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

Singing

Would you consider the audio edition of Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness to be better than the print version?

An interesting, well-read book EXCEPT for the singing. Why, oh why, did the publishers require -- if require they did -- the reader to sing the songs in the text? It's utterly painful.

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

When The Crocodile Swallowed The Sun.

What three words best describe Bianca Amato’s voice?

Fine except for the singing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

No

Breathtakingly beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking; one of my favorite authors.

Breathtakingly beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking; one of my favorite authors. I’m transported by Fuller’s magical choice of words, lyrical, rhythmic — “jewel colored liqueurs” to one’s senses

A wonderful story-beautifully narrated!

After having listened to "Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight", I was delighted to see the story continue with "Under The Tree of Forgetfullness". This second book was excellent; as it was able to take you deeper into the incidents and personalities of the Fuller Family! The true life story about the authors life while growing up in Africa was engaging, witty, and very informational. The narration by Bianca Amato was top notch! Bianca is a brilliant narrator whose voice and song captivate you while drawing you into the story. Under The Tree of Forgetfullness was a 5 Star experience for me all the way around!

Not what I expected

But so much more. I expected a quirky story of a white European family living in Africa. That's what this is, alright, intertwined with the story of the traumatic growing pains which accompanied the declarations of independence by several African countries in the 1960's, tragic accidents, lack of good medical care, grief, and depression. But overall, the story of courage to keep going, to keep living, to keep working, loving, moving forward. And ... to have another glass of wine. Beautifully read (and sung)!

Great Story and Entertaining

I love the way this book was written and the narration was fantastic. The detailed descriptions of her parents made it as if I could see them and knew their personalities. Made me laugh and made me cry and I can remember some of the political changes that happened during the timeframe of story . Not ever realizing how other countries and peoples lives were affected .

Funny, Sad and Reminiscent

I enjoyed this book thoroughly especially, since I have travelled to these African countries myself.

Top notch....

I was a little leery at first, approaching this novel, having been bowled over by Fuller's initial star effort "Dogs" but also being slightly disappointed by Fuller's follow-on work. This book is a perfect compliment to "Dogs", full of insight, compassion, grit and finally, courageous in depicting one's irrepressible mother with such fierce honesty yet admiring love and by being, thank goodness, free of victimhood. I was hoping that Lisette Lescat would once again be the narrator, but Bianca Amato more than measures up to the task. Bravos all around!!

Delightfully Entertaining Perseverance in Africa

If you want to get out of your world and into another's - sit back and enjoy. Struggles, conflicts and loss keep this family coming back for the love and beauty that is only unique to Africa.

A good follow on

I did not enjoy this as much as "Don't let's go to the dogs tonight" but it was still a very enjoyable listen.
It manages to capture so much of what is modern Africa.

Well worth the price.

I wish the author had narrated this memoir

After listening to Fuller read "Travel Light, Move Fast" I could not help being disappointed by the narrator here. The accent seemed wrong, and the odd pauses and, especially, the singing just put me off. Others will certainly disagree.

I did truly enjoy the story though. I have read three of Fuller's other books and this one pulls a lot of that history together from her mother's perspective but seen through the author's eyes.