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April's Choice by Karen Howlett from Cornflower Books
In 1935 a young woman wrote a letter to the magazine "Nursery World": "Can any mother help me? I live a very lonely life ...... I adore reading, but with no library am very limited with books.... Can any reader suggest an occupation that will intrigue me and exclude 'thinking' and cost nothing!" This plea struck a chord with women around the country who wrote back expressing their own, similar frustrations; the result was a private magazine, the Co-operative Correspondence Club or CCC, as it was called.
For almost fifty years, members - who adopted pseudonyms - circulated articles, all edited and bound in hand-embroidered linen covers by the indefatigable and meticulous 'Ad Astra'. Subject matter concentrated on what concerned them most personally, so the result is a hugely valuable social history of women's domestic lives from the 1930s on, now made public for the first time in the book Can Any Mother Help Me? This was a truly affecting read. I found myself involved from the start with the women's individual stories, sharing their joys and sorrows, amazed at their courage in immensely difficult times, surprised at their candour, particularly where marriage was the issue, and cheered by the very supportive nature of the whole enterprise. Had the technology existed, these women would have been the bloggers of their day. They left comments on one another's articles, private friendships beyond the confines of the paper 'club' developed, and practical help was often given in addition to sound advice. They were articulate, generally highly educated, often seeking an outlet which their lives as wives and mothers could not provide, but which their mutual correspondence apparently could. One member, 'Accidia', makes the point: "Relieved of the inevitability of sink and duster and oven, one could be so much more creative in one's relationship with other people", and this seems to set the tone for what was written over the years. The result is an impressive testament to the way the women 'just got on' with things, expressing themselves - albeit safely - within the group, but bringing an acute sense of perspective to often trying circumstances.
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