A Field Full of Butterflies

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Memories of a Romany Childhood

Rosemary Penfold was born in 1938 in a traditional Gypsy wagon, and grew up in the fields of the English countryside. In this beautiful and evocative memoir, she recounts her life within a loving extended family and small but close-knit community.

From early memories of her father bringing home oranges during the war, to the simple beauty of a field full of butterflies on a hot summer's day, Rosemary's stunningly elegant narrative captures the love and losses, hopes and struggles, traditions and prejudices that bound her to her family and helped her adapt to a fast-changing world.

Rosemary's story is a moving testament to a forgotten world and a rapidly disappearing way of life.

Read by Anna Bentinck

(p) 2011 Orion Publishing Group

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