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The Fragrance of Tears: My Friendship with Benazir Bhutto
A memoir of Victoria Schofield's thirty-year friendship with her Oxford contemporary, Benazir Bhutto. 'Fascinating and moving' Lord Owen 'Abounds with behind-the-scenes gems' Spectator 'Sheds light on the human side of a courageous politican' Financial Times 'Brings unique insights into the life and times of Benazir Bhutto' Lyse Doucet In the summer of 1978, Victoria Schofield travelled to Pakistan to join her friend Benazir Bhutto, whose father, the former prime minister, was facing a charge of conspiracy to murder. In the fevered context of Bhutto's appeal against the death sentence, their university friendship grew into a lifelong bond, ending only with Benazir's assassination in 2007.Schofield's memoir sheds light on the recent history of this turbulent region, and affectionately charts Benazir's transformation from Oxford undergraduate to one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics – a woman whose life and career were defined by tragedy.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2020
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76 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Schofield
26 books18 followersAs a historian and independent commentator on international affairs, with specialist knowledge of South Asia, her other books include Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War and Afghan Frontier: at the Crossroads of Conflict. She is a frequent contributor to BBC World TV, BBC World Service and other news outlets. She has also written for the Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Independent, Asian Affairs and The Round Table, the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs. Schofield read Modern History at the University of Oxford and was President of the Oxford Union. In 2004-05 she was the Visiting Alistair Horne Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford. www.victoriaschofield.com.
"My writing career began in my third year at Oxford University when my first article on South Africa was published in Blackwood’s Magazine. From Africa, my attention was directed to South Asia. Benazir Bhutto was a friend at Oxford, and when her father, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was sentenced to death for conspiracy to murder a political opponent in 1978, I put my fledging ambition to write professionally into a higher gear by travelling to Islamabad. The fruits of my endeavours were several articles in The Spectator and my first book, Bhutto: Trial and Execution. Since then, I’ve remained dedicated to understanding more about South Asian politics, both as a historian and journalist, and have travelled widely in the region. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 provided the inspiration for another book, Every Rock, Every Hill: The Plain Tale of the North-West Frontier and Afghanistan (1984), which I have revised as Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia (2003) and as Afghan Frontier: At the Crossroads of Conflict (2010). I’ve also written extensively about the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in articles and books, (Kashmir in the Crossfire (1996) and Kashmir in Conflict (2000, 2002 and 2010).) When working freelance for the BBC World Service in London and New York during the 1980s and 1990s, I covered numerous other stories, including a feature on British sculptor, Henry Moore and a radio series on ‘Women of the French Revolution’.
Wavell:Soldier and Statesman (2006) combines my lifelong interest in military history with my knowledge of the South Asia. I have also written the life of military historian and royal biographer, Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, under the title Witness to History (2012). And in 2012 I completed Volume 1 of a two volume official regimental history of The Black Watch, entitled The Highland Furies, The Black Watch 1739-1899, with a foreword by The Prince of Wales. I am now working on Volume 2 covering 1899-2006 when the Regiment was merged, becoming the The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS)."
"My writing career began in my third year at Oxford University when my first article on South Africa was published in Blackwood’s Magazine. From Africa, my attention was directed to South Asia. Benazir Bhutto was a friend at Oxford, and when her father, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was sentenced to death for conspiracy to murder a political opponent in 1978, I put my fledging ambition to write professionally into a higher gear by travelling to Islamabad. The fruits of my endeavours were several articles in The Spectator and my first book, Bhutto: Trial and Execution. Since then, I’ve remained dedicated to understanding more about South Asian politics, both as a historian and journalist, and have travelled widely in the region. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 provided the inspiration for another book, Every Rock, Every Hill: The Plain Tale of the North-West Frontier and Afghanistan (1984), which I have revised as Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia (2003) and as Afghan Frontier: At the Crossroads of Conflict (2010). I’ve also written extensively about the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in articles and books, (Kashmir in the Crossfire (1996) and Kashmir in Conflict (2000, 2002 and 2010).) When working freelance for the BBC World Service in London and New York during the 1980s and 1990s, I covered numerous other stories, including a feature on British sculptor, Henry Moore and a radio series on ‘Women of the French Revolution’.
Wavell:Soldier and Statesman (2006) combines my lifelong interest in military history with my knowledge of the South Asia. I have also written the life of military historian and royal biographer, Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, under the title Witness to History (2012). And in 2012 I completed Volume 1 of a two volume official regimental history of The Black Watch, entitled The Highland Furies, The Black Watch 1739-1899, with a foreword by The Prince of Wales. I am now working on Volume 2 covering 1899-2006 when the Regiment was merged, becoming the The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS)."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 19, 2020
It gets- I guess -an extra star for readability, given that I read the whole thing in under a day. But in terms of content, there is a lot that the book overlooks completely.
First, there’s the issue of Benazir’s corruption. It had to be much more than a convenient lie invented by political enemies, which is how the book tries to wish it all away.
Then, for a university friend of BB’s, there is strikingly no insight into the nature of her relationship with the husband who spent half their marriage in jail, his relationship with their children, or how he conveniently emerges the named chair of her family’s party in her will. It’s all a bit dynastic and OTT.
Did it provide me with the insight into modern day Pakistan that I was hoping for, when I first picked up this book. Only fleetingly.
First, there’s the issue of Benazir’s corruption. It had to be much more than a convenient lie invented by political enemies, which is how the book tries to wish it all away.
Then, for a university friend of BB’s, there is strikingly no insight into the nature of her relationship with the husband who spent half their marriage in jail, his relationship with their children, or how he conveniently emerges the named chair of her family’s party in her will. It’s all a bit dynastic and OTT.
Did it provide me with the insight into modern day Pakistan that I was hoping for, when I first picked up this book. Only fleetingly.
June 19, 2022
Fragrance of Tears is a beautifully paced and atmospheric account of the author's friendship with the late Pakistan prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. The author, Victoria Schofield, is one of Britain’s leading writers on military history and South Asia. In a recent interview with Goldster Inside Story, she told how this very personal account was, in a way, her Covid lockdown book and came 42 years after her first book, Bhutto: Trial and Execution, which told the story of the coup d'etat and death of Benzir's father. Both father and daughter served as Pakistan prime ministers and both died violently. In Fragrance of Tears, Schofield describes a friendship between two women of different cultures which began at Oxford University and was then transported into a real world marked by tragedy. Highly recommended to anyone ainterested in Pakistan, South Asia or Kashmir and the lethal partition of India and Pakistan whose aftermath continues to reverberate today.
February 4, 2022
As I grasped a handful of rose petals, I thought again of my first visit to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh over thirty years ago, when Benazir and I had stood side by side in the open air by graves of her ancestors, the triumphs and tragedies of the future as yet unknown. Now she lay with them.
By writing "Fragrance of Tears" Schofield has not only profiled Benazir Bhutto, what she and her family has endured during those four decades of friendship but has also highlighted her courage, bravery & resolve in extreme hostile situations, her sense of humor as well her sharpness.
By writing "Fragrance of Tears" Schofield has not only profiled Benazir Bhutto, what she and her family has endured during those four decades of friendship but has also highlighted her courage, bravery & resolve in extreme hostile situations, her sense of humor as well her sharpness.
May 1, 2022
The book is a bit hagiographic, however it provides a good overview on their friendship.
The book provides a good overview on the international presence of Bhutto and how she worked along with a lot of global stakeholders.
The author has often ignored the points of criticism of Bhutto as rumors and even complained when one of the interviewers whom she had referred was harsh on Bhutto and didn’t write nice things about her.
If you want to read an unbiased view about Bhutto, this is not the book for you.
The book provides a good overview on the international presence of Bhutto and how she worked along with a lot of global stakeholders.
The author has often ignored the points of criticism of Bhutto as rumors and even complained when one of the interviewers whom she had referred was harsh on Bhutto and didn’t write nice things about her.
If you want to read an unbiased view about Bhutto, this is not the book for you.
May 27, 2021
Was an absolute delight to read about this iconic lady from my childhood. The way the author has described the transition of Benazir from being a carefree student to being a world leader who's life was cut short tragically is simply awe inspiring. Couldn't keep down my Kindle as it was so riveting.
June 24, 2021
An interesting portrait of a high profile friendship
Very enjoyable read. Little did I know how close the author was to BB. As a consequence she finds it difficult to criticise her friend despite considerable evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, a well written account of a fascinating friendship
Very enjoyable read. Little did I know how close the author was to BB. As a consequence she finds it difficult to criticise her friend despite considerable evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, a well written account of a fascinating friendship
March 18, 2021
Benazir Bhutto was a fascinating woman, with stated progressive goals. The author was a close friend who seems to be a little too accepting of the very expensive lifestyle the Bhutto family led while public servants. A snapshot of a contentious political region from an optimistic past.
June 22, 2021
She was everything. I hope she rests peacefully now. A beautiful life filled with heartache and loss, but she always overcame.
December 30, 2023
Overall, I really enjoyed the author's writing style in the story, which is not surprising given her education. However, I was disheartened by the way she portrayed Benazir's life. It is understandable since this book was written after her passing, but I was still let down by the way the corruption scandals were defended and even labeled as hypocrisy from political rivals. Despite this, I still quite liked the book because it provided a close and detailed view into the life of a woman who had to be strong and fight hard to have a respected political voice.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews