Peter O’Toole in the 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia
(Wikimedia Commons)
As 2013 draws to a close, I compiled this roster of my favorite iconic figures who have passed away this year. In life, they graced us with their genius and charm. They leave behind a legacy in film, music and literary accomplishments, on stage, and as inspirational political leaders and activists.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
— Nelson Mandela (from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom)
NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA
b. July 18, 1918 / d. December 5, 2013
R.I.P.
♦ ♦ ♦
Monday, July 15 – Saturday, July 20
FICTION
Enjoy some good summer reading.
♦ ♦ ♦
“My mother has no patience with questions that begin, ”What if.” But I spend a great deal of my time circling that insensible eddy. What if we had been thinking straight? What if the setting of our lives had been more ordinary? What if we’d tempered passion with caution? “What-ifs are boring and pointless,” Mum says. Because however close to irreparably deep madness my mother had gone in her life, she does not now live in a ruined, regretful, Miss Havisham world and she doesn’t wish any of her life away, even the awful, painful, damaging parts. “What-ifs are the worst kind of post-mortem,” she says. “And I hate postmortems. Much better to face the truth, pull up your socks and get on with whatever comes next.”
— from Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgetfulness, by Alexandra Fuller
The title of this book lured me in … and I was not disappointed. This is a love story — a daughter’s ode to her mother. It’s a real-life account of a family’s resilience and loyalty, love wrought with pain and hardship, passion for land and country, a near descent into madness and the uphill struggle to regain some semblance of sanity — all told against a rich, vibrant canvas that was and is the untamed beauty and brutal violence of Central and Southern Africa.
Alexandra Fuller writes this candid and insightful family memoir from the perspective of both observer and participant. She is a gifted storyteller whose beautifully crafted words and wry sense of humor caused me to tango between bouts of laughter and tears, as I read this book in one sitting.
As a writer, I admire this author’s talent and unabashed honesty.
As a reader, I was enraptured from page 1.
I intend to read this book a few more times, just to savour it. I have also gone on to read what Nicola Fuller of Central Africa refers to as her daughter’s “Awful Book.” (Note: You’ll have to read “Cocktail Hour …” to know what I’m referring to!!)
This book is a must-read.
Other books by Alexandra Fuller:
heatherfromthegrove 