"I Had a Swell Time"
The Diary of a Young Girl Searching for Love in the 1930s
by Bernice Hodgins

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Have you ever wanted to read someone else’s diary? What if the writer of that diary lived almost 100 years ago? Bernice Hodgins, born in 1916 in Seaforth, Canada, received a diary for her 12th birthday. She began to record her everyday life—jotting down all sorts of details about her days, whether it be outings with friends or school subjects she was struggling with. Entering into her teenage years, Bernice began to explore the dating world and confided in her diary the details of her romantic pursuits. As Bernice grew into her life as a young adult, she became more self-aware and started to think towards her future, making bigger and more life-changing decisions. All the while, her home city of Toronto hovered in the background as a secondary character in her life. Bernice’s daily stream of consciousness put onto paper in this series of diary entries taken as whole depict a coming-of-age story that is unfiltered and refreshingly honest. Bernice’s inner thoughts provide a window into a different time. Her writing reveals social norms from an era when, for a teenage girl, a walk home with a boy constituted a first date. Yet, a modern reader can also see that some things never change, as Bernice’s concerns about her appearance and navigating friendships and romantic relationships still ring true. Bernice didn’t hold back as she revealed her fears and insecurities and eventually her desires to find love and settle down. Bernice’s personality and voice are vivid in her writing, and her diaries present a fascinating sociological window into the vibrant mind of a girl as she matures into a young woman.

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Bernice Hodgins was born in Seaforth, Ontario in 1916, and spent her teenage years as depicted in her diaries in Toronto. As a young person, Bernice was a reader and aspiring writer, the latter of which she never pursued in any formal way. Bernice was married in 1941 at which point she and her new husband Jim moved to Niagara Falls. Bernice and Jim went on to have four children. Bernice passed away in 1995, but she lives on through her diaries, which remain as an invaluable legacy of the life of a young girl in 1930s Toronto. Anne Milne, daughter of the diarist, is the editor of this collection. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Anne now resides in Stratford, Ontario, where she pursues her passion for writing. She is the creator of the blog and comic strip 'Contentment is for Cows,' which explores themes of creativity and personal relationships. Currently, Anne is focused on crafting fictional short stories while working on her debut novel.

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Contributors

Author

Bernice Hodgins

Editor

Anne Milne

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FriesenPress Editions

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