Noble Endeavours: The Life of Two Countries, England and Germany, in Many Stories By Miranda Seymour

I was handed this book by Hollie King as she thought I might enjoy it. I'm always apprehensive about reading non-fiction for the sake of reading. I find that sometimes it can leave the reader either asking for more facts or getting bogged down in the detail but I'm quite happy to say that this book does neither and I'm happy I was given it.

From the outset I'll admit that I've never read a book that tells history through personal and cultural encounters before (Though I've always been tempted. Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore always catches my eye in bookshops). Having read more direct histories in the past I was expecting this book to be presented in the same kind of way, with a single flowing chronological timeline where people come, play their parts and go again but this book offers a much greater insight into the lives of the people who found themselves both German and English. Using diaries and written accounts it tells the stories of the lives of the Monarchs, ambassadors & socialites that had a lasting effect on the relationship between the two nations.

The book is split into three sections each covering distinctly different stages in relations between the two nations which makes it easy to follow and makes it flow well. Starting back in 1613 the first section does a brilliant job of displaying the admiration the two cultures had for each other and how it gradually starts to change as the Germany unifies and Wilhelm II becomes German Emperor. It finishes by looking at some of personal stories of those with dual parentage or married to the other side during the First World War.

The second part looks at the interwar years and how despite the huge suffering felt by the Germans in the wake of the Treaty of Versailles personal relationships started to take a better turn between the two nations up until the rise of Nazism.

The final part of the book looks at the effect WWII had on people on a personal level. There are a lot of books, plays and documentaries covering this type of subject but the author takes a slightly different approach. By focusing on the individual she is able to show their overall effect on the drastic situation that was arising in Europe through the thirties and shows how lives could be torn apart for Germans in England and vice versa through blanket internments and hate.

This draws me to my only criticism of the book. After getting to the end of the WWII I wanted to read on into the cold war era and beyond to get a feel of how Anglo-German relations have changed over that period as well but I appreciate that not all documents from the era are so readily available.  

The way the author displays how a single individual can change the course of history is illustrated well. The two cases that stood out to me were firstly the way a single ambassador lead Wilhelm II to believe that England wouldn't fight against Germany on account of Belgium and secondly the clerk who declared an intelligence report revealing German plans to attack Poland as unreliable.

The whole book is well researched and well written. Like with all good history books it made me want to go and research more for myself and find out more about the people and stories (The story of Daisy Pless is captivating and would make a brilliant novel/Film/series).

On a final note looking back other Miranda Seymour's eclectic bibliography I instantly remember reading some of her children's books when growing up. What a varied collection of writing.