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    Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
    Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
    Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
    Audiobook7 hours

    Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

    Written by Alexandra Fuller

    Narrated by Bianca Amato

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Alexandra Fuller won worldwide attention, popular acclaim, and critical accolades for her memoir of her childhood in Africa, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. This engaging follow-up explores Fuller's parents' childhoods and charts the trajectories of their lives through all the British couple's experiences in war-torn Africa. With the same sharply etched narrative that has earned the author such immense praise, Fuller expands on and offers new insights into her family's remarkable trials and successes.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 23, 2011
    ISBN9781461813590
    Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
    Author

    Alexandra Fuller

    Alexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. She moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with her family when she was two. After that country’s war of independence (1980) her family moved first to Malawi and then Zambia. She came to the United States in 1994. Her book Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize in 2002 and a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award. Scribbling the Cat won the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage in 2006.

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    Reviews for Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

    4/5

    235 ratings25 reviews

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    • 5/5
      We all should have our own Tree of Forgetfulness.....what a wonderful thought."People often ask why my parents haven't left Africa. Simply put they have been possessed by the land. Land is Mum's love affair and it is Dad's religion." Page 117From the beautiful landscape of the Isle of Skye in Scotland to the lush lands of East Africa....you will be taken on a journey with Nicola Fuller through her childhood and her adult life.This book is beautifully written with wonderful descriptions of feelings, daily living, and African landscapes. You will also be given a history lesson of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.The novel is also quite entertaining. You will love the stories, connect with the characters, feel their pain and mainly their love of the land in Africa even though Tim always said and was reminded by Nicola...."But I thought you said Africa was for the Africans." Page 210I thoroughly enjoyed this book......vicariously living the life of the Fullers was fun but frightening. I can't begin to give all the details in this short review.....you will definitely need to read it. You will love it. 5/5
    • 4/5
      I'm so pleased to rediscover Alexandra Fuller and her "awful books" -- she does such a wonderful job painting a portrait of white life in Africa, with all the troubled background that entails. This book is a daring, endearing, troublesome portrait of her mother, and all the sacrifices and hardships that come with a full life in a difficult place.
    • 4/5
      Excellent memoir of growing up and trying to thrive in Africa. Makes me long for an adventure and is a fantastic example of resilience.
    • 5/5
      Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is a gorgeously written memoir about Alexandra Fuller's life. I had no idea when I first picked this up that this was a continuation of her story, but I can say that reading this has sparked an interest in me to go pick up the first book! The way that Alexandra Fuller writes about her family is so wonderfully vivid that it draws your right in. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew this was a memoir, I could almost believe that Fuller's life was fiction. That's how amazing her memoir really is.

      From the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland, to the vibrant and lush lands of East Africa, the reader is taken on a journey through Nicola Fuller's childhood and beyond. Alexandra Fuller treats her mother's story as something exotic, but funny at the same time. There were moments that had me giggling out loud, especially as Nicola Fuller is so unabashed about her point of view on things. She says such things as "Here's to us. There's none like us, and if there were, they're all dead."

      This book is beautifully written. It swells with wonderful descriptions of the African landscapes and the people who live there. Fuller even goes so far as to incorporate some history lessons on the many wars that have taken place in these areas, since her family grew up in the middle of them. One of my favorite stories was of a "fancy dress party" where Nicola Fuller grabs her girls, grabs her automatic weapon, and packs them off to a party. Unfortunately poor Alexandra doesn't fit in the front (due to her too large costume) and later reflects on how, had they hit a land mine, she wouldn't have been able to tell this story today. Tongue in cheek is the best way to describe Fuller's tone, and I adored it.

      Suffice it say that Nicola Fuller is one of those larger than life people who demand the spotlight, and her daughter gives it to her in this gorgeously written memoir. If you were a fan of Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight I am sure you'll find more of the same here, or so I've gushingly been told my numerous people. If you haven't yet had a foray into the life of the Fullers, I'd suggest reading the title above first, then this one. It can definitely be read standalone but then you'll be left like me. Wanting more, and on a search for the first book.

      Highly recommended! I give this memoir my gold seal of approval, and my readers know I generally don't read them much. Pick up a copy, and prepare to be swept away into Nicola Fuller's terrifying and exotic life.
    • 4/5
      Pretty good book but not as good as the first. It is best to read her first book before reading this one.
    • 4/5
      This was an enjoyable reading. I liked the very personal insight of Fuller's family history, especially that of her mother, and their view of some African political events which were told in the world press differently. These very personal memories make this story so diversified and interesting. It's amazing how Nicola Fuller always found a way back to life even though with all those tragic moments she escaped into her own world. I admire her strength for every comeback. There were parts which made me reflective but there were parts I had to laugh out loud.
    • 3/5
      3.5 starsAlexandra Fuller is writing primarily about her mother's life, but also a bit about her father's in this book. Her mother, Nicola, was born in Scotland, but lived most of her life in Central Africa. Nicola loved to sing and enjoyed drinking, but was prone to depression at times. I enjoyed this. In addition to the biography itself, it was interesting to learn a little bit about what was going on in Africa at the time. It's quite short and fast to read.
    • 2/5
      First book I've read by this author, and can't say I'll be seeking out another. It was testing to following and didn't really seem to have a point. There were a few funny parts; however, these could have just as easily been short stories as opposed to being a detail within this memoir. While there is an illusion of chronology, the bird-walks into memories get confusing and end abruptly.The war over apartheid and historical commentary on the political state of Africa in its entirety serves more as a reason for the family's many moves than significantly informational. The importance and the struggle of this time frame come off as being grossly underwhelmed as Alexandra Fuller focuses on her parents' lack of reaction, to the point of offense at times. Denying and downplaying the significance does not better the situation; but then again, many people have similar coping mechanisms. It is almost like the historical bits are asides, a less important factor to the life and attitude of focused character (the matriarchal "Nicola Fuller of Central Africa"). Perhaps this is the definition of a memoir and why I don't read very many.
    • 3/5
      I read this together with her previous memoir, "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight," and I enjoyed thinking about how these two books overlap (quite a lot) and how they differ. The earlier one centers on the life of the author herself, with her mother as a strong presence. The later book centers on her mother, and to a lesser extent, her father. Both books give an interesting perspective (that of the well-lubricated retreating colonizers) on central African history of the 20th century. The first book is more even in quality. The second book has a few annoying tics (sorry, I thought the repeated use of the phrase "two million percent" was tiresome), but it has some really great passages that more than make up for the tics.
    • 3/5
      Overall, nice tales out of Africa, complete with a crazy family and wild adventures featuring a very resilient bunch of colonists. Not knowing much about the history of the African continent made it a little hard to follow since the family moved around through so many African countries. The lack of a timeline also made it a little confusing.
    • 4/5
      (Borrowing heavily from the book jacket) Cocktails Under The Tree of Forgetfulness is a daughter's telling of her mother's life from her birth in Scotland in 1944 through her adventures in Central Africa ending in 2010 during the author's extended visit to Zambia to spend time with her inimitable parents, the self-styled "Nicola Fuller of Central Africa" aka Mum or Tub to her husband, the author's father Timothy Fuller, aka Dad. BTW, Dad seems to be the only family member to escape a potentially embarrassing nickname according to the List of Main Characters. (I'd need to reread to confirm this.)There are several themes - the probable mental illness of Nicola (manic-depression) in spite of which she recovers and continues to care for her family through the tragic death of three small children- her parents love of Africa, "the warmth and freedom, the real open spaces, the wild animals, the sky at night as well as their acceptance of the extension of colonialism into apartheid by the Ian Smith-led government of Rhodesia. Along with 250,00 white Rhodesians "they were unwilling or disinclined to question the government policy that gave them preferential treatment over six million blacks, instead preferring to believe that theirs was a just and justifiable life of privilege."- the cruelty of the war over apartheid, both for the blacks and for the sacrifices made by the white population who wanted only to live out their lives on the frontiers of Africa. I had not heard of the biological aspects of the war against the blacks - injecting cans of food with thallium, salting the river water with cholera and warfarin, and the intentional anthrax poisoning with anthrax of over 10 thousand men, women and children living in the Tribal Trust lands.
    • 4/5
      Life in colonial Africa, and after it was no longer colonial. Insightful, revelatory, and funny.
    • 4/5
      The companion memoir to Don't Lets go to the Dogs Tonight, author Alexandra Fuller delves into her mother's life. This "fierce, splendid" woman figured prominently and reluctantly in the first book and here we see how she became so. Fuller's matter-of-fact, unapologetic writing style flows quickly and draws the reader in with her vivid recollections of life in Africa. Recommended
    • 3/5
      I had a hard time rating this one. I think if I had only read this and not her first, Let's Not Go to the Dogs Tonight, I would have rated it higher. I love her writing and the stories, but a lot of it was a repeat of her first book. She expanded on some things, but I felt like I paid twice for the same thing.
    • 5/5
      Sequel to Fuller’s memoir, Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight. Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year Fuller returns to Africa to recount the story of her mother Nicola Fuller of Central Africa. Mishaps and tragedies; a story of courage in a changing Africa.
    • 4/5
      i found the early part tedious but i continued and it improved. complex portrait of parents who love africa and are thus in conflict with black africans. i'm sure all original people hate colonizers. but those days are past. are colonizers actually as corrupt as original politicians? we could all learn from each other. i don't believe that all the problems in africa come from colonization.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed "Cocktail Hour" even though I haven't read Fuller's other book. I feel like I walked away learning a lot about Africa during British colonialism, in addition to a great story full of laughter and heartache. Now I'm interested to read Fuller's other book because this one was so intriguing. Overall, a very good read.
    • 5/5
      I LOVED Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight and I LOVED this just as much. My only caveat is that it seemed to be written for Fuller's mother, to make up for what her mother called That Awful Book. Even so, it seemed as candid and honest as the first book: not pulling any punches, but adding depth to her mother's life so that we (and Fuller as well, presumably) understand her better and appreciate the person she became, after all the tragedies in her life.Fuller is an amazing writer.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant book that grabs you from the beginning and wont let you go. Read in one day.
    • 5/5
      I read Ms. Fuller's previous memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight twice. It grabbed me -- fine writing, great story, learning about life in colonial Africa. It also left me with a sense of unease. I didn't understand why parents Nicola and Tim would stay in a country they weren't born in, thereby putting their children in so much danger. The photo of five year old Alexandra reassembling her father's shot gun haunts me still.In Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Ms. Fuller examines her parents' lives (mainly her mother's) with the same compelling, witty writing style that grabbed me once again. And this "back story" really rounded out the first book for me. By bringing her parents into focus, she has deepened the story of her own life. We see people deeply committed, not to their entitlements, but to the land and occupation they dearly love. If you read Don't Let's Go..., you must read Cocktail Hour..., whether you liked the first book or not! Either way, it will enrich your understanding of white people's life in Africa at the end of colonialism, and your appreciation for families who love each other no matter what.
    • 4/5
      Slow start to this eventually engaging rememberance of the author's parents and her life in Rhodesia. After I got into the pattern of how it was told, I could concentrate on the characters who were mainly her mother and father. This author also wrote LET'S NOT GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT.
    • 5/5
      I also read and greatly enjoyed Fuller's first memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, which is mostly about her childhood growing up in Rhodesia at the end of its colonial rule. This book is about her parent's lives, mostly her mother's. Or, at least, her mother is the greater source of material for the book. As was "Don't Let's Go" this book also is fascinating and well written. Her mother refers to the first memoir as That Awful Book, and while the author is talking to her parents about their lives, her mother is frequently telling her that this something she can put into another Awful Book. We hear about her mother's childhood in Kenya, a brief stay in England where she attended a secretarial school (Mrs. Hoster's College for Young Ladies), meeting her husband at the airport when returning to Kenya, and then their life together, in Kenya, England, Rhodesia, and eventually Zambia. It was a life full of hardships and heartaches. Her mother struggled with depression (and was apparently bi-polar), but made it through. It is all told with good humor.This book is a very quick read (easily accomplished in a weekend)and quite enjoyable. It is told with good humor. The atrocities that were committed by the Europeans against the Africans are not overlooked or minimized. In the waning days of colonialism, many white settlers left realizing that their way of life would be ending. The Fullers did not leave. To do so would have been cowardly and traitorous. They loved the the land, and stayed in Africa to make a life for themselves after the end of white rule.
    • 5/5
      Bobo has written another AWFUL BOOK. Huzzah! Huzzah! Now before you think I am condemning this long awaited follow-up prequel/sequel to her memoir Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, you should know that this is in fact how her family refers to her fantastic first book. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is a worthy successor to her first critically acclaimed memoir. Knowing I had this book coming up on my list for review, I hurried to read Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight about Fuller's African childhood because I am completely and totally compulsive about reading things in order (and I had owned the first book, unread, for well over a decade). Less obsessed readers do not need to do so though as this tale, centered around Fuller's dramatic and entertaining mother Nicola Fuller, easily stands on its own. Nicola Fuller grew up in Kenya while Britain was still ascendant on the African continent and her attitudes were shaped by life under a ruling minority. She is a fascinating, expansive, extravagant, over the top personality who shines as the emotional center of this book. With insight from her mother and extensive, casual interviews over cocktails under African sunsets, Fuller tells of her mother's childhood, young adulthood, charmed early life with Fuller's father, and the increasingly dangerous times and tragedies they survived. While this sequel does cover some of the same ground as her first memoir, it adds a whole new dimension to both Tim and Nicola Fuller, painting them more sympathetically than they were previously portrayed. And given the love that shines out from the pages of this book, this portrayal is probably the more accurate. Woven throughout the tales of her mother's life, are events of great historical significance. These forays into modern African history never come off as dry but instead as shaping the everyday life and tragedies of everyone around them, not excluding the Fullers themselves. Fuller does not whitewash the colonial sympathizing sentiment with which she grew up. She details the atrocities of a war that touched many people she knew and that constrained her own childhood. The acknowledgement that the African continent and the countries on it are complicated is a constant subtext. Nicola Fuller is also complicated, full of contradictions, and enduring just like the land she so loves. This memoir/biography is really a love story on many levels: the Fullers' love for Africa, Bobo's love for her mother, and Nicola's and Tim's steady love for each other. It is enchanting and funny, heartbreaking and nostalgic, a tale acknowledging and mourning the past but content to move into the future complete with cocktails served under the tree of forgetfulness (an actual tree on the banana and fish farm where Nicola and Tim live now). A lushly gorgeous rendering of a specific time and place, this was a charming, intimate, and delightful read.
    • 5/5
      Alexandra Fuller's first book, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonifht focused on her own experiences growing up in Africa during its turbulent transition from colonial dependency to independence. In that book, her parents, at least to me, did not come off in the most attractive light. They seemed to be typical colonialists, clinging to the old ways of oppressing the African majority while trying to maintain all their old privleges. In this latest book, however, Ms. Fuller turns her focus on her parents, in particular her mother, and this time they are shown in a much more attractive light.Nicola huntingford, while born in Scotland during World War II, spent most of her childhood and young adult life in colonial Kenya. While she did not have a lot of formal education, she was smart and largely self-taught in farming. birding and the many skills necessary to srurvive on the African veldt. She was also an excellent horsewoman, a resourceful woman (probably absolutely necessary for living in Africa), full of high spirits and incredibly brave whether or not you approve of her principles. A quote from early on in the book seems to sum her up. Outfitting her two daughters for a fancy dress children's party in Rhodesia during the bush war for African independence, Nicola does a mental check list before walking out the door: "Bullets, lipstick, sunglasses. Off we go. Come on, Bobo, quick march."This intrepid woman marries fellow ex-pat Tim Fuller in 1964 and embarks on a life, first in Kenya and then in Rhodesia, Malawi, and finally in Zambia, trying to make a living farming from the inhospitable conditions in sub-Sahara Africa. Along the way there is lots of liquor, plenty of laughs, but also danger (all those guerilla wars) and the heartbreak of losing three children, the last of which almost causes her to give in to total madness.Ms Fuller also clearly loves Africa, and probably in some ways mourns a way of life that has utterly vanished. Her descriptions of the land with it's people, animals and distinctlive odors are compellling. However, she always looks at Africa and her parents with clear-eyed honesty. While acknoweldging their failures and foibles, she also loves them dearly, which is what makes this book such a joy to read that one hates to see it end.
    • 4/5
      Another mesmerizing memoir from Ms. Fuller. Her courageous and persevering parents certainly endured more than their share of sadness and hardship. Having just finished reading Peter Godwin's "The Fear, Robert Mugabe and the Downfall of Zimbabwe," I am wondering how the Fullers escaped the persecution of Mugabe and his thugs. Ms. Fuller's writing is very lyrical, almost poetic in some cases and I look forward to her next book.