A vivid recreation of the lives of working class women during this difficult time of depression, dislocation and dramatic industrial and political struggle. This is an outstanding collection of personal accounts of mothers, grandmothers and aunts, sisters and cousins that make up the first title in the new Honno Voices series.

First published in 1998 this new edition has an updated introduction and additional footnotes taking into account recent research and analysis of the lot of women between the wars. Not just aimed at those interested in the history of the womens movement and womens suffrage, there are stories here that bring to life decades past in brilliantly evocative language and paint detailed word pictures of the highs and lows in the Valleys when coal mining was at its height and heavy industry took its toll on whole families and even communities at a time.

* First title in the new Honno Voices series of biography, memoir and autobiography titles
* Honnos bestselling collection of biographical writing
* Will appeal to those who enjoyed the Nella Last's War series, Austerity Britain and Stranger in the House: Women's Stories of Men Returning from the Second World War.
* Now in standard B-format paperback with an updated introduction and notes
* With a prologue by Elaine Morgan, OBE

- Honno,

Women's voices have only relatively recently begun to be heard in the historical record. Carol White and Sian William's Struggle or Starve does much to re-dress this imbalance by giving expression to the writing of working-class women in the South Wales valleys.

Struggle or Starve is a collection of writing by twenty-two women who all lived in the South Wales valleys during the interwar period. It is divided into twelve chapters, each focussing on a particular issue important in women's lives. The work of three authors, Mair Eluned McLellan, Maggie Pryce Jones and Beatrice Wood, accounts for a substantial proportion of the book. The selections from these three autobiographies allow the reader to follow their lives through from earliest memories to young adulthood. Alongside these selections, the book also features work by a number of other women, several of whom have started writing after retirement. One of the most notable inclusions is extracts from the writing of Elizabeth Andrews, a significant figure in the Welsh Labour Party. As her autobiography is currently out of print, this volume usefully makes her work more accessible.

Throughout the book the hardship and deprivation of life during the period is vividly apparent and the extracts chart the constant struggle of women against poor living and working conditions, hunger, debt, dirt and unemployment. Despite this the resilience and resourcefulness of entire communities, but especially women, is evident; the women who appear in Struggle or Starve are willing to go to extreme lengths to keep their homes and families together. However, the book avoids the trap of sentimental reminiscence, providing a well-balanced picture of life in the twenties and thirties.

Carol White and Sian Williams's editing allows the reader with little knowledge of the broader context to quickly gain a feel for the period. The extracts are prefaced by a wide-ranging introduction (including thorough footnotes and references), giving historical background and context to both the area and social conditions.

The contributions in Struggle or Starve give a distinctively female account of the impact of economic and political conditions on interwar South Wales an account too often missing from the literature of the period.

Kate Wright

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

- Welsh Books Council,