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Revision as of 08:17, 16 September 2020
, 08:17, 16 September 2020no edit summary
When she married her husband's career took them to London but after the marriage broke up she moved to Washington DC along with her daughter Emily and cautiously began to rebuild their lives. It's a touching picture of a woman doing her best by her child and maintaining a reasonable relationship with her ex-husband for the sake of the child. It's a roll-call too of the jobs which fit around childcare, of opportunities grasped rather than a career built. And at the back of all this is Freeville where she and Emily returned weekend after weekend, holiday after holiday, buying a small house in the midst of her family mainly because it was very cheap.
It's an extraordinary story of ordinariness – a small -town America which will be familiar to millions – but it's told with wit and understanding. The writing is easy; pages turn with no effort and the years fly past. Looking back after I finally put the book down (yes – there was a contented sigh) I realised that there was a complete absence of negativity. There's no malice when things go wrong, no blame apportioned. Problems have their funny side and lessons to be learned – joys, such as the regular family meetings in a café, are there to be treasured.
When I read ''The Mighty Queens of Freeville'' I had a streaming cold. I felt miserable and badly done-by, but the book was the equivalent of hot lemon and honey and much appreciated. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
Another couple of recent autobiographies which we've loved are [[Another Alice by Alice Peterson]] and [[Cupboard Love by Laura Lockington]]. For some feel-good American fiction , we can recommend [[Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber]] – which shared the burden of that same cold. You might also enjoy [[My Life In Agony by Irma Kurtz]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0340962607}}
