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Product Description
Product Description
Please note that this book has also been published as Rabbit Stew and a Penny or Two. There is no difference between the content of the two books. Maggie Smith-Bendell was born on the edge of a pea field near Bridgwater in Somerset in 1941. She and her family are Romani Gypsies and as she grew up Maggie learned the old crafts and customs of the Gypsies' traditional way of life. Her family travelled the length and breadth of the countryside, eking a living from the woods and hedgerows, catching rabbits, pheasants and wild duck. They did all manner of fieldwork for farmers including picking peas, beans and hops - and as soon as Maggie was old enough she contributed to the family's labour. Ever since they arrived in Europe centuries ago, the Gypsies have been persecuted for their outsider status, but the last sixty years or so have perhaps seen the greatest threats to their culture, to the extent that their traditional way of life is in danger of disappearing altogether: changes in the law, changes in agriculture, many things have undermined the Gypsies' freedom to live as they wish. In this wonderful memoir, full of the language and lore of the Gypsies, Maggie Smith-Bendell gives us a true insight into a way of life that has more or less vanished: driven by the seasons, with an extraordinary closeness to nature, she and her family faced numerous hardships including the deaths of beloved family members. As well as telling the story of her family's ups and downs in the course of their yearly journeys to the pea-fields of Somerset and the hop-gardens of Herefordshire, Maggie recounts her own journey to become a prominent campaigner for Gypsy rights. An autobiography told straight from the heart, "Our Forgotten Years" is both moving and inspiring.
About the Author
Maggie Smith-Bendell describes herself as privileged to be born in the era of the wagon and horse to good old-fashioned Romani Gypsy parentsA". She is immensely proud of her heritage and believes it was her early life that made her what she is today, an activist for my race of Gypsy peopleA". She runs an advisory service for Gypsies and Travellers based in the South-West of England and campaigns tirelessly for the rights of Gypsies to live peacefully in accordance with their culture.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Maggie's book crackles with her characteristic energy and wit as she conjures up a way of life that is sadly now just a memory. The characters she met and the places she remembers are vividly brought to life, and throughout this excellent book her unique voice shines through. Thoroughly recommended.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A very detailed personal account of growing up as a Romany in England. A genuinely interesting memoir, it shows up the harshness of life on the road and the prejudice experienced by the author and her family, but also the joys and privileges (such as an intimate understanding of nature). A window on to another culture and a parallel life, it's also a rattling good yarn - the author knows how to tell a good story and her voice keeps you turning the pages.Our Forgotten Years: A Gypsy Woman's Life on the Road
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book thinking it was a sequel to "Rabbit Stew and a Penny or Two" by the same author, and it actually contains the same text as that book, just under a different cover. Don't get me wrong, it's a good read, you just don't need both. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to get a further insight into the author's life, because I did enjoy the other one.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Our Forgotten Years
I have just bought this book for my Husbands Birthday as he so enjoyed Rabbit Stew and a Penny or Two. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Mrs. J. E. Moon
THIS 2 BOOKS ARE THE SAME BOOK WITH A DIFFERENT NAME AND COVER
THIS BOOKS ORDERED OUR FORGOTTEN YEARS. AND RABBIT STEW AND A PENNY OR TWO
.ARE THE SAME BOOKS WORD FOR WORD. Read more
.ARE THE SAME BOOKS WORD FOR WORD. Read more
Published 3 months ago by archibald
our forgotton years
this book tell the true story of a romany family,its easy to read and understand and a very interesting book,i reconment this book to any one who is interested in the romani... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. J. Wiltshire
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