DRURY LANE TO DIMAPUR: WARTIME ADVENTURES OF AN ACTRESS by Doreen Hawkins
£12.99
A captivating account of wartime life, of a young actress who entertained audiences in Britain throughout the darkest days of the Blitz and the troops abroad in Africa, India and Burma – and who found love far from home with Jack Hawkins, the star she finally married.
‘I cannot exaggerate how much I admired this book – not because I knew the central participants intimately, but because it deserves admiration on its own merits for its honesty, its self-deprecating humour, its true ear for colloquial dialogue and the ability of the author to tell her story without conceit or self-pity. Put against some of the tawdry, fifth-rate crap that passes muster as autobiography in this age of declining standards, I would recommend it to anybody who values good writing and the nostalgic remembrance of times past.’ Bryan Forbes, The Oldie
Doreen Hawkins’s memory is quite simply phenomenal; her story far from dull. It is romantic, often dryly humorous, also dramatic, moving and at times horrific. Her eye for detail is outstanding – whether describing revolting food or glamorous clothes. Her unpretentious writing brings past events back to life as fresh as if they had happened yesterday. Jonathan Cecil, The Daily Mail
288 pages
16 pages b/w plates, full colour cover
ISBN 978-1-904-34966-2
