Rosemary Ackland began writing her diary in 1945,
aged just fifteen. For the next fifty-eight years,
through happiness and heartache, she continued to write.
Even after the tragic onset of Motor Neurone disease,
which left her mute and immobile, her diary was still an
outlet - in fact, then more than ever. Her simple,
heartfelt jottings were never intended for an audience.
But, during her last days, as he helped her hold a pen,
her husband Joss read her words for the first time.
Deeply moved by her lifetime's recollections he asked
her consent to publish them and she agreed. ''My Better
Half and Me'' weaves together Rosemary's diaries with
Joss' commentary to tell of an extraordinary love-story
that lasted over fifty years. Their life together was
remarkably full. At first they lived on a shoestring,
struggling to bring up their new family with Joss'
paycheques as a young actor. Once Joss' career took off
their lives became a dynamic whirl of tours across the
country. But they remained an extremely close-knit
family, with lives shaped by their seven children, by
the tragic, untimely death of their eldest son, and
later, by the birth of their grandchildren.Above all,
this intimate and candid story, shows how lucky they
were to have each other. In turbulent times they were
each other's rock. Theirs was a true old fashioned
romance. |
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