The Girl on the Wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry

Author(s): Jean Baggott

Biography & Memoir

An extraordinary memoir - told through a hand-sewn tapestry - of a very ordinary English life. As the clock struck midnight on 31 December 1999, Jean Baggott vowed that from that point on her life would be devoted to the happiness of 'the girl on the wall' - a 1948 photograph taken of Jean when she was eleven, recreated in needlework. Reflecting on her hopes and dreams 60 years on from that photo, Jean stitched a remarkable tapestry looking back on her life and the changing world around her. The tapestry consists of 73 interlocking circles, giving a unique portrait of everyday life for the working people of the industrialised West Midlands, and the wider world. Each chapter of her book relates to one circle in the tapestry as Jean explores the memories the circle evokes. The result is a unparalleled and hugely enthralling, unforgettable memoir.


Product Information

'It could be the stuff of misery memoirs but in Jean Baggott's nimble fingers, this life's rich tapestry positively shimmers.' Sunday Herald 'Stop all the reading clocks because the most exquisite book arrived yesterday; it's quite taken my breath away - the writing style is knowledgeable yet unpretentious and with an intimacy that reveals Jean to be a wonderful raconteur.' DoveGrey Reader.com 'Could the next big thing to hit the galleries of Hoxton be a fluffy-haired Midlands grandmother who never likes to stray far from her pincushion? Judging by a most extraordinary new book, The Girl on the Wall, and the phenomenal piece of craftwork it is a companion to, there's every chance it could.' Sunday Telegraph

Jean Baggott was born in 1937 and lives in Warwick. She has lived in various parts of the Midlands for most of her life and remains passionate about her Black Country roots.

General Fields

  • : 9781848311893
  • : Icon Books Ltd
  • : Icon Books Ltd
  • : March 2011
  • : United Kingdom
  • : May 2011
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Jean Baggott
  • : Paperback
  • : 1
  • : 942.4085092
  • : illustrations