One of Britain's greatest contemporary writers brings to life in luminous prose her Ayrshire childhood in the fifties and sixties.In the first volume of her memoirs, Janice Galloway brings all the brilliance of her prize-winning fiction to bear on her own memories and vividly describes how a retiring child became an outspoken artist.When her mother left her alcoholic father and set up home in a tiny attic room above a doctor's surgery, Galloway quickly learned how to keep quiet and stay out of the way. Her mother hadn't expected or wanted another child and Galloway wasn't allowed to forget that she was a burden. Her much older sister Cora, with her steady stream of boyfriends, her showy fashions and erratic temperament, never failed to remind her of her insignificance.Galloway's childhood is defined by the intimate details of her environment, where every family member looms close. With startling precision she remembers scenes of domestic life: her mother's weekly round of washing, the sodden tweed dripping on the line; Cora putting on layers of make-up for the Ayrshire night life; learning to write - and control the often rebellious letters; the living quality of her mother's mangy old fur coat.In these cramped conditions, ignored by her elders, Galloway is a silent observer, carefully and keenly watching the people around her. As her rage grows, she begins to think for herself. Slowly, unexpectedly, she finds her voice. Out of the silent child emerges the girl who will be a writer.
This Is Not About Me
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'One of the most moving, yet completely unsentimental, accounts of growing up that you will ever read'
-- Scotsman
'The writing, like all of her writing, is pared down, chisel-perfect' -- Herald
`The memoir is a welcome addition to Galloway's varied and impressive body of work' -- Irish Times
`The year's best memoir' -- Scotsman
-- Scotsman
'The writing, like all of her writing, is pared down, chisel-perfect' -- Herald
`The memoir is a welcome addition to Galloway's varied and impressive body of work' -- Irish Times
`The year's best memoir' -- Scotsman
Review
'The writing, like all of her writing, is pared down, chisel-perfect'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This wonderful book has all the emotional and intellectual impact of Galloway's award-winning fiction. Somewhere between novel and traditional memoir, she breaks new ground in writing a brave, forceful, funny and searingly honest book that is a far removed from the so-called "misery memoir". "This is not about me" is exactly that - not about one person but about how we are all are made by those around us. She writes directly from the child's point of view, sharp and clear, in rainbow colours. The characters of her mother and unhappy sister, Cora, in particular are wonderful portraits, clear-eyed and without any trace of self-pity, judgement or rancour. Music, a love of words and learning, compassion for everyday life is here writ large. "A book unlike any other" wrote Lavinina Greenlaw in the Guardian - and that's exactly what it is.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By oldspottycat
Format:Hardcover
I was blown away by this book. `This is Not About Me' may be based on her own experiences of growing up in the 1950s and 60s in Saltcoats, but in its sharply drawn, vividly realised evocation of childhood, Janice Galloway transcends time and space. I found myself reliving my own experience of growing up, as sights, sounds and sensations long forgotten came flooding back.
`This is Not About Me' is dark, certainly; it is also full of the excitement and wonder of growing up, as well as the pain and confusion. As the child gradually begins to confront the reality of what is going on around her, and to develop her own separate identity, the book reaches an oddly exultant conclusion.
If you want to read a book which will draw you in from page 1, and which will remain with you long after you have finished it, go for this one. I ordered three copies for friends for Christmas and am about to order more to send to friends overseas.
`This is Not About Me' is dark, certainly; it is also full of the excitement and wonder of growing up, as well as the pain and confusion. As the child gradually begins to confront the reality of what is going on around her, and to develop her own separate identity, the book reaches an oddly exultant conclusion.
If you want to read a book which will draw you in from page 1, and which will remain with you long after you have finished it, go for this one. I ordered three copies for friends for Christmas and am about to order more to send to friends overseas.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Janice Galloway is one of the best writers I have read and to be allowed insight into her life in this way is a privilege. Her powers of description are superb and Saltcoats and the fifties and sixties come alive in this memoir. It is a brave, honest book and I want to read more (I hope I'm right in thinking that there is more to come).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sad and funny
being the same age as Janice Galloway I could remember and relate to many of her memories of the times
Published 29 days ago by Ms. Susan J. Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic writer on fine form.
This Is Not About Me is a joy to read. Throughout there is a sense that something bad is going to happen. It never does. Everything remains normal. Life goes on. Read more
Published 1 month ago by amanda
1.0 out of 5 stars
Oh dear
This book lost me on page three! Good job I didn't pay much for it. I enjoy biographies but this one lacked all charm.
Published 2 months ago by Snue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jane Galloway, I love you
This is a jolly good read. It is well written, and laugh out loud too. A sympathetic account of growing up in Saltcoats, and triumphing over that and other considerable... Read more
Published 2 months ago by sophia
5.0 out of 5 stars
Playing the hand of cards you have been dealt
I am a sucker for autobiographical books about childhood, because it is a time of such fluidity of response, and I am always captivated when a writer can distil the stuff of their... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lady Fancifull
3.0 out of 5 stars
This is not about me
I've rated this 3 stars as there were parts that I really enjoyed, but also parts that I didn't find interesting at all. Read more
Published 4 months ago by cross-chrissy
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is not about me
Quite shocking in parts. I had no idea that life was so tough for a child born 10 years after me in an area I would have assumed looked after its own. Read more
Published 5 months ago by margaretdavy
3.0 out of 5 stars
disconcerting
I enjoyed this book but I bought it after hearing the author talk on Radio 4. She sounded fun and sparky so I didn't expect the book to be so off kilter and unusual. Read more
Published 10 months ago by happypenguin
3.0 out of 5 stars
This was about her!
It was certainly a page turner but I just wanted something to happen and was waiting for just that. Was very disappointed when nothing did happen and felt I had wasted my time... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lynne
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is how it was
The hardback edition starts with an explanation of the intriguing photograph on the front cover. Drawing us in from the beginning, this clear-eyed, unselfpitying account of a... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Clive A. H. Still
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