Henrietta

by Henrietta Moraes

Henrietta

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henrietta Moraes, born Audrey Archer, escaped a wretched childhood for life in bohemian Soho, and became a muse to artists like Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. She was married to poet Dom Moraes, and later followed the hippy trail with the likes of Marianne Faithfull. To understand Henrietta Moraes, you have to set judgements aside. She was a loving but irresponsible mother whose life was marred by drink, drugs and madness. After contracting cirrhosis of the liver, Henrietta finally got sober and wrote this enchanting book. For all her faults, she comes across as an honest, often joyous woman. When she died in 1999, she had almost completed a second memoir and written several short stories, which have never been published - a pity, because this small volume suggests she had a real gift.

[Rakesh Mehra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming memoir of British Bohemia in the second half of the twentieth century. Henrietta is a compelling narrator who includes just enough name-dropping to keep things interesting.

[Nettie Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not many books with more drinking and bad decisions in them than this one. An interesting read from the point of view of someone without use for convention of any sort. You won't like her much, but her story is fascinating.