Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

By: Alexandra Fuller

Narrated by: Bianca Amato

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Fuller braids a multilayered narrative around the perfectly lit, Happy Valley-era Africa of her mother's childhood; the boiled cabbage grimness of her father's English childhood; and the darker, civil war- torn Africa of her own childhood. At its heart, this is the story of Fuller's mother, Nicola. Born on the Scottish Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya, Nicola holds dear the kinds of values most likely to get you hurt or killed in Africa: loyalty to blood, passion for land, and a holy belief in the restorative power of all animals. Fuller interviewed her mother at length and has captured her inimitable voice with remarkable precision. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is as funny, terrifying, exotic, and unselfconscious as Nicola herself.

©2011 Alexandra Fuller (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Great by both ear and eye

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fuller's white British-born parents loved their life in colonial Africa until the war for independence forced them to leave Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, but not Africa. Their story reads like a pioneer saga, full of reckless courage and passionate relationships set against a backdrop of natural beauty and political turmoil. In this second story of her childhood, Fuller, who now lives in America, paints a vivid picture of her inimitable mother, who was as devoted to her Scottish heritage as to the African land she farmed with her husband. If only Katherine Hepburn were alive to play her on screen! We see the mother's British-colonial sensibilities and experiences viewed through her daughter's more critical but loving eyes. I kept wanting to take a break to learn more about the Rhodesian civil war, but I couldn't leave the book. Both Amato, the reader (her some-kind-of-British accent charmed my American ears), and Fuller bring the story and characters alive, balancing tragedy with humor. After listening to this, I began reading Fuller's earlier memoir, "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" on my Kindle, and then picked up "Scribbling the Cat," about a white African soldier, in old-fashioned book form. Reading in print helped me appreciate Fuller's lyrical style and colorful slang ("Cat" has a glossary in the back), but I plan to listen to them all. In any format they're all terrific--you learn, you laugh, you are moved. What more can a reader ask?

What other book might you compare Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness to and why?

"West with the Night" (the first audiobook I ever listened to--I was hooked) and Jeannette Walls' "Half-Broke Horses"

What about Bianca Amato???s performance did you like?

Her skill with reading dialogue, her light touch with humor, and her ability to shift tone subtly, without melodrama, during heavier parts.

Loved Cocktail Hour

Where does Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorites.

What did you like best about this story?

Having traveled a little in Zimbabwe I was fascinated with the country and especially how it transitioned from British-led Rhodesia.

Which scene was your favorite?

Nicola (the author's mother) winning her first horse show on a borrowed horse that no-one else could manage,

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, there are three particularly devastating events, but listing them would be a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

The book is written from the POV of the grown daughter who returns to Africa to interview her parents and track down her mother's colorful past. It is beautifully read by Bianca Amato. I kept thinking the author herself was telling the story.

Great book

wonderful book and engaging narration. very sorry to come to the end. loved this story.

Extraordinary family living African history A+'

Where does Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best. I tell people it is a bit eccentric at times and was a great listen. The narrator reminds me the actress, Kristin Scott Thomas. The narration opened up the story in a very grand way.

What other book might you compare Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness to and why?

Gone with the wind

Which character – as performed by Bianca Amato – was your favorite?

The mother, main character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was more fun enjoying it slowly.

Any additional comments?

Don't be scared off by the African war element. It was really lovely overall and I recommend it.

Not much difference from last book

Fuller picks up from her prior book and elaborates on her mother gritty mother who is displeased with how the family is portrayed in the book. Nicolette faced many hardships, and was defiantly a colorful person. I just felt like there was a lot recycled material from the prior book, and I was kind of tired of it all. On to West With Night ;)

Musical

Bianca reads Ms. Fuller's story as if it were her own. This clever book is full of insight to central Africa history along personal experiences of adaptation. I loved the use of humor that lead the listener through hard time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading Ms. Fuller's other "awful books"!!!!!

entertaining until the last sentence

Descriptive and eloquently written in oh so British a manner. Very fun listen and with great color. One can see the land.

A fascinating life well written.

What made the experience of listening to Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness the most enjoyable?

Nothing ordinary in this woman's life, funny and poignant.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nicola Fuller of Central Africa was both ridiculous with her snobbery and admirable for her strong core.

What does Bianca Amato bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like Amato's plain reading. Too many readers feel compelled to over dramatize, rather than give a plain, strong delivery. Her accent added location, but didn't interfere with understanding the story.

Any additional comments?

This book is well and tightly written.

I didn't want it to end!

The "awful book" that was many times referenced in this wonderful book is Let's Not Go To The Dogs Tonight. I listened to that one first and found this a wonderful addition to their family story. The beautifully descriptive storytelling made me feel like I was there. Absolutely beautiful!

Wonderful!

I started this years ago and for some reason got side tracked and didn’t finish. However I just picked it back up and finished it in no time! I couldn’t put it down and was so charmed by the characters and moved by the storytelling. Fabulous narrator- altogether a terrific book.