Alexandra Fuller

Traces the stories of the author's parents' respective childhoods in Kenya and England, recounts her own upbringing in Africa, and offers insight into the impact of their beliefs and the waning of the British empire on her parents' marriage.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

Andrew John Kinney

Nearly as good as her original family narrative, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, this book expands a bit on her family, including her mother's reaction to her first work ("that horrible book"), and brings us up to date on her mum, dad, and sister. I've always liked places that are kind of at the end of the line, and former colonies in Africa generally qualify. I hope to get to some of those places one day. Currently I'm eyeing Namibia and Botswana, but we'll see. The people in such end-of-the-line places are usually interesting and mostly friendly, and if nothing else, they tend to not be worrying about a lot of the meaningless stuff first world people obsess about. Anyway, this is an additional interesting look into life in post-colonial Africa.

Jessica Nottingham

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is a gorgeously written memoir about Alexandra Fuller's life. I had no idea when I first picked this up that this was a continuation of her story, but I can say that reading this has sparked an interest in me to go pick up the first book! The way that Alexandra Fuller writes about her family is so wonderfully vivid that it draws your right in. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew this was a memoir, I could almost believe that Fuller's life was fiction. That's how amazing her memoir really is.

From the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland, to the vibrant and lush lands of East Africa, the reader is taken on a journey through Nicola Fuller's childhood and beyond. Alexandra Fuller treats her mother's story as something exotic, but funny at the same time. There were moments that had me giggling out loud, especially as Nicola Fuller is so unabashed about her point of view on things. She says such things as "Here's to us. There's none like us, and if there were, they're all dead."

This book is beautifully written. It swells with wonderful descriptions of the African landscapes and the people who live there. Fuller even goes so far as to incorporate some history lessons on the many wars that have taken place in these areas, since her family grew up in the middle of them. One of my favorite stories was of a "fancy dress party" where Nicola Fuller grabs her girls, grabs her automatic weapon, and packs them off to a party. Unfortunately poor Alexandra doesn't fit in the front (due to her too large costume) and later reflects on how, had they hit a land mine, she wouldn't have been able to tell this story today. Tongue in cheek is the best way to describe Fuller's tone, and I adored it.

Suffice it say that Nicola Fuller is one of those larger than life people who demand the spotlight, and her daughter gives it to her in this gorgeously written memoir. If you were a fan of Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight I am sure you'll find more of the same here, or so I've gushingly been told my numerous people. If you haven't yet had a foray into the life of the Fullers, I'd suggest reading the title above first, then this one. It can definitely be read standalone but then you'll be left like me. Wanting more, and on a search for the first book.

Highly recommended! I give this memoir my gold seal of approval, and my readers know I generally don't read them much. Pick up a copy, and prepare to be swept away into Nicola Fuller's terrifying and exotic life.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

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