She left me the gun : my mother's life before me /
Brockes, Emma.
She left me the gun : my mother's life before me / Emma Brockes. - New York : The Penguin Press, c2013. - xvi, 298 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Originally published: London : Faber and Faber, 2013.
If you think that's aggressive then you really haven't lived -- South Africa, 1932-1960 -- Chasing the train -- London, Buckinghamshire, London -- Departure -- At the archive -- A very interesting group Of people -- Friends are like jewels -- Gold jewelry -- Everything that matters -- Hearsay -- Eloff Street On a Saturday morning -- Tony -- Babanango -- Who wears hats To the dentist -- Freedom day -- Afterward.
"One day I will tell you the story of my life," promises Emma Brockes's mother, "and you will be amazed." Brockes grew up hearing only pieces of her mother's past--stories of a rustic childhood in South Africa, glimpses of a bohemian youth in London--and yet knew that crucial facts were still in the dark. A mystery to her friends and family, Paula was clearly a strong, self-invented woman; glamorous, no-nonsense, and frequently out of place in their quaint English village. Looking to unearth the truth after Paula's death, Brockes begins a dangerous journey into the land--and the life--her mother fled from years before. As she follows her mother's footsteps back to South Africa, Brockes begins to find the wellsprings of her mother's strength, the tremendous endurance which allowed Paula to hide terrible secrets from even her closest friends and family.--From publisher description.
1594204594 (hbk.) 9781594204593 (hbk.)
2012039706
Brockes, Emma--Family.
Brockes, Emma--Travel--South Africa.
Brockes, Pauline Dulcie--Childhood and youth.
Abusive men--South Africa--Case studies.
Child sexual abuse--South Africa--Case studies.
Fathers--Violence against--South Africa--Case studies.
Mothers and daughters--Biography.
South Africa--Biography.
South Africa--Description and travel.
She left me the gun : my mother's life before me / Emma Brockes. - New York : The Penguin Press, c2013. - xvi, 298 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Originally published: London : Faber and Faber, 2013.
If you think that's aggressive then you really haven't lived -- South Africa, 1932-1960 -- Chasing the train -- London, Buckinghamshire, London -- Departure -- At the archive -- A very interesting group Of people -- Friends are like jewels -- Gold jewelry -- Everything that matters -- Hearsay -- Eloff Street On a Saturday morning -- Tony -- Babanango -- Who wears hats To the dentist -- Freedom day -- Afterward.
"One day I will tell you the story of my life," promises Emma Brockes's mother, "and you will be amazed." Brockes grew up hearing only pieces of her mother's past--stories of a rustic childhood in South Africa, glimpses of a bohemian youth in London--and yet knew that crucial facts were still in the dark. A mystery to her friends and family, Paula was clearly a strong, self-invented woman; glamorous, no-nonsense, and frequently out of place in their quaint English village. Looking to unearth the truth after Paula's death, Brockes begins a dangerous journey into the land--and the life--her mother fled from years before. As she follows her mother's footsteps back to South Africa, Brockes begins to find the wellsprings of her mother's strength, the tremendous endurance which allowed Paula to hide terrible secrets from even her closest friends and family.--From publisher description.
1594204594 (hbk.) 9781594204593 (hbk.)
2012039706
Brockes, Emma--Family.
Brockes, Emma--Travel--South Africa.
Brockes, Pauline Dulcie--Childhood and youth.
Abusive men--South Africa--Case studies.
Child sexual abuse--South Africa--Case studies.
Fathers--Violence against--South Africa--Case studies.
Mothers and daughters--Biography.
South Africa--Biography.
South Africa--Description and travel.