A Field Full of Butterflies: Memories of a Romany Childhood by Rosemary Penfold
Rosemary Penfold's beautiful and evocative memoir of her life growing up in the fields of the English countryside is a moving testament to a forgotten world and a rapidly disappearing and often misunderstood people.
Born in 1938 in a traditional Gypsy wagon and surrounded by the love of her parents and extended family in a small but close-knit community, Rosemary paints a vivid and touching portrait of a way of life that no longer exits.
From her 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, and traditions and prejudices that bound her to her family, and helped her adapt to a fast-changing world.