Family Secrets (Hidden Lives: A family Memoir - Margaret Forster)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	Hidden Lives: A family Memoir - Margaret Forster
Date:	23/11/05 (852 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great read

Disadvantages: None!

Margaret Forster was inspired to write ‘Hidden Lives’ when her publisher asked her to refute claims by some feminists that women’s lives have not significantly changed over the past century. She saw it as the ideal opportunity to delve into her past and write about her own family, describing the changes amongst the female members throughout the generations. It creates a fascinating read...

Beginning in late 19th century Carlisle, the prologue had me gripped right from the start. The opening pages are wonderfully desciptive with a keen eye for detail, giving the reader an excellent idea of the writing style and quality to expect throughout. An illustrated map is also included so the reader can get a grasp of locations when various street names are mentioned.

The initial chapter briefly explains how and why certain seeds of doubt are sown and questions raised regarding a particular branch of Margaret Forsters family tree. An element of the family history that has always been quite mysterious and unexplained to an extent.

The mystery surrounds Margaret Ann, the grandmother of the author. Research unearths details of her mother Annie, her pitiful birth and the circumstances surrounding it. The reader is given some little known background and history of the family at the time. Annie died when Margaret Ann was only 2 years old and a void then seems to have been purposely created.

“All Annie left behind her was her baby Margaret Ann, aged two. From 1871 to 1893 this baby, my grandmother, disappears from all records. But she, unlike her mother, can be clearly identified and described even if there are gaps, gaps she went to great lengths to keep empty. During her lifetime she managed to conceal everything she wished to conceal. After her death, not all her secrets have remained secret.”

These early pages of ‘Hidden Lives’ gave me high expectations and I found myself engrossed by the generation web that is slowly woven. It appears that Margaret Ann left a lot unsaid regarding the early years of her life...a time when certain events were swept under the carpet. Why was she always so secretive about her past and her origins? Why did she feel the need to give a false impression about her place of birth?
All details that Margaret Forster intended to find out.

Obviously a true memoir, this book is interestingly written as a story in third person narrative. It’s almost easy to forget that events detailed actually happened until additional first person narration is interspersed as analysis and exploration of the writers family.

Margaret Forster not only examines the life of her grandmother, but also her mother (Lilian) and gradually, herself - three generations of women born in working class Carlisle but with very different outlooks on life due to the varying and developing opportunities available to them.

For example, during the late 19th century unrealised potential and supressed ambition was rife amongst women. Their ‘job’ in life was quite simply to settle down and start a family. It was expected and certainly seen as the norm.

Into the early 20th century, married women were forced to choose between starting a family or continuing with their career. Still feeling somewhat obliged to have babies, as soon as this did happen, work had to be given up.

In comparison, more recent years have shown that there are various paths to choose regarding family and career. Some have babies when they are quite young and then embark on a career afterwards. Others decide to stay at home and be a full time mum and housewife. It’s also possible to keep working for many years and then become a mother later on in life.

Margaret Forsters contrasting study proves to be a valid arguement against the original claim that womens lives haven’t changed over the last 100 years. ‘Hidden Lives’ shows that they have. Traditional values do still exist as many women find themselves with strong maternal instincts and urges. But there is so much more equality between the sexes and more importantly, women now have so many more choices that they never even dreamed of having all those years ago.

Aswell as acting as a form of social history and an analysis of womens roles in society, this book has lovely elements of everyday family life, including some quite touching and personal moments. Wonderful memories about trips to market and special (but seemingly rare) trips to the shops for new outfits/ school uniforms....events which we now take for granted.
Family caravan holidays are detailed, aswell as tales regarding visits to strict doctors surgeries, stigma about the property and homes available at the time, different forms of education, economic pressures and Carlisle life in general - all punctuated by a centre spread of family photographs with captions.

It all adds to this fascinating insight and creates a very enjoyable read....making me realise just how lucky I’ve been!

In 1998 Margaret Forster wrote a follow up to this book called ‘Precious Lives’ which won the J. R. Ackerley prize. I haven’t read it yet but I certainly will as I’d love to find out if there are any more family secrets to reveal!




PUBLISHED BY: Penguin
PAGES: 310
COVER PRICE: £6.99
ISBN: 0-14-023982-0

Summary: A fascinating family memoir