Secret Diary of a 1970s Secretary

Name: Secret Diary of a 1970s Secretary
Brand: Hachette UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Sarah Shaw
ISBN: 9781405536776

Author: Sarah Shaw

Narrator: Anna Bentinck

Unabridged: 9 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Published: 11/02/2017

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Women, Memoirs

Synopsis

Secret Diary of a 1970s Secretary is the diary of Sarah Shaw for the year of 1971, which she recently uncovered whilst clearing out her loft. Working as a secretary for the BBC at the time, Sarah's diary describes the life of a suburban girl who certainly wasn't 'swinging' but who was, ironically, not only working on a cutting edge BBC survey on sex education but also in the throes of an unlikely affair with middle-aged, working-class, Irish lift attendant, Frank.

Sarah talks humorously and frankly about what it was like to be a young, working woman at the time as well as life at the BBC during the 1970s and the difficulties of navigating her first romance. She is funny and self-effacing with a self-knowledge that only few attain. Her innocence and naivety are hugely charming and the diary forms a valuable snapshot of a time not so far away that is now lost to us.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Penny on September 09, 2017

Well, this was nothing remotely as I expected! The title made me expect a diary involved mainly with Sarah Shaw’s working life as a Junior BBC secretary for the School Broadcasting Council (SBC) during 1971 when she was 19. If the book/diary had kept purely to descriptions of her working day it woul......more

Goodreads review by Mark on July 10, 2019

The 1971 diary of Sarah Shaw, working as a BBC secretary at the time, uncovered whilst clearing out her loft. The only full year she kept a diary, this describes the life of a suburban girl who wasn't 'swinging' but who was, ironically, not only working on a cutting edge BBC survey on sex education......more

Goodreads review by PrettyFlamingo on March 30, 2022

I find it difficult to review this or choose the number of stars. This book wasn’t what I thought it was going to be – it’s not really a diary of a secretary, more a diary of a 19 year old girl who just happens to be a secretary. The work at the BBC does get a mention most days, but it’s the flirtat......more

Goodreads review by Jackie on March 17, 2017

I read this recently and didn't get what I was expecting at all - and probably all the better for that. It's a rather startling diary of a year in the life of a young woman breaking free of home (and the friction that that entails) and starting a new life living and working in London at - you've gue......more

Goodreads review by Ann on February 05, 2018

An intriguing diary, but not nearly as compelling as I had hoped. I guess I was looking for a bit more historical detail -- stuff that would take me back to the weird and wonderful decade that was the 1970s. And, as other reviewers have mentioned, it was often downright disturbing it was to read abo......more

Quotes

Evocative ... vivid and joyous diary

She's a curious, candid chronicler ... and it's oddly soothing to read about the drabness of everyday life at a moment when the psychedelic Sixties had faded and the flashy Eighties were still a decade away The Mail on Sunday

Entertaining story ... a constant delight

It's not often I say I love a book but I loved Secret Diary of a BBC Secretary. From the start I was engrossed in a world not that long ago (1971) but often a million miles away. I became involved with the characters and their lives. I worried about them. I cared about them. I couldn't put the book down. Now that's I've finished it I still want to know what happens next. A jewel of a little book. Read it and you'll be glad you did

I spent a lot of time in the Langham on training courses and when I worked on the Today programme. I knew the place had many mysteries. But Sarah's book reveals a few more, and it is a fascinating glimpse into a time that feels very different to today

Sue Townsend meets Lynn Barber; the innocence and wit shine through this account ... I found it charming! Such genuine innocence / ignorance girls had back then though! So captures that!

A wonderful evocation of the drab innocence of the Seventies . . . a touching coming-of-age story . . . a period piece, and a poignant account of an unlikely first love Daily Mail

It's not just a compelling, novelistic account of someone's life as an independent young woman, but it's packed with detail, subtlety and humour When is bins?