Biography Recent Picks

April 2009

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Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Trying to please , John Julius Norwich.
These are the memoirs of the only son of Duff and Diana Cooper.
“The substance of the book is a chronicle of stupendous activity. Childhood with Nanny and busy, famous parents, Canada during the war, Eton, Oxford, National Service; the Foreign Office (Belgrade, Beirut); writing books (The Normans in Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Christmas Crackers, etc); presenter on Classic FM, chairman of a travel firm, Venice in Peril, the National Trust, the World Monuments Fund; TV films, travel, parties”. Telegraph ( London, U.K) review.

In triumph's wake : royal mothers, tragic daughters, and the price they paid for glory , Julia P. Gelardi.
"The powerful and moving story of three royal mothers whose quest for power led to the downfall of their daughters." Queen Isabella of Castile, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and Queen Victoria of England were respected and admired rulers whose legacies continue to be felt today. Their daughters--Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England; Queen Marie Antoinette of France; and Vicky, the Empress Frederick of Germany--are equally legendary for the tragedies that befell them, their roles in history surpassed by their triumphant mothers. In Triumph's Wake is the first book to bring together the poignant stories of these mothers and daughters in a single narrative. Exhaustively researched and utterly compelling, In Triumph's Wake is the story of three unusually strong women and the devastating consequences their decisions had on the lives of their equally extraordinary daughters.(INDIEBOUND WEBSITE)

A fork in the road : a memoir , André Brink.
"Andre Brink, the South African born novelist, tells the story of a life lived in tumultuous times. His long love affair with music, art, the theatre, literature and sport illuminate this memoir as do relationships with remarkable women, among them the poet Ingrid Jonker, who have shared and shaped his life, and encounters with people like Ariel Dorfman, Anna Netrebko, Nadine Gordimer, Gunter Grass, Beyers Naude, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Above all, "A Fork in the Road" is a love song to the country where he was born, and where, despite its recent troubles and tragedies, he still lives." (Amazon.co.uk)

Mistress of the monarchy : the life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, Alison Weir.
"Historian Alison Weir brings to life the tale of Katherine Swynford, a royal mistress who became a crucial figure in the British royal dynasties. Born in the mid-14th century, Katherine experienced the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and the Peasants' Revolt, and crossed paths with many eminent figures, among them her brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer. At age ten, she was appointed to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III; at twelve, she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. Widowed at 21, Katherine, gifted with beauty and charms, later became John of Gaunt's mistress. Throughout their illicit union, John and Katherine were devoted to each other. In middle age, after many twists of fortune, they wed, and her children by John, the Beauforts, would become direct forebears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461 (as well as four U.S. presidents)" .--From publisher description. .

Obama : the historic journey , introduction by Bill Keller ; biographical text by Jill Abramson.
"Obama: The Historic Journey brings readers the story of Barack Obama's voyage from childhood through his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States of America. His election marked an unprecedented step forward in American history; shattering racial barriers and forever altering the political landscape. The book presents an array of visual imagery, in-depth reporting, and insightful analysis." "This volume includes hundreds of photographs by New York Times staff photographers, such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Doug Mills, Damon Winter, Ozier Muhammad, and many more. Portraits of Obama by such renowned artists as Kara Walker, Elizabeth Peyton Yan Pei-Ming, Kurt Kauper, Barry Blitt, and others add a unique dimension to the commentaries by New York Times columnists David Brooks, Roger Cohen, Gail Collins, Maureen Dowd, Thomas L. Friedman, Bob Herbert, Nicholas D. Kristof, Paul Krugman, and Frank Rich." ( BOOK JACKET)

Paperboy, Christopher Fowler.
"Superman", "Dracula", "The Avengers", "Treasure Island"...when you're ten years old, you can fall in love with any story so long as it's a good one. But what if you're growing up in a house without books? Christopher Fowler's memoir captures life in suburban London as it has rarely been seen: through the eyes of a lonely boy who spends his days between the library and the cinema, devouring novels, comics, cereal packets - anything that might reveal a story. But it's 1960, and after fifteen years of post-war belt-tightening, his family is not ready to indulge a child cursed with too much imagination...Caught between an ever-sensible but exhausted mother and a DIY-obsessed father fighting his own demons, Christopher takes refuge in words.His parents try to understand their son's peculiar obsessions, but fast lose patience with him - and each other. The war of nerves escalates to include every member of the Fowler family, and something has to give, but does it mean that a boy must always give up his dreams for the tough lessons of real life? Beautifully written, this rich and astute evocation of a time and a place recalls a childhood at once eccentric and endearingly ordinary". ( Amazon.co.uk)

Horses and husbands : the memoirs of Etti Plesch , edited by Hugo Vickers.
"When Etti Plesch died in April 2003, her obituary in "The Times" stated: 'Lately she had all but completed her memoirs, which were awaited with some trepidation in international society.' The only woman owner to have won the Derby twice and married 6 times, this book features her memoirs".

Bluebird : a memoir , Vesna Maric.
"Vesna Maric left Bosnia the beginning of the war, at the age of 16, on a convoy of coaches of women and children heading for Penrith. "Bluebird" is her funny, vivid and immensely readable memoir of the experience. Maric describes the beginning of the war - the machine gun fire that sounded like a sewing machine in the distance - and her family's growing anxiety, culminating in the decision to send her and her sister to Britain. She interweaves the stories of other refugees - love stories, stories of escape, stories about the strange clash between refugees and their hosts. Maric attracts touching and absurd stories like a magnet. In the intensely moving ending Maric describes her return to Bosnia years later, walking through the ruined streets of her town, and then realising her old slippers, still by her bed, no longer fit. Unlike many books on Bosnia, and refugees in general, "Bluebird" is never self-pitying, never grave. It's refreshing to read an account of these experiences filtered through the eyes of a teenager with attitude - written with brilliant comic timing, and a great storytelling gift."( Amazon.co.uk)

New Zealand Biographies:

Mr. Ambassador : memoirs of Sir Carl Berendsen , edited by Hugh Templeton.
"Sir Carl Berendsen (1890-1973) was the founder of New Zealand foreign policy. He was a dynamic thinker, a gifted writer, an outstanding administrator and a considerable orator. Few civil servants before or since have addressed both Cabinet and Parliament; few have made or been involved in making so much and such important policy; and few have had such a significant influence on New Zealand and its international relationships. As the Head of the Department of External Affairs, High Commissioner to Australia, and then Ambassador to Washington, he was involved in such major events as the ANZAC pact, preparations for World War II, the formation of the United Nations, the ANZUS Treaty and the Japanese Peace Treaty. Hon. Hugh Templeton, himself a former employee of the New Zealand Department of External Affairs, New Zealand's last Deputy High Commissioner of Western Samoa, and a Cabinet Minister in the Muldoon government, has shaped Berendsen's reminiscences into a fascinating and candid account of Berendsen's rise from an impoverished childhood in Australia and Southland to the highest levels of the New Zealand bureaucracy. The book includes Berendsen's first hand reports of the administration of New Zealand's foreign policy in the first half of the 20th century, and his character sketches of many of the prominent political figures that he encountered during his career.

Still standing : from debutante to detox , Liz Jamieson-Hastings.
"That Liz Jamieson-Hastings is sane, sober and still standing is a miracle. At 21 she was a hopeless alcoholic; now she is a respected counsellor, decorated for her services to the community, which include substance abuse programmes in schools, prisons and even the US Navy. Her inspirational story is one of privilege and social advantage preceding a spectacular fall from grace. Her battle against anorexia and alcohol should have killed her - her fight back to normality, only to watch her first husband succumb to cancer, should have sent her spiralling back into alcoholism. It didn’t. She’s still standing, and her amazing life exemplifies the incredible strength of the human spirit. Her lively, hard-hitting story includes strategies for fellow sufferers and their families. In her devastatingly honest tale of personal survival, Liz shows what hope, honesty, hard work and the generous help of true friends can achieve.
( Review from : ‘ Thread : New Zealand fashion style and beauty )

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