Rosemary PenfoldRezensionen

This book was absolutely lovely.
A Field Full of Butterflies is the collected memories of Rosemary Penfold who was born in a Romany wagon in England, 1938.
This was one of the lovlier books I've read so far this year. And if it hadn't been for the poverty & the racism they dealt with on a daily basis it would have been an ideal childhood. It was rathe sentimental at times & there wasn't much about Romany culture at all unfortunately. Possibly because of the changing times but most of it read like a normal childhood but with wagons insead of houses!
All in all though it was a very charming story & portrays how important family is in the face of extreme adversity.

hard to rate. got better as she talked about her older life.

A biographical account of a Gypsy/Romany family growing up during and after WW2.

This reads as if written by a child. It is definitely in need of a good edit as there was a lot of repetition, even whole sentences were repeated within a few paragraphs of each other! A lot of the detail also seemed just to be fleshing out the narrative rather than adding anything interesting. I lost track of all of the names/characters as they all blended together.

I gave up on this book as it just didn't keep my interest. It might appeal to someone carrying out research on this people group.

Wish I knew more about it. I've read a couple of (old) books about Gypsies and a newer one, (apparently) from a female pov, would be interesting, I think.

I treasure this book. In her preface, Rosemary Penfold writes:
"These are my memories and mine alone. If anyone says they remember if differently, I shall say, 'Well, those are your memories and yours alone.' "

This was an enchanting story of a now lost world of old Gypsy life. Full of charm and humour - a really lovely book.

Back Cover Blurb:
Rosemary Penfold was born in 1938 in a traditional Gypsy wagon and grew up in the fields of the English countryside. In this beautiful and evocative memoir, she recounts her life within a loving extended family and small but close-knit community.
From early memories of her father bringing home oranges during the war to the simple beauty of a field full of butterflies on a hot summer's day, Rosemary's stunningly elegant narrative captures the love and losses, hopes and struggles, traditions and prejudices that bound her to her family and helped her adapt to a fast-changing world.