PAMELA - Sir Thomas More by his son in law William Roper. Sir Thomas was uncompromising in his dealings with Henry V111 and Cardinal Wolsey. No one knew security even if they were in the Kings favour. Whilst Henry had been married to Catherine for 28 years and had fathered 6 children, he badly needed a healthy son to succeed him. Anne Boleyn's presence offered him that chance - provided they could marry. Henry urged Cardinal Wolsey to persuade the Pope to grant an annulment but this was not to be. Sir Thomas, by now Lord Chancellor was pressured as well to find a suitable arrangement that would allow the King to marry again. By 1534 Henry had become Supreme Head of the Church with absolute control - Sir Thomas, a deeply religious man, could not accept Henry's actions in wanting an annulment. By refusing to swear allegiance to the King (he acknowledged the Supremacy of the Pope) Thomas was imprisoned and ultimately beheaded in 1535. A man of strong moral conviction.
SHEILA - Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. An American author, he had a sad childhood. The writing was not funny or entertaining and she didn't enjoy the book.
A time to Dream, a Time to Weep by Rummer Godden. Rummer grew up in India, a child of very unconventional parents. A remarkable woman, writing was one of the few vocations available to her. Abandoned by her weak, stock broker husband and left with 2 young children she moved to the Himalaya's, an area she loved, and was befriended by a Maharajah who helped her. She experienced many different aspects of life in India and her writings conjure beautiful images and also insightful perspectives on life.
JOAN - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Maya was a writer, singer, actress and civil rights activist. Set during the Depression she was raised in the deep south - Stamp in Arkansas - where her grandmother owned a store. 1930s - 1940s was a time when segregation was entrenched, strong views were held regarding the differences between black and white people and there was much fear between those with power and those without. The Ku Klux Klan was high profile. Maya, attacked aged 8, becomes mute for a number of years. She later believes that during this period of silence it allowed her to reflect, clarify her thoughts and strengthen her resolve and focus. The title is a metaphor of Maya's life. The story is about racism and displacement.
LAURA - Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens. Author, essayist, literary journalist, political speech writer and rabid communist as well. Laura thought this book would be interesting. The author had collapsed during the book launch and later died. However the theme is mainly about death (of various people) his miserable childhood and his bitter and twisted countenance. Not recommended.
DIANE F - Burt Bacharach - Anyone who had a Heart - by Robert Greenfield. Burt had 70 top 40 hits, won Grammy awards, married a few times, plus many of his songs have been recorded by very famous singers. It was an easy read, very informative, relaxing and insightful. Many well known names are dropped into the dialogue which all adds to the interest. His working relationship and major split with Hal David is discussed.
PRUE - Carrie Fisher - Wishful Drinking. Prue had read previously Postcards from the Edge which was made into a 1 woman stage show. Carrie writes of her parents Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynold plus her brother Ted. She grew up surrounded by famous people and was often on movie sets and theatre stages. After the success of her role in Star Wars as Princess Leia, she struggled with alcohol and drug issues, had electro compulsive therapy, a failed marriage to Paul Simon and was finally diagnosed with manic depression and bi-polar disorder. A rough and tumble life. Prue felt the writing was sometimes trashy and harsh, with Carrie showing a self deprecating view of her life. A child of the stars.
DIANN - Phillip Adams - The Ideas Man by Philip Luker. Phillip had a terrible upbringing, his mothers 2nd husband was a psychopath, there was abuse and he was sent to live with his grandmother in Victoria. Leaving school at 15 we worked, very successfully, for an ad agency and was part of many well known ad campaigns. He was friends with the late Bob Ellis and his partner his environmentalist and author Patrice Newell.
BEV - Chasing Shadows - the Life and death of Peter Roebuck by Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge. Peter Roebuck as an extremely intelligent man, moody, complex and lacked many social skills. Whilst educated in England, he showed great promise as a cricketer but lacked the ability to be part of a team. He became a very good sports journalist but had disagreements with management so moved to Zimbabwe. Here he became embroiled in a number of shady and unsavoury situations and sadly died mysteriously only a few years ago.
ED - The Other Side of the Rainbow by Michael Freedland. An interesting biography of Judy Garland - her birth name being Frances Ethel Gumm. Her talent for singing was evident very early and she was exploited by many along the way. Her life seemed to be on show to the public with many using her for their own advancement. Drugs and alcohol nearly destroyed her whilst she was at the peak of her career. Judy tried hard to overcome all her issues but her personal life was in turmoil and she died 1969.
KRIS - Flesh Wounds by Richard Glover. Richard had a most bizarre upbringing, his parents never showed any affection and he had a solitary childhood. He did form an attachment to a nanny when he was living in New Guinea (his father had established a newspaper in NG). Kris found it uplifting how successful and balanced his life seems to be considering his background.
ANNE - Flesh Wounds. Anne added that Richard Glovers mother used to say his father was a very important person in his career (as an aide to Winston Churchill), where really his father had been in prison a number of times. She also denied Richard knowledge of his 2 sisters.
JANE - Helena Rubenstein. Really interesting social history (via the development of use of makeup), revealing the end of the Edwardian era. At the end of the century really only prostitutes and actresses wore makeup. This all changed with the pioneering efforts of Helena R. A Polish Jew, she migrated to Australia in 1896 and brought with her pots of creams and lotions, used by her mother in previous times. Helena was not only clever in makeup development, she was innovative and a leader in marketing - employing unusual creative imagery to sell her products. She worked very hard, became a huge success and conquered Paris and New York.
JULIA - Never Say Die - Chris O'Brien. Wonderful head and neck surgeon, made famous in his role on RPA, pioneering doctor and positive role model. Sadly in a cruel twist of fate he developed a brain tumour himself, the public read and watched his struggle and ultimate demise in 2006. Sad but an interesting read.
ROSEMARY - This is Gail - by Gail O'Brien. Wife of Chris O'Brien, she had been a physiotherapist but was happy to be in the background of her husbands working life. After his diagnosis, she had to raise her public face, deal with much higher profile issues and many powerful people. Unfortunately their son died 2 years after Chris however her faith and inner strength have given her support.
JUDY 4 - The Wright Brothers - David McCulloch. Passionate readers, their family owned a bike shops in Ohio. It took years to develop the mechanics of a plane but they were obsessed. Neither married, their sister looked after them both. They were humble and very ordinary men.
PAULINE - Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain. Pauline was in awe of the power of expression and writing ability of Vera, an English nurse during WW1 and a pacifist, feminist and writer. Vera was determined to go to Oxford University, started but war broke out so she left to join the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment). She documented her life during this time and watched as her much loved brother and his 3 close mates all perished in the war. The book provided a true insight into relationships, with the war raging all around and also how to overcome the heartache of death. The film didn't do the book justice.
LESLEY - Travelling to Infinity - Jane Hawking. A cathartic book written by Jane Hawking, wife of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. They were together 25 years, produced 3 children, Stephen's genius saw him highly decorated and feted by all in the world of science while his body was slowly and cruelly destroyed by Motor Neutron Disease. Jane, a passionate, clever, supportive but naïve woman struggled to understand why no matter how much she did, how hard her life was living with the growing stardom of her husband she never felt valued, important or equal. The snobbishness of some in academia and the huge void between the public face and the private image are all recounted. A very dense book to read, it seems that she needed to pour out in great detail many of the finer aspects of her life with Stephen.
LESLEY
