Spaces in Her Day

What do women write in their diaries? Do they reveal their innermost thoughts, their romantic hopes and fantasies, or do they fill their pages with domestic details? Why, in fact, do they write? In Spaces in Her Day, Katie Holmes uncovers the rich, private world of women's diaries. Australia in the 1920s and 1930s offered new possibilities to young women: paid work, motor cars, 'ready-to-wear' fashion and the promise of romance. Many women embraced these opportunities and confided to their diaries their dreams and fears. For other women, already burdened with domestic responsibilities, the endless demand of motherhood and housework consumed their time. In their diaries they might boast of tasks accomplished or take time to dream of quieter days. Spaces in Her Day tells the stories of these diaries and the women who wrote them. Katie Holmes brings to life the desires, loves and losses of women who took time to record what was important to them, who made a space in their day to preserve their words. The result is a fascinating exploration of what it was like to be a woman in Australia between the wars. We also discover why women wrote diaries and catch a tantalising glimpse of the secrets they disclosed.