Family myths and taboos surrounded Margaret Forster's childhood in
Carlisle, in the north of England, and only after her mother's
death in 1981 did she feel free to explore the reality. A trained
historian, she set out to unravel her own family history. The
result is an honest and moving portrayal of the lives of 'ordinary'
working-class women over three generations, from domestic servant
to Oxford Scholarship girl, which also shows how much has changed
for women over the past century - not least their expectations. 'My
grandmother's birth certificate... told a familiar, sad little
tale: she was the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl.'
Margaret's grandmother, Margaret Ann, born in 1869, accepted her
hard life as a servant, 'moved up' by marrying a butcher, and had
three daughters. Her biggest fear was that they would get into
trouble - the trouble that began with an e (for 'expecting'). Once
they were all safely married, her job would be done, another family
cycle complete. 'She had founded her family and seen its members do
the same in turn and that was what a woman's life was about.' Her
daughter Lily, Margaret's mother, born in 1901, was well educated
for a woman of her time and class, but traded her independence and
the office job she loved to marry and have children - you couldn't
do both. Margaret, born in 1938, the stubborn, demanding child,
nose always in a book, adored her mother but was horrified by the
domestic drudgery she accepted as women's lot. ('Reading, that was
what Margaret liked best. Was there a job called A Reader?') Lily
found it maddening that Margaret was clever (as she herself had
been). It would do her no good - she would only marry and have
children, whatever she said. (Ironically, perhaps, she did, the
minute she graduated - and then became a distinguished biographer
and novelist.) Margaret Forster, sharp and clear-sighted, gets
right inside these mothers and daughters, not least herself. How
very ordinary they are: strong and truthful, just getting on with
it, always putting family first. The men are more shadowy, either
spivs and seducers or good husbands and solid wage-earners, but
always a bit squeamish about reality. How much is this women's
perception? Margaret Forster makes you think about it. (Kirkus UK)
Over and over again we get told stories by our parents and grandparents, and sometimes, if these stories are treated seriously and checked, that is all they turn out to be - stories, unsubstantiated and often downright contradicted by the actual evidence in records. But sometimes beneath the stories lurks the history of more than an ordinary person. Sometimes, their story is the story of thousands ....' Margaret Forster's grandmother, Margaret Ann, died in 1936, taking many secrets to her grave. Not least was how and where she had spent the first twenty-three years of her life, which remained shrouded in mystery. What had happened then that connected her with the elegant woman in black who had paid her a mysterious and upsetting visit shortly before her death? After the funeral, there was a knock on the door. Outside stood an unknown woman claiming to be her daughter, inquiring whether anything had been left to her in the will.
These stories surrounding Margaret Forster's grandmother attained the status of family myth and in HIDDEN LIVES she looks at where the truth might lie. Why was this daughter never mentioned? How had she lived so long around the corner without acknowledgement? And why? The search for answers took Margaret on a journey into her family's past. She not only examines her grandmother's life but also the lives of her mother, Lilian, and of herself, three generations of women born and brought up in Carlisle but with radically differing circumstances and opportunities.
Margaret Ann was a domestic servant before she married a butcher and settled down to have a family. Their eldest daughter, Lily, was a bright child able to go to the Higher Grade School and get a good job as a clerk but when she married she was obliged to relinquish her career and settle down to family life. When her daughter Margaret's time came, she was able to take advantage of the changing times, to go to High School, to Oxford University and to move away from Carlisle to establish her writing career and family in the south. Three different women, three very different lives.
An enthralling piece of detective work, HIDDEN LIVES is evidence of how ordinary women lead extraordinary lives. A personal document, it also acts as a rich and fascinating commentary on how women's lives have changed over the last century.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(5)
(4)
(3)
