to ram his message down your throat. He presents his case and is very careful to try and give a balanced view. Reading other reviews I note that some readers are critical of his belief that children are best raised at home until the age of three. I send my son to nursery school for one and a half days per week, and I feel that it is appropriate to do so. I have not changed my mind based on what Biddulph says. I feel that he has to tread a thin line between telling us things that he thinks we need to know and understanding that each child is unique and their special needs, whatever they may be should be catered for. On the whole he does this well.

I feel that he also deals compassionately with the issue of what to do if you are a single mother, and provides clear and pragmatic examples of how to look for and use positive male role models.

I think his down to earth approach, particularly his stressing the fact that parenting is not a perfect job, and even with the best will in the world will always be an ongoing learning process between you and your children is the most humane and accepting that I have read and I thoroughly recommend his work. The only reason this got four stars is because it is a little out of date and could do with a reissue with more statistics.

A parent/researcher, 14 Jan 2008
Overall, this book is a good contribution to the question of how to parent boys. However, he uses the appearance of research to endorse his personal view that boys are best cared for during the day by family members. In fact, the weight of evidence demonstrates that good quality childcare outside the family is positively beneficial for pre-school children of both genders.
I would challenge Steve Biddulph to produce a revised edition that incorporates real, direct evidence.

yes, but...., 14 Jan 2008
There are many good points in this book that were already mentioned by the other reviewers. I want to focus on the points that grated with me. First of all, the old out-dated 'research' that Biddulph cites that boys (and children in general according to his others books) are better off being raised at home. Negative research about day-care comes from the sixties when these institutions were little more than storage units for children (mind you, I only have very positive memories of the day-care in which I was raised in the sixties).
Newer research actually reveals that children who went early on into daycare are actually more popular and socially confident than their stay-at-home counterparts. This research comes from countries like Canada and Sweden where the majority of all children are raised in daycare and which extensively researched the well-being of their collective off-spring.
I am angry that yet another MALE child-expert who NEVER took off time his precious career to rear his children full-time adds to the guilt-inflicting bias against working mothers. I have seen so much suffering by new mothers who were made to believe that it was all their fault if they did not love their new role as a mother. In Britain today every fifth mother is diagnosed with post-natal depression - a mental health crisis of epidemic proportion. Yet, all of these mothers are told by their health-carers that it is their hormones (in other words their own fault) instead of seeing that the isolated way in which most of us live today puts so much pressure on the individual mother that depression is only a 'natural' outcome.
Isn't it time, Steve, that we care about boys, girls AND their mothers?


A must read!, 16 Nov 2007
I have 2 boys and I was recommended this book by a Teacher of my youngest child (5 at the time) My eldest was 10 and I had never read any parenting help books before. What an eyeopener, I sat and read the book from cover to cover and it really does help you understand the differences between boys and girls, why they behave in a certain way and all about the testosterone surges that they get. I never really went along with all that stuffabout boys only behaving a certain way because they are programmed by society blah blah! There are big differences and they need to be understood not ignored pushed aside. I would recommend this book to all mothers of boys it really does help.

Count your blessings, 26 Oct 2008
I write this in late 2008 as the global financial system goes into meltdown and the credit crunch is really biting into our individual pockets. What Nella Last would make of our sickeningly materialistic, wasteful, 'spend spend spend' times I cannot imagine!
On a domestic level we could all learn a lot from Nella's money-saving, waste-avoiding methods. Her descriptions of the meals she contrives are fascinating, and her make-do-and-mend philosophy would put us all to shame.
Aside from the domestic detail, Nella writes movingly about her thoughts and feelings as a wife and mother living through a second war, and especially about the changing role of women and her own sense of liberation through war work.
This should be be required reading for everyone lucky enough to have grown up in times of peace and plenty.

Just read it!, 26 Feb 2008
I can only add to the unalloyed praise of others and wish that Nella Last could know what pleasure and enlightenment her "scribbling" would bring to others over 60 years later.

She writes beautifully and naturally, but what's most interesting is the way she changes as the war progresses. At the beginning she is sickly and weak, plagued with arthritis, and refers to a "breakdown" she had a few years before. But she determines to "do something" for the war effort and joins the WVS. From there she goes from strength to strength, and the evolution of her ideas is fascinating; she comes to see her conventional marriage to an old stick of a husband as "slavery". She's also very observant and perceptive of the people around her.
She writes lyrically of walks home by moonlight, and trips out to the countryside at Coniston Water, but also of the stresses of the blitz, the challenges of getting palatable meals on the table every day, and everyday squabbles and power games at the WVS. She has a truly open mind, always questioning and wondering what the future holds for her sons and the other young people she knows.

I don't want to say too much about it; just read it. It's one of those books where you long to meet the author; she really does seem like someone you know and admire.

Quite Incredible - read it, 20 Feb 2008
A fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. Nella could never have imagined that her diaries would have such meaning so many years after she wrote them. The detail is interesting in it's own right and well written. I love the ins and outs of Nella's life and difficulties. I am interested in the people she writes about. I worry for her sons with her. But beyond that, she has made me look at myself. I have started to look at the way I cook, wastage, how to make things last and go further. The book has made me consider some of my own personal relationships and opened my eyes to the way a mother feels and thinks about her son. It has had me thinking about my grandmother and how she would have gone through the same thing. I hope Nella can look down and know how wonderful this book is.

An Ordinary Woman living through an Extraordinary time. , 09 Feb 2008
This is a book that I really enjoyed. Nella Last is an ordinary housewife aged 49 in the second world war, and it is the story of her everyday life, and how the war affected it, and how she coped. I have total admiration for the people who lived through world wars, in whatever capacity, whether military or civilian. I think that we really don't appreciate their efforts enough, and speaking for myself, I really don't know very much about what it was like in war-time, other than what I have read or seen on tv. I empathised with her so much when her boys went to do their military service, and she tried to keep a 'stiff upper lip' while quietly breaking her heart. I loved the fact that she didn't just allow herself to be dominated by her husband, that she found her niche in the shop and the canteen, and she never lost sight of what she thought was important. These people went through so much, yet never lost their sense of humour, or their ability to make the best of a very bad situation. It is a great read, and a marvellous insight into the British personality, I feel. I wonder how Nella Last would feel, knowing that her 'scribblings' as she called them, were being read avidly 60 years after the war, and appreciated and enjoyed by people whose lives would be so altered had the outcome of that war been different.

Utterly engrossing, 18 Sep 2007
Like many other reviewers here, I bought this book having enjoyed the TV dramatisation so much. I was not disappointed! There is a great deal to enjoy as the diaries give so much detail about many different aspects of life during the Second World War. Nella's growing awareness of her own abilities and her increased self-confidence as she has to tackle new challenges are an indication of the changes in women's lives that would eventually surface during the following decades. She speaks to us so directly through these diaries, that you feel totally involved in her experiences. She also displays humour and perception, and I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

A fascinating insight, 10 Nov 2008
Knowing very little about John Barrowman other than his work in Doctor Who and Torchwood, this helped me learn much more about him and his life. I had no idea that he was so cheeky! He really has had an extraordinary life, and he recalls it in such an entertaining fashion. I laughed a lot while reading this. And though it concentrates a LOT on musical theatre - which I know zilch about - it didn't matter. It was entertaining anyway. Too short, though.

John = fantastic fantastic fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
A wonderful personal read, you feel as though you are hearing from the guy himself his life experiences. Very inspirational, he makes you think indirectly about your own life...he makes you question if you can do more to be happy and really go after your dreams. I found that this book was more influential and inspiring than some of those book written solely for that purpose.

All together a lovely fun read just like the man himself.. Thanks for sharing these stories with us John.. xxxx

I loved it, 05 Aug 2008
If you've ever seen any of John Barrowman's interviews or show appearances you know he's a funny guy. He's charming, witty, naughty and doesn't censor himself.
That's the same thing that can be said about this book. John openly talks about his life, and does so in typical Barrowman fashion (watch those footnotes, they're extra hilarious!).
The book is great fun, and as a fan I wasn't disappointed.

Superb..., 30 Jun 2008
As a fan of all John's work, from stage to screen, it was wonderful to finally have all the inside information of who he is and where he has been.
I'm not a big reader of books, but I bought Anything Goes and once i'd picked it up i didn't stop. I'd read the entire thing in only a few hours, and have read it again since.
It is highly entertaining, very funny, hugely touching and wonderfully honest. A brilliant story, wonderfully told.

Self praise is no praise!, 28 Jun 2008
Self confidence is a good attribute to have but endless pages of John telling us how beautiful, talented and good looking he is became a bit tiresome. This wasn't a memoir and I didn't see the humour that others have commented on - the best person to read this book will be John himself as he can then massage his ego even further! Not endearing, very shallow, annoying footnotes on every page and not even well written. Needless to say I gave up before the end.

The Men Commandments, 09 Nov 2008
This book was in my local library and as I had not heard of either Christian O'Connell or the Men Commandments I was curious.

I found it to be well written and highly entertaining, and had to check and ensure that my wife was still at home as Christian's description of his wife was so true to the way that I imagine mine to be that I thought they must be related.

I did wonder how he managed to write the book and remain living and actually wrote to him and asked if he was a re-incarnation of his former self following it's publication. He replied that he now knew how Salmon Rushdie felt and that he had gone into hiding.

To me, it was a book that you could open at virtually any page and find something amusing or true to life. I have recommended it to many of my friends as, a must read. Christian has put down on paper the subtle differences between men and women in a light hearted manner that is so true to life.

To me it was thoroughly enjoyable and I can thoroughly recommend it.

David A

Compulsory Marraige Guidance Text, 09 Nov 2008
What a saviour you have proved to be to mankind. The book completely captures what it's like to live life as a married man in the twenty first century. Reading it has proved life changing as I'm no longer going round wondering why the women in my life are so batty and why they just don't get 'stuff' that I think (or don't think) and do (or don't do)!

I virtually pissed myself laughing out loud at some (actually most) of the observations in the book and the logging of the gene differences is the funniest and most true analysis of genetics to have been undertaken!! Surely a nobel prize of some sort will be winging its way to you before the end of the year.

I don't know how many copies of the book you've sold but I must be responsible for a significant proportion as I've recommended it to every mate, mate's wife and passing strangers that I've encountered.

You are a liberator of men and relationships and the book should be a standard text in all schools (life skill courses), Relate sessions and divorce pre-hearings. I can feel the divorce rate statistics tumbling over the coming months and years as the text takes hold in society - placed alongside the Oxford Concise Dictionary and the Bible on the book shelves of millions of homes.

Other reviews here say its all been said before in other books - who cares, I havent read them and this one's great!!

Nail on the head, 16 Oct 2008
This book is laugh out loud funny. I don't listen to Virgin Radio so this is my first encounter with the wit and wisdom of Christian O'Connell. His commentary on the differences between men and women is sharp, accurate and observant. From the very start of the book, I found myself nodding in agreement with his wry observations and spot-on remarks. I recognise so many traits of both myself and my wife in this book. It's nice to know that nearly all men are basically the same. The only disagreement I have with him is that he hates cats. (I'm a cat person.)

absolutely loved it.... I read my husbands copy!, 21 Sep 2008
I brought this for my husband and ended up reading it myself.I have never listened to the show either but my husband does so I brought it on the off chance for him for christmas.I started reading and saw so much of my husband that I couldnt wait till christmas to say " oh my god your like that". I think the style of writing is talkative, lively and a great book to pull out at dinner parties and keep in your downstairs loo as everyone will have an opinion.

JOE IS RIGHT!, 21 Sep 2008
Joe is right. This book is totally unfunny and been done many times in the past but a lot better. All tired cliched stuff like women good at picking clothes but wanting men to pay for them. Hilarious stuff, eh?

Stories to revive the Wild Woman inside, 20 Jan 2008
The Wild Woman's archetype manifestation is an endangered aspect in our psyche. The chauvinistic/psychopathic societies we live in, are designed to strangle this feminine aspect as to deprive women from their instinctual nature to resist, to fight back and to overcome. Women are to be kept subservient. But despite the predators from outside, a woman's worst predator is that of her inner landscape, born of the suppression from outside.

And that is why Estes book is of vital importance to each and every woman on this planet: through excellent writing, the use of stories and a profound insight into the feminine realm, she offers us the means and ways to understand the inner and outer restrictions on our instinctual selfs, and a map out to freedom, the key to unlock the chains that hold the Wild Woman captive.

A must read!


Stories to revive the Wild Woman inside, 20 Jan 2008
The Wild Woman's archetype manifestation is an endangered aspect in our psyche. The chauvinistic/psychopathic societies we live in, are designed to strangle this feminine aspect as to deprive women from their instinctual nature to resist, to fight back and to overcome. Women are to be kept subservient. But despite the predators from outside, a woman's worst predator is that of her inner landscape, born of the suppression from outside.

And that is why Estes book is of vital importance to each and every woman on this planet: through excellent writing, the use of stories and a profound insight into the feminine realm, she offers us the means and ways to understand the inner and outer restrictions on our instinctual selfs, and a map out to freedom, the key to unlock the chains that hold the Wild Woman captive.

A must read!

A treasured book of loving wisdom, 21 May 2007
When I turned thirteen my mum gave me a copy of this book, telling me, "This is a book that no woman should be without." I was thrilled with having a "grown-up" book, and treasured it. It took me several years to understand it enough to read beyond the wonderful stories...but then one day I started reading and it all just clicked. I couldn't put it down and it has been my constant companion ever since.

This is a beautifully written book made up of many stories, some well-known and others less so, explanations of these stories and what they can teach us about ourselves and advice on how to implement these insights for the maximum feeling of freedom and happiness in our everyday life. This book has helped me through many times when I was in need of comfort and strength and will help me through more to come.

Whether reading the stories or the interpretations of them, it is like reading pure poetry. Clarissa Estes speaks with wisdom about things that she has obviously spent her life studying and learning.

One reviewer talked about this as being a book for man-haters. I have been reading it for well over 10 years now and I never ever got that impression. I don't see why glorifying the feminine has to equal hating the masculine. For me this book is about feeling more empowered in myself as a woman, and not anything to do with the putting down of men.

I have recommended it to many friends, as well as buying it for one (who loves it as much as I do), and I am planning on giving it to more friends soon. Give yourself a treat and buy it today, it's a purchase that will last you a lifetime.


wonderful, 03 Apr 2007
From reading the first page of this book i knew i wouldn't want to put it down.

Written so well and in the form of folk tales and story i found this book to be inspiring, humerous, empowering and enjoyable.

I have discovered things about myself that i have changed for the better and feel i am now living my life how i should have been and not as i was.

I have alot to thank clarissa for, i am now a much more content person.

This book is my bible too, i shall never part with it and am very proud to own it.



the most comfortable read of my life, 10 Feb 2005
This is a truly beautiful work of truth that any woman can find comfort in - when i am feeling anxious i pick it up and i am put at ease and inspired to make my next move with a clearer head and heart. I have surpressed my intuition for a while now and have been suffering panic attacks and feelings of complete betrayel (to myself) and shame in the face of society's expectations for me to conform and ignore my female emotions. But this book has highlighted what i always knew: i am the only one that i should listen to. When i put it down i have a stronger heart and a quicker mind and i would recommend this book to any woman going through powerful and frightening change -this book will become your best reference for a fulfilling way forward.

A Doll's House is a masterpiece, 08 Mar 2005
I read this book not knowing what to expect (my partner is studying Enlish Lit' with the Open University and it is on her reading list).

I think it is a masterpiece, so much drama and suspense trapped inside such a small play, it is very clever and also leaves you feeling that you are a better person for having read it.

My partner paid £0.99 for this book, I would say this price does the book an injustice. A classic to rival 'The Medea'

A brilliant play on Marrige, Supression and Feminisme., 22 Jan 2003
Henrik Ibsen in one of the most famous Norwegian writers thoughout the world. And he is known for his plays where he gives a critical view upon the society.
In this play, everything happens around the main character Nora. She is innocent, naiv and has no education at all, just like most women of her social rank had at that time. Her husband, Torvald, is well known in the city, and his wife is just a "doll". She isn't supposed to have opinions on anything, just smile and look pretty in this male dominated world.
When Torvald Helmer finds out that his wife has "stole" money from her father to be able to pay for a health insitution for him, he's shocked. Nora, not understand what she might have done wrong, was only trying to help her husband, and yet protect her dying father. She wakes up, starting feel independant, wanting to discover herself...
Ibsen was a master of showing different sides of the social levels, and giving a critic view on what he didn't like. He has done it yet again, focusing on the marriage of these two people. Supression and a male dominated world is central aspects, and also the growing feminisme.
The book is worth reading for anyone how loves to read. It is truly one of Ibsen's best plays!

Themes and images I enjoyed thinking about., 26 Jan 2001
When I completed reading, "A Doll's House", by Henrik Ibsen, I had thoroughly enjoyed, this particluar piece of literature and thought about how its themes and images, relate to my own personal experiences. Not only does the play have its motives for the past, but it also serves as a revealing a moral message for modern day society.

Whilst reading the text, Ibsen allows me to mentally picture, "A Doll's House", by so many walls and "doors", which confined the chararcters to becoming alienated within their own environment.

From beginning to end, the text focuses on how Nora becomes isolated by her husband's dominance, which is portrayed through his patronizing behaviour. He calls her, "little spendrift", "little squirrel" and manipulates his, "doll wife" when he articulates her moves, for practicing the "Tarrantella". Overall, Nora becomes the, "songbird" trapped within a cage.

Krogstad is symbolic for bringing the threat of the outside world, into Nora's idealized home, through his blackmailing behaviour. It is frightening to know the damage it causes to ruin a beautiful relationship, which is based on a lie, that metophorically contaminates and poisons individuals within an enclosed home.I found that the atmosphere was so stifiling for the characters,I felt symapthetic towards them.

Ibsen's moral message entails, in order for women to feel independent, they need to get to know themselves, so they are able to experience, develop knowledge and deal with the outside world alone. This is what Ibsen wanted to portray to a Nineteenth Century audience.Ibsen's play relates to everyday experiences, such as, "debt", causing a home to, "never be a place of freedom and beauty". This piece of literature is so powerful, that I believe it is one of Ibsen's most striking master pieces, I have ever read that deals with conventions and norms of women living in a Victorian masculine society.

An interesting and insightful text which I enjoyed studying, 22 Oct 2000
As a part of my A level studies I have concentrated on this text. I have found it most interesting and insightful if a little hard to comprehend at first. This edition is very good for the price but is by no means upto the standard of other texts which boast analysis and also the alternative ending. I have yet to find a good sudy guide to this text so it is perhaps worth investing in a more facilitative original text if your intention is for study.

Be inspired to read Ibsen's plays!!, 22 Oct 2000
This is a great version of the play. The notes and charcter information is really useful and I would reccommend this version to anyone studying A Doll's House. The translation is good and easier to follow than some other versions. It is also useful if you are studying the Victorian period because Ibsen had great insight into his society. It has inspired me to read more of Ibsen's plays.