I can't tell you how much I loved this book. I have become a bit of a fan of Baroness Trumpington in recent years (since seeing her on Have I Got News For You), and I was so delighted to be able to sit down and read this book. So delighted in fact that I spent most of the day with my nose in it and eventually went to sleep at midnight (which is very late indeed for me).
What a fascinating life Jean Trumpington has led: land girl, civil servant at Bletchley Park, headmaster's wife, magistrate, life peer. This memoir is packed with stories from all these periods of her life and all the other equally fascinating bits in between. Growing up in social circles that included the Lloyd George family, Trumpers's tales often feature well-known names from the period, and helped me to better fit together the pieces of stories that I have read sketchy details about in the past. I enjoyed reading about all the stages of her life, but a particular favourite part came once she and her husband Barker had moved to Cambridge, where he was headmaster of the Leys School for seventeen years. I very much enjoyed reading about her experiences of living in a city that I know so well.
What I really loved about the book though was the humour, the spark, the naughtiness and the glass half-full attitude to life. Trumpers has had a wonderful life, but she has really embraced all the opportunities that she has been given and made the best of everything. I have huge admiration for her and I am absolutely thrilled that her book is currently riding high in the best sellers list.
Long live Trumpers!
I am really looking forward to reading this. I loved her on HIGNFY.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book and I agree with your review entirely! I loved the way she recounted the variety of things ands she has done and places she has been.
ReplyDeleteBaroness Trumpington's naughty streak shone through in her prose, particularly when relating incidents at Bletchley and the House of Lords. She mentions that she misses Barker, but I got the feeling that her life since his death has been lived at the pace it has to compensate for the gap that his death left.
Oh that we could all live such full-filled lives!