The Shining Places

In her memoir The Shining Places: From the End to the Beginning, Hetty Clews retraces a lifetime of travels, not only in landscape, but also in literary pursuits, theatrical experience, and the exploits of her much-loved family. Clews begins with recollections about a childhood largely circumscribed by war, but also sprinkled with such touching moments as sharing the top of her father’s egg on Sunday mornings and the realization that he would carry her when her legs became too tired. As she details life experiences from more than eighty years that include entrance to a university that opened an exciting pathway to an astonishing new world of books and a career in teaching, Clews also offers essays and anecdotes about marriage, family, and the uncertainties and joys that accompany any coming-of-age journey. In this compelling, sometimes humorous memoir, one woman illustrates through her diverse personal experiences how beginnings can ultimately be discovered in endings.