In his masterpiece of family literature, "And When Did You Last See Your Father?", Blake Morrison's mother appears as an intriguing but mostly silent figure. This is her startling and touching story - and a son's search to discover the truth about the remarkable Kerry girl who qualified as a doctor in Dublin in 1942, worked in British hospitals throughout the war, and then reinvented herself again to adapt to a quieter post-war family life. At the heart of the book, there's a passionate wartime love affair, seen through the frank, funny, furious letters his parents wrote during their courtship. It evokes a surprising picture of life and love in WWII. "Things my Mother Never Told Me" is a revealing and poignant anatomy of family conflict, love, war and finally marriage. Kim Morrison emerges quietly, magically form the shadows, a determined heroine for our times.
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'The must-read book of the year, Blake Morrison writes about his mother with the mind of a poet, the eye of a detective and the heart of a loving son' Tony Parsons
About the Author
Blake Morrison is the author of a memoir, And When Did You Last See Your Father?, one novel The Justification of Johann Gutenberg, two collections of poems, a children's book, and a study of the Bulger case, As If. He lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
P.S. I Love You,
By Natalie Harwood (Oxford, OH USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Things My Mother Never Told Me (Hardcover)
This is a memoir of the author's mother, told in clear, direct prose, embellished by letters found in a bundle after his mother's death. It is a love story from the Fifties, complete with romantic music, prejudice (against the Irish, Jews, Catholics and just about anybody not English) and social mores now abandoned (women are nurses, not doctors, you wear hat and gloves to church and there is NO premarital sex).That Kim O'Shea breaks with all of these traditions is a testimony to her will power. But the price she pays and the continual battle she wages for independence is heartbreaking. This is a lovely portrayal of a kind, determined woman and the World War II world she lived in. A nice book for feminists, historians and just about everybody.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I liked this authors memoir he wrote about his father..,
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This review is from: Things My Mother Never Told Me (Paperback)
But I can't say such kind words about this book about the authors Mother. I tried twice to get into this book and both times I failed.
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First Sentence:
NOT LONG BEFORE she died, my mother gave me quite a turn. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Langford Street, Booth Hall, Dudley Road, Cawder Ghyll, Patrick O'Shea, Red Lodge, Ross Beigh, Air Ministry, Arthur Morrison, Mary Galvin, Uncle Joe, Auntie Sheila, Irish Catholic, Mike Winstanley, Station Sick Quarters, Uncle Ron, Auntie Beaty, Auntie Mary, Bing Crosby, Claudette Colbert, Coastal Command, County Kerry, King's Cross, Margaret Lyons, Med School New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
NOT LONG BEFORE she died, my mother gave me quite a turn. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Langford Street, Booth Hall, Dudley Road, Cawder Ghyll, Patrick O'Shea, Red Lodge, Ross Beigh, Air Ministry, Arthur Morrison, Mary Galvin, Uncle Joe, Auntie Sheila, Irish Catholic, Mike Winstanley, Station Sick Quarters, Uncle Ron, Auntie Beaty, Auntie Mary, Bing Crosby, Claudette Colbert, Coastal Command, County Kerry, King's Cross, Margaret Lyons, Med School New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 15
books:
See all 15 books this book cites
- As If: A Crime, a Trial, a Question of Childhood by Blake Morrison in Front Matter, and page 59
- Memories of a Catholic Girlhood by Mary McCarthy on page 170
- My Son, My Son by Howard Spring on page 179
- The yellow house by Blake Morrison in Front Matter
- Too True by Blake Morrison in Front Matter
See all 15 books this book cites
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