We Had It So Good by Linda Grant

Stephen Newman is an American born to immigrant parents. He sets sail on the SS United States as a ships steward and takes up a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford. He meets Andrea, the awkward red-head, whom he marries for convenience and the book tells the story of their lives, as well as the lives of their friends Ivan and Grace. It is a story about the baby boomer generation who wanted to change the world; who had high hopes and higher ideals. Linda Grant views everything through the eyes, and differing opinions, of the various characters. They, especially Stephen, Andrea and Ivan seem to have it all, but throughout the book Stephen is never fully satisfied; always longing for more and the life he envisioned for himself back in America. He constantly refers back to his “maroon and white SS United States cabin-boy” uniform he doesn’t fit into anymore, which symbolizes his once unknown future and the potential he possessed as a young man. Stephen and Andrea, who have humble beginnings and reject materialistic pursuits when newly married, end up owning a £3 million pound house in Islington. Ivan as a young man wanted to demolish capitalism; but enjoys a successful career in advertising and the wealth this brings him in his middle-age. Only Grace stays true to the 1960’s ideals they all shared in their youth. It was a book that drew me in immediately and I wanted to follow the lives of these characters through the decades to see how situations and circumstance would change them. I found that it had a quietly tragic tone as life doesn’t turn out how they had once hoped. It is an insightful and engaging book which I didn’t want to put down. Linda Grant does tend to change tenses often which can be a little confusing, but once you get used to it, it is thoroughly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it.