Hope struggles to overcome despair - unsure about which is the winner

This is a very sensitive account of the boyhood years of William Horwood, perhaps better known as the author of 'The Duncton Chronicles'. His main sources of comfort during an impoverished childhood were his much loved Grandmother and an old fisherman. It is beautifully written and much more enjoyable than the current crop of 'misery-lit' child abuse biographies. ( )

I thought I had read enough memoirs about sad childhoods but I am glad I didn't miss this one. "A poignant, yet delightful, memoir by the author of the Duncton Wood classics. This triumphant story of a boy's struggle with early trauma and his remarkable journey into adulthod is bast on William Horwood's own heartbreaking boyhood in south-east England after the Second World War. Horwood has painted an unforgettable picture of childhood suffering, personal survival, and the power of faith and courage to turn darkness into light." ( )