Hazy Memory

by Hazel Dawkins

Life in the village of Tuckton on England's south coast appears peaceful to Hazel Dawkins, who is almost six years old. Yet she has only ever seen the golden stretches of sandy beaches behind coils of needle-sharp barbed wire. That's because it is 1943 and the world is gripped in the fourth year of WWII. Family members conspire to shield the youngster from news of bombs that rain down on nearby homes and battles that rage in the skies over ports like London and Southampton as Royal Air Force pilots fight the Luftwaffe. Lurking behind doors, sneaky kid that she is, Hazel hears whispers of a German spy living nearby. Exciting? Sinister? Not until she is an adult does Hazel grasp the tragedy of those years. Hazy Memory is a personal retrospective written from the vantage of time. Stories unfold as continents are crossed and colorful characters encountered. Eventually, Hazel settled in a bucolic part of Massachusetts, a place of lakes, rivers, streams and rolling countryside dotted with small farms until harsh winters proved too much. In her ninth decade, to her own surprise and that of family and friends, Hazel made the momentous decision to return to England. The move was bittersweet, tempered by the joy of living where she grew up, near family and friends, close to the salt waves of the Atlantic's narrow strait, the Solent, with its double high tides. An eclectic mix of photos is scattered throughout Hazy Memory.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2021

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect summer read. Just the right amount of excitement and family drama to be interesting but not heavy. Refreshing to read about a life well-lived with ups and downs, near death experiences and lessons learned. Smart, interesting and funny, the stories in this memoir stayed with me and the book was a quick read, which I looked forward to picking up whenever I had some time to read.

[Marisca Pichette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemplative and cozy. A walk through recollections and incredible experiences!