Have You Been Good?: A Memoir | Vanessa Nicolson

Author: Vanessa Nicolson
Publisher: Granta Books (2016)
ISBN-10: 1783780789
ISBN-13: 9781783780785
Condition: Very Good. Minor edgewear to the covers, else internally bright and clean.
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 311
Dimensions: 19.8 x 10.98 x 2 cm
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by Vanessa Nicolson
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Vanessa Nicolson is the granddaughter of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson. She was born to an illustrious name and an unhappy marriage. Her father, the art historian Ben Nicolson, was homosexual and his marriage to Vanessa's Italian mother fell apart when Vanessa was very young.

In this powerful and meditative memoir she chronicles her disjointed childhood and reckless youth, including holidays at Sissinghurst Castle with her cousins, and her experience of a liberal English boarding school. Interlinked with her story is that of her daughter Rosa, who died, aged 19.

This book is a meditation on the threads of love and loss that weave through a life and an examination of the meaning of cultural privilege in the context of emotional deprivation.