And Then There Was One (Reminiscence) by Dennys, Joyce (2002) Hardcover

by Joyce Dennys

Born in a small Hill Station in India called Muree, the daughter of an Indian officer, Joyce Dennys, here, gives a lively account of her childhood. Her mother nearly died after birth, so she returned home to England with her children, the youngest being her new baby, called Joyce. The family settled in Eastbourne, but after some years Joyce's mother returned to India to join her husband, and her small daughter went to live with her grandparents in their big, dark redbrick house. Her memories of life are sharp, funny and alive, with anecdotes that are full of humor.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

JOYCE DENNYS was born 14th August 1883 in India. The Dennys family relocated to England in 1886. Dennys enjoyed drawing lessons throughout her schooling and later enrolled at Exeter Art School. In 1919 Dennys married Tom Evans, a young doctor, and they moved to Australia. While living in New South Wales, Dennys's work was constantly in print and exhibited in many galleries. In 1922 Joyce became a mother and moved back to England. Her drawing took second place to the domestic and social duties of a doctor's wife and mother and she became increasingly frustrated. She voiced her frustrations through the character of Henrietta, a heroine she created for an article for Sketch. Henrietta was to become so important to Dennys that she once remarked, ‘When I stopped doing the piece after the war, I felt quite lost. Henrietta was part of me. I never quite knew where I ended and she began.' These letters were later compiled to form Henrietta's War, first published by Andre Deutsch in 1985.

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish she had written another book about her life. Enjoyed this
one immensely although it was way too short.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Persephone reissues of Henrietta's War and Henrietta Sees It Through, so I wanted to read this memoir of the author's Victorian childhood. To me, the 1920s and 40s seem pretty near, historically speaking. I relate to those times. But boy, Victorian life, the way children were treated and marriages conducted, the way daughters were pulled out of school entirely if parents could only afford to send their sons to school...it's all foreign to my modern mind. So it was good to read an honest memoir of the time (as opposed to much of the fiction of the time, which glosses over that sort of thing). I was gently entertained by the same candor and humor I loved in the Henrietta books and wished the story went on longer. I plan to see if there are memoirs that cover her life beyond childhood.

[Elisha Condie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Joyce Dennys other books I am having that desperate feeling of wanting to read everything she's ever written, only to find there isn't a ton there.

This is her little autobiography, mostly about her childhood. It's very sweet and has her illustrations throughout. Oddly, though, this autobiography takes us up until she's about 15 and then it ends. There is one page at the end that very briefly updates the rest of her life but it was rather abrupt how it just ended and then she writes 4 paragraphs to sum up the rest of her life. Frankly, I could have taken less of her elementary school memories and more about her as an adult. I wanted there to be more.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle memoir of a childhood that seems incredibly remote now.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to read this and think of how little attention children pay to their environment. And how memory is dulled over time into shining nuggets and the rest is blankness.