Coming Up Trumps: A Memoir

by Jean Trumpington

Forthright, witty and deliciously opinionated, Jean Trumpington's Coming Up Trumps is a wonderfully readable account of a life very well lived.

In this characteristically trenchant memoir, the indomitable Jean Trumpington looks back on her long and remarkable life. The daughter of an officer in the Bengal Lancers and an American heiress, Jean Campbell-Harris was born into a world of considerable privilege, but the Wall Street Crash entirely wiped out her mother's fortune.

At fifteen the young Jean Campbell-Harris was sent to Paris to study but two years later, with the outbreak of the Second World War, she became a land girl. However, she quickly changed direction, joining naval intelligence at Bletchley Park, where she stayed for the rest of the war. After the war she worked first in Paris and then on Madison Avenue, New York, with advertising's 'mad men'. It was here that she met her husband, the historian Alan Barker, and their marriage, in 1954, ushered in the happiest period of her life before embarking on her distinguished political career, as a Cambridge City councillor, Mayor of Cambridge and, then, in 1980, a life peer.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, History

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2014

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book funny. Hello magazine for toffs, with enough name dropping to sink a flotilla. Jean Trumpington, the subject of this book, is incredibly eccentric. For example, when she was the headmaster's wife at The Leys, a reputable school in Cambridge.....

It was three weeks before the end of our last term. For seventeen years we had been at The Leys, and for seventeen years, on every Speech Day, it had been my job - my only job - to walk about the edge of the indoor swimming pool, terrified I would fall in, holding the various cups to be presented to the winners of the swimming gala. In this seventeenth year, when I had paraded around the pool for the final time... I jumped in, at the deep end, fully clothed, in my best Speech Day dress. The masters were astonished, the boys beside themselves with delight. Of course, almost the entire school followed me in, to 'save' me. Barker (her husband) wouldn't speak to me for about three weeks afterwards. I'm not surprised. it was so naughty."

Well, the whole of Trumptington's life was naughty. Every week she seemed to be doing something wildly outrageous, and usually with a member of the aristocracy or some wayward billionaire in tow. She wrote this book aged 92, as a now bouncing member of the House of Lords.

Warning. Do not read this book if snobbery sticks in your gullet. There will be terminal choking before the end of the first chapter.

[Malcolm · Rating 1 out of 5]

You would hope a member of the House of Lords in their nineties would have something significant to say...think again.
This vacuous, trivial piece is full of the accounts of privilege with constant references to the fact that hasn't any money while describing activities that people on average income wouldn't even dream of - they are too busy making a living and contributing to the greater good. Hard to see what this Baroness has contributed .
I suspect this book has come about because of an appearance on a popular satire show and an indiscreet gesture in the House of Lords that became media news. ... and nothing more.
However if you want an argument for the radical reform of the upper chamber this silly book would be it.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

My lovely friend Rita Hollimgworth-Smythe, whose stepson became Lord Whatsapp, recommended this lovely book to me. I have recommended it to all my old friends, I have simply hundreds of them. So many I cannot remember anything remotely interesting about any of them apart from their names, their connections and how they gave jolly old me a job, which I didn't really like or do very well, but attended parties instead.

I am so glad that the author didn't bore us with politics. She was only a minor minister in Mrs Thatcher's government after all. Far more fun telling us when she has been rude in the House of Lords.

Seriously, this is absolutely ghastly. Lady Trumpington has a had a very good life but she has very little interesting to say.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book a delight to listen to. Sort of reminded me of the stories my British grandmother us to tell. Jean Trumpington is in her nineties and tells the story of her long and remarkable life. She was daughter of an officer in the Bengal Lancers and an American heiress. Jean Campbell-Harris was born into a world of privilege, but the Wall Street crash of 1929 entirely wiped out her mother’s fortune. Leaving boarding school at fifteen she was sent to Paris to study French and German. At the outbreak of WWII she returned to England and became a land girl on the farm of Lloyd George. She then joined naval intelligence at Bletchley Park where she stays until the end of the war. After the War she lived in Paris with the family of the England’s Ambassador to France. She then went to New York City to work on Madison Avenue. She met many of the prominent families of U.S. wealth and politics. While in the U.S. she met her future husband British historian Alan Barker. The married in 1954 and had a son Alan, she lived the life of a headmaster’s wife before embarking on a distinguished political career, as Cambridge city councilor, mayor of Cambridge, and served in two conservative governments first as Parliamentary under-secretary of State in department of Health and Social Security and second as Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. In the 1980’s she was made a life peer and becoming Baroness Trumpington of Sandwich. She still serves in the House of Lords. Baroness Trumpington is forthright, witty and opinionated. The stories read as the who’s who of the era. The book is a wonderfully readable account of a well lived interesting life. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Sarah Badel did a marvelously job narrating the book.

[Val Robson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jean Trumpington is best known for making a rude gesture in the House of Lords when she was 89 and appearing as a guest panellist on a BBC satirical news quiz show when she was 90. I thought she seemed a great character and was looking forward to reading her biography. What a let down. I don't think I've ever come across so much name-dropping. Every other sentence is along the lines of 'when I met Lady Ponsonby-Smythe, who's niece was later to become Viscountess Cholmondeley when she met the most delightful man at Ascot..'. Plus constant references of being 'completely broke' followed by moving into a massive property or flying across the world to go to the Derby and Ascot. She writes that after the Wall Street Crash in 1929 they "lost everything...suddenly we had nothing". So they had to move from Mayfair to a former manor house in Kent with a walk-in fireplace, Charles II and servants quarters in a separate wing.

She delights in being posh and being silly presumably thinking that this will endear her to the common folk.

Much is made of her WW2 work at Bletchley Park but the reality is that she was a cipher clerk and spent the war typing out tedious codes. She had no part whatsoever in the intellectual side of the code-breaking.

If you think of her as a dear, somewhat eccentric, sweet old lady do not read this book unless you want to be seriously disillusioned.

[Sue Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A jolly good read. I liked this lady she has gumption and gets on with life and seems to enjoy everything she does. She has always been well connected but seems to make new friends in all walks of life and many of her stories are of how she's helped them or they've helped her.

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising start; disappointingly shallow.

[J. Boo]

Worked at Bletchley Park as a clerk, later became a politician. Obituary here: https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/...

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Just exactly who didn’t she know?!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most uplifting, jolly autobiography I’ve ever read (after Brian Blessed’s ‘Absolute Pandemonium’). Living away from England has me homesick, and this book staved that off a bit. Brilliant.

[Helbob · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this ended up on my to read list. It must have been recommended somewhere or something made me think it might be an interesting read and it could have been. But it was written in such a clipped and pared back fashion detailing endless vignettes of such a privileged life that I became increasingly disinterested and angry. When someone talks of their family ending up with nothing after the Wall Street crash and that 'nothing' happens to be a house in the country with only one field and a hard tennis court, horses and ponies and an annual shoot and ride outs with the local hunt then I know I'm not going to relate favorably to them. Even when they try and explain that they understand their poverty is only relative! Relative to what? The rest of the ruling classes, minor aristocracy and land owners of the time maybe but not the majority of the general public. Couple of other things made me seethe that I won't repeat here, perhaps they could be excused with a persons age and lack of awareness but maybe an editor could have said 'maybe re-phrase that'. Well done for campaigning for Alan Turing's posthumous pardon though.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, you'd think there wasn't much to enjoy about a posh die-hard Tory (Thatcher was a hero of hers) looking back at very privileged life. But, there's actually an awful lot to enjoy. It provides an insight into a different world. One where you hop from job to job, party to party, where you can always find a gaggle of friends no mater where you end up - basically because you're rich and have the right connections. In fairness to Trumpington, she never denies she was privileged; she just embraced the opportunities that came her way. Still, it is an eye-opener to how the "other half" live.

Interestingly while she shameless name drops throughout the book, she downplays her own achievements. She implies she was at Bletchley because she had the right accent (which may well be true) but you suspect it's also because she was a very bright woman.

Overall, you get the impression that while she probably wasn't the most empathetic of people, she was honest. You might not like what she had to say but at least you could guarantee she'd say it to you rather than behind your back.

[Lucy Dodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally I found this book both interesting in how much society and class can be different for us all, even if you live around the corner from someone. But I also found Jean Trumpington to be a very charismatic and witty person, who I imagine is a very head strong and caring about the job she is currently doing.

I also found the book to be a light read compared to other books I have read in the past (the other books also being memoirs of politicians) and has been nice to have a slight giggle whilst getting ready to bed down for the night.

However I also found the book to be an in sight into the social history side in the middle class society, especially when talking about her early memories of childhood.

All in all I did enjoy this book and would recommend it!

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed something different to read to keep me going in a busy time so I picked this up from my future mother in law.

Baroness Trumpington has certainly led a fascinating life and while I enjoyed reading this I did feel that there are better written memoirs out there and there was an awful lot of name dropping! I liked her humour and was fascinated by her coming of age just before The Second World War and her first job in New York. As she saysm she has been lucky and had a fascinating variety of careers.

A decent memoir which captures a bygone age.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A powerhouse of a woman with an amazing life story! Of course she was extremely privileged (which to be fair she acknowledges) though she seems to not really understand how much her connections to the powerful and rich made opportunities fall into her lap. At times the memoir seems like one big name dropping, however there are moments where her unconventional strong personality comes through. She would be an engaging and rather crazy friend to have.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. Whilst not having a great relationship with her mother, this didn't seem to stop the author from pursuing a life full of adventure, making many, many friends along the way who were almost like family to her. Game for most things and with a positive outlook on life, what a life she's led. Hats off to her.

[Dr. Christopher M Rayner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jolly fun.

There’s no doubt that Baroness Trumpington was both a great sport and fond of a good laugh. Born with an entire canteen of silverware in her mouth she nevertheless suffered som reversals in her long and eventful life. If I have a criticism then it is that the cheerfulness does seem a bit relentless from time to time.

[Angharad Elin · Rating 1 out of 5]

My Gran lent me this book to read and I really, really struggled with it. It has not aged well, but is a good snapshot into the life of the privileged elite, which I really had trouble reading about. Most of her jobs were given to her from friends, family or friends of friends which grinds more and more as you get further into the book.
Really struggled to like any of it.

[Judith Falkner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only read this book if you as as ignorant and shallow as the ‘author’. I’m guessing it was produced by an uncredited ghost writer who recorded numerous conversations with the subject. It was then typed out ad verbatim and completely unedited in revenge for not being acknowledged. It will, however win many an award for the most names dropped in a paragraph.

[Vivien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Baroness Trumpington has lived a very interesting life. Sadly her writing skills were not great and it read a bit like a school essay. She is a great name-dropper and assumes that her audience know exactly who all these 'illustrious' people are. Could have been a much better book.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely likeable lady...
...her social and political connections offered her
... as she says: "...a lucky life."
She is 95 years old and she is still having fun!

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who jumps fully clothed into a public school swimming pool deserves a 4 star review, bravo !

[Doris Speed · Rating 2 out of 5]

name dropping and a very privileged life.... nicely written!

[Don Teale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining and very accessible

[Peter Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining memoir, but very light on politics. A shame that more politicians are not like she was: one of a kind.

[Erzsebet Pek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dictated in a hurry...

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting life, well written. Entertaining but not really for me.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, very easy to read, one enormous name-drop but what a fascinating life and a marvellous character, full of fun and not afraid to say it how it is.

[Dawn Marsanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible life!
An entertaining read and an insight into a a very full life of someone born into society who achieved so much particularly in her later years.

[Gillian Woodcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but I felt much was left unsaid.