My Mother Wore a Yellow Dress [Paperback]

Christina McKenna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2004

'I learned about conflict from my parents.' So begins Christina McKenna's haunting memoir of her lonely early life. Recounting scenes from her childhood in Ulster, she paints a memorable and poignant picture of violence and oppression with her brutal father and protective mother, whose retalliation to her husband's meaness came in the form of a secret yellow dress. Her formative years and her foray into the world, which begin with the daily trudge to and from school, are peopled by a troupe of bizarre and unforgettable characters dancing in and out of her life, filling her with awe and wonder. Among them are Miss McKeague, a gentle, calm and graceful religious zealot, Great Aunt Rose, the 'Yankees', Norrie the transvestite and, in the wings, her stern, unyielding uncles, each vying for the ancestral money and land to the exclusion of all else. At age eleven, she experiences a frightening supernatural occurrence, a prolonged haunting that confirms for her the reality of the spirit world. Though it affects her deeply, she later learns to channel her confusion into twin artistic passions: poetry and painting. The discordant nature of Christina McKenna's young life, and the feelings of inferiority it bred, lead her to examine all the limiting belief systems she grew up with, and question the validity of the hidebound Catholicism of her childhood. This is a rite-of-passage account of two generations of Irish women, told with great humour and compassion. On the one hand is the writer; on the other the heroic mother who showed her love as best she could. McKenna concludes that our past, no matter how painful, need not keep us bound - once we choose love over hate. That choice, she suggests, will set us free.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A brilliantly evocative memoir ... beautifully written ... with humour and sorrow. Belfast Telegraph

About the Author

Christina McKenna was born in Ireland in 1957. She attended the Belfast College of Art and the University of Ulster and went on to teach in Spain, Turkey, Italy, Mexico and her native Ulster. She continues to paint and has exhibited her work around the world. She is the author of two other books: The Misremembered Man and Ireland's Haunted Women.

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Neil Wilson Publishing (September 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903238765
• ISBN-13: 978-1903238769
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello there, and welcome to my author page.

I'm Christina McKenna, a native of County Derry, Northern Ireland. I'm a graduate in Fine Arts and English. I love to travel, see a bit of the world -- and write.

Writing books is a real challenge. It requires much inspiration, but much more perspiration. It is, however, emotionally and spiritually rewarding in ways I'd never dreamed of before I published my first book in 2004.

That was a memoir of my journey to adulthood, and of the extraordinary people who shared that journey with me, my dear departed mother in particular. I dedicated the book to her; it was the least I could do for that beautiful lady.

My next venture into writing took the form of a novel, in my opinion the most difficult type of writing. The genesis of "The Misremembered Man" came to me in a particularly lucid dream. It's true, although I still have trouble believing that. It's evidently a special book because a Hollywood producer picked it up and the movie version is in development. I'm working on a sequel.

The paranormal holds tremendous interest for me. This is in part due to the fact that our farmhouse was subjected to a prolonged haunting when I was eleven years old. Eventually, an exorcist banished the entity -- but not my abiding curiosity in such matters.

This interest has produced two books so far. The first was entitled, "The Dark Sacrament," which I coauthored with my husband, David M. Kiely. The second is "Ireland's Haunted Women." Both recount recent cases of paranormal activity in Ireland, as seen through the eyes of the haunted and their "deliverers."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, December 27, 2011

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Cdanz - See all my reviews

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This review is from: My Mother Wore A Yellow Dress: An Irish childhood in the 1960s (Kindle Edition)

I absolutely loved this book! It's wonderful to see that the author made something of herself seeing as how her family was so disfunctional, well some of her family anyhow. I can relate myself because I had a horrible father growing up but a mother who made up for his flaws. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this book so much.