Tears for a Tinker - Softcover

Jess Smith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184183078X ISBN 13: 9781841830780

Publisher: Mercat Press, 2005

Synopsis

heart-warming reminiscences' - The Sunday Post 'Tales tumble out of Jess Smith's head and its her manner of telling them that is so compulsive' - The Scots Magazine 'Jess skilfully takes her reader into the world of Scottish Travellers in her own down-to-earth, straight-from-the-heart manner. Filled with warmth and humour' - Travellers' Times In the third and final book of Jess Smith's autobiographical trilogy, Jess traces her eventful life with Dave and their three children, from their earliest years together. Their adventures and achievements are interspersed with stories of her parents' childhood, her father's 'tall tales' and the eerie echoes of ghosts and hauntings that she has heard from gypsies and travellers over many years. Fans of Jess Smith will not be disappointed with her latest memoir, full of more unforgettable characters and insight into the travellers' way of life, a tradition that stretches back more than 2000 years and survives in the rich oral tradition of its people.

About this title

Review:

'Tales tumble out of Jess Smith's head and its her manner of telling them that is so compulsive.' -- The Scots Magazine

'heartwarming reminiscences...' -- The Sunday Post

Synopsis:

In the first two books of her autobiography, "Jessie's Journey and Tales from the Tent", Jess Smith told the story of her wandering years on the road with the last of Scotland's travellers, hawkers and gypsies. This third volume in the trilogy is Jess's at-times painful farewell to the travelling lifestyle which she loved. Settling down to 'scaldy' (non-traveller) existence - marriage, kids and domesticity in a small council house - was never going to be easy for her. But though there were sometimes tears, laughter is never far away. We move from a story of the car with no floor to a medical emergency, from the tall tales of her husband Dave's duck-hunt to his seafaring experiences, and from a chilling seance to a startling experiment with peroxide hair-colouring. There are more memories of Jess's early years on the road with her family in the old, blue bus. Through it all are scattered wonderful gems from Jess's treasury of traditional tales - what the Loch Ness Monster really is, the strange fate of Blind Harry, and the ominous appearances of shapeshifters and werewolves.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mercat Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 184183078X
• ISBN 13: 9781841830780
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232