Author:Gloria Hunniford
A moving, thought-provoking and uplifting story of a wonderful mother, daughter relationship.
Gloria Hunniford's daughter, TV presenter Caron Keating, was 34 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The next seven years of Caron's life, and her family's, became a quest for recovery that ultimately took them across the world.
They became experts in the illness and its treatment, both conventional and alternative. All the while Caron was living in the public eye and keeping her own, devastating secret.
This is Gloria's account of Caron's life. It is about the difficult bond between mothers and daughters ... about what happens to a family when one of its members gets taken over by a disease.
It's a celebration of an unbreakable mother - daughter relationship and how that relationship withstood the strain of Caron's illness. And above all it's a book to commemorate a spirited, magical woman. A woman who loved life and fought to hold onto it.
'It is outstanding from the beginning ... feels painfully truthful but is utterly absorbing. It does make you cry - endlessly' Daily Express
'We see Caron as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend and a mother - but most of all as a fighter. This is not a story of illness and death rather it's a beautiful, emotional celebration of an extraordinary life that sadly ended far too soon. A beautiful read' Daily Record
Anyone who lived through that time, or anyone curious to know what the 'magic' or theswinging 60s where about, will enjoy this trip through 'histories of ages past' with the original Hurdy Gurdy Man.
—— The GuardianEntertaining and indisputably personal account
—— MOJOThree cheers for the Hurdy Gurdy man for approaching his autobiography as a serious book rather than a quick cash-in or headline grabbing confessional...a pleasing trip back to a time, not so long ago, when every gentle heart believed peace was a real possibility
—— The TelegraphAn unqualified delight
—— The ObserverTouching, illuminating and frank
—— The New York TimesSpellbinding autobiography
—— Daily MailAn extraordinary read
—— Daily ExpressThis is a really marvellous book, the most uninhibitedly intimate portrayal ever of the short, hard life and overall musical triumph of Lady Day...With Billie vividly reflects the chaos that Billie Holiday was born into and only rarely escaped from
—— Spectator