How Many Camels Are There in Holland?
Dementia, Ma and Me
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Narrated by:
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Phyllida Law
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By:
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Phyllida Law
About this listen
The charming, funny successor to the hugely popular ‘Notes to my Mother-in-Law’, from the inimitable Phyllida Law.
Following Phyllida Law’s wonderful and acclaimed ‘Notes to my Mother-in-Law’ – which comically and tenderly documented the author’s relationship with her husband’s mother who lived with the family for 17 years – we now have a chronicle of Phyllida’s relationship with her own mother who suffered from dementia. Recently widowed, bringing up her own two daughters (actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson) and working as a successful actress herself, Phyllida went up and down to Scotland to spend as much time with her ailing mother as she could manage. During the period she kept a lively and frank journal noting many of the sad yet funny examples of her mother’s faltering grip on reality. The journal includes reminiscences of her own childhood and the tragic death of her only brother.
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Critic reviews
Praise for ‘How Many Camels Are There in Holland?’:
‘Handling delicate material with a clear head and a loving heart, Law manages to turn the stuff of tragedies into the most delicate of comedies … Law’s technique ought to be studied on writing courses’ Telegraph
‘I doubted that I could ever read anything that would make me smile gently at the tragic reality of caring for a beloved family member who slips away before your eyes becoming a stranger. Yet Phyllida Law has provided such a book …’ BOOK OF THE WEEK, Daily Mail
‘Phyllida Law has a delightfully natural style, a gift for anecdote and the knack of seeing the funny side of pretty much everything. Someone so accomplished could write a book about their weekly trip to the supermarket and make it highly amusing … funny, brave and heartening.’ Spectator
‘So much merriment courses through Phyllida Law’s account of looking after her mother … Many of their exchanges belong in an Alan Bennett play’ Daily Telegraph
‘The first thing that strikes you about Phyllida Law’s account of her mother’s descent into dementia is how merry and life-affirming it is. The fast pace gives it the immediacy of a diary and from the first page you are thrust into the middle of the tumbling, loving Thompson family…Not once does Phyllida moan, tears are only occasionally mentioned and always cried in private… It is the ultimate in girl power… the perfect (gin &) tonic’ Express
‘Her and Mego's exchanges often have the ring of a daffy sitcom. At one point she shouts after her glaucoma-afflicted mother "You haven't got your long-distance glasses on," as the latter totters out the door for a stroll. "Don't worry dear," Mego shouts back. "I'm not going any distance"’ Independent
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Story
Sir Edward Feathers has had a brilliant career, from his early days as a lawyer in Southeast Asia, where he earned the nickname Old Filth (FILTH being an acronym for Failed In London Try Hong Kong) to his final working days as a respected judge at the English bar. Yet through it all he has carried with him the wounds of a difficult and emotionally hollow childhood. Now an 80-year-old widower living in comfortable seclusion in Dorset, Feathers is finally free from the regimen of work and the sentimental scaffolding that has sustained him throughout his life.
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Literature at its finest!
- By M. Dyson on 07-29-23
By: Jane Gardam
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Putney
- A Novel
- By: Sofka Zinovieff
- Narrated by: Michelle Ford
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spirit of Zoë Heller’s Notes on a Scandal and Tom Perrotta’s Mrs. Fletcher, an explosive and thought-provoking novel about the far-reaching repercussions of an illicit relationship between a young girl and a man 20 years her senior. Masterfully told from three diverse viewpoints - victim, perpetrator, and witness - Putney is a subtle and enormously powerful novel about consent, agency, and what we tell ourselves to justify what we do, and what others do to us.
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One of the greatest stories of all time!
- By Valarie on 06-17-20
By: Sofka Zinovieff
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The Things We Never Said
- By: Susan Elliot Wright
- Narrated by: Kate Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1964, Maggie wakes to find herself in a mental asylum, with no idea who she is or how she got there. Remnants of memories swirl in her mind - a familiar song, a storm, a moment of violence. Slowly, she begins to piece together the past and the events which brought her to this point.
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Disappointing
- By Anonymous User on 01-18-22
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Yes Sister, No Sister
- My Life as a Trainee Nurse in 1950s Yorkshire
- By: Jennifer Craig
- Narrated by: Jennifer Craig
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Jennifer Craig's enchanting memoir, we meet these warm-hearted yet naïve young girls as they get to grips with strict discipline, long hours and bodily fluids. But we also see the camaraderie that develops in evening study sessions, sneaked trips to the cinema and mischievous escapades with the young trainee doctors. The harsh conditions prove too much for some girls, but the opportunity to help her patients in their time of need is too much of a pull for Jenny.
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I enjoyed it but it probably isn't for everyone
- By Jilly on 02-11-12
By: Jennifer Craig
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East of the Sun
- By: Julia Gregson
- Narrated by: Tania Rodrigues
- Length: 19 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Autumn 1928. Three young women are on their way to India, each with a new life in mind. Rose, a beautiful but naive bride-to-be, is anxious about leaving her family and marrying a man she hardly knows. Victoria, her bridesmaid couldn't be happier to get away from her overbearing mother, and is determined to find herself a husband. And Viva, their inexperienced chaperone, is in search of the India of her childhood, ghosts from the past and freedom.
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Indian history takes a back seat to 3 young women
- By Richard on 05-24-16
By: Julia Gregson
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A Three Dog Life: A Memoir
- By: Abigail Thomas
- Narrated by: Abigail Thomas
- Length: 4 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his brain shattered. Subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations, he must live the rest of his life in an institution. He has no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before. This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a story of great courage and great change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude.
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Eloquent & Honest
- By Sara on 09-30-15
By: Abigail Thomas
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The Flight of Gemma Hardy
- A Novel
- By: Margot Livesey
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Fate has not been kind to Gemma Hardy. Orphaned then neglected, young Gemma seemed destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. Yet her bright spirit burns strong. Fiercely intelligent, singularly determined, Gemma overcomes each challenge and setback, growing stronger and more certain of her path. Now an independent young woman, she accepts a position as an au pair on the remote and beautiful Orkney Islands. But Gemma’s biggest trial is about to begin....
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f you loved Jane Eyre, you will like this novel.
- By Cecilia on 02-09-12
By: Margot Livesey
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Christmas at Snowdrop Cottage
- By: Helen J. Rolfe
- Narrated by: Ana Clements
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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All it takes is a cozy cottage, nostalgia for her family, and the unexpected presence of a tall, handsome man to make Belle realize the true meaning of Christmas.
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Amazing
- By Bonnye Albert on 01-04-20
By: Helen J. Rolfe
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The Blind Assassin
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Margot Dionne
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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For the past twenty-five years, Margaret Atwood has written works of striking originality and imagination. In The Blind Assassin, she stretches the limits of her accomplishments as never before, creating a novel that is entertaining and profoundly serious. The novel opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental.
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Good book, TERRIBLE audio!
- By Whitney on 04-27-09
By: Margaret Atwood
What listeners say about How Many Camels Are There in Holland?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Albasaor
- 11-11-19
Dementia, Ma and Me...Simply Superb!
Phyllida Law is an exceptional writer and narrator. This audio book is one of my favorites and is certainly worth the money! I have become a big fan of her writing and her acting career. You won't be disappointed with this audio book or any of her other written works and her superb narrations. This audio book is a keeper!
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- Sue C
- 03-19-13
Hackneyed I know but this is a MUST listen
This book describes Phyllida Law's care of her dementing mother in Scotland while she was trying to sustain an acting career from her home in London. It is a glorious book full of gentle and rip roaring humor in the face of what must have been dreadful to witness. Phyllida had already cared for her mother-in law who was very deaf at the same time she was raising Emma and Sophie Thompson her actress daughters.Husband and father,Eric Thompson ( Magic Roundabout narrator for any Brits reading this) died very young.
Phyllida has the most expressive, beautiful voice and narrates her exquisite prose to perfection. I listened to this book without a break and have bought another audible because she is narrating it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Malgozata
- 12-31-22
loving memories
it took 20 years for Phyllida to write this memoir of her last year (s) of her mom who has dementia. By then, some memories were funny, everything was forgiven and most frustrations forgotten.
it's good to have such perspective on caring for a person with dementia. it's one of the hardest jobs. Phyllida did it. This book is both endearing and helpful. i enjoyed the fun bits. i enjoyed Phyllida's sense of humor towards life, even when falling flat on her face. This book is quite witty despite the topic. it was lovely to spend a few hours in Phyllida's world. Thank you, Phyllida for honestly sharing your world with us.
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