The Girl on the Wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry

by Jean Baggott

Inspired by ceilings of Lincolnshire's Burghley House and by the History degree she had begun, the author began to stitch a tapestry which looked back at her life and the changing world around her. It took sixteen months to complete. The tapestry consists of over 70 intersecting circles, each telling some aspect of her life. Jean Baggott is 'the girl on the wall' - a 1948 photograph taken of her when she was eleven - whose life was never going to be remarkable and the pinnacle of whose achievements would come from being a wife and a mother. Almost 60 years later, with her children gone, dealing with the loss of the love of her life, Jean began the education denied to her as a girl. Inspired by ceilings of Lincolnshire's Burghley House and by the History degree she had begun, Jean began to stitch a tapestry which looked back at her life and the changing world around her. It took sixteen months to complete. The tapestry consists of over 70 intersecting circles, each telling some aspect of her life. Some represent extraordinary events such as the moon landings or world historical news stories like the Cuban Missile Crisis; some circles comment on famous people and places she remembers, others about the music she loves - Pink Floyd - and the games she played as a child, and growing up during the second world war with her brothers. Each chapter of "The Girl on the Wall" features a circle from the tapestry and Jean's accompanying narrative, exploring the circle and the memories it evokes. It reveals an ordinary life in extraordinary detail. The result is a truly unique, touching portrait of a seemingly average British woman's life. To stand back and look at the tapestry is to be struck by the richness of one human journey - from 1940 to the present day. The girl on the wall would be proud. The book includes a full-colour pull-out of Jean's tapestry inside the back cover.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Memoir

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Icon Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary memoir – told through a hand-sewn tapestry – of a very ordinary English life .

As the clock struck midnight on 31 December 1999, Jean Baggott vowed that from that point on her life would be devoted to the happiness of ‘the girl on the wall’ – a 1948 photograph taken of Jean when she was eleven, recreated in needlework. Reflecting on her hopes and dreams 60 years on from that photo, Jean stitched a remarkable tapestry looking back on her life and the changing world around her.

The tapestry consists of 73 interlocking circles, giving a unique portrait of everyday life for the working people of the industrialised West Midlands, and the wider world. Each chapter of her book relates to one circle in the tapestry as Jean explores the memories the circle evokes. The result is a unparalleled and hugely enthralling, unforgettable memoir.

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‘Stop all the reading clocks because the most exquisite book arrived yesterday; it's quite taken my breath away… the writing style is knowledgeable yet unpretentious and with an intimacy that reveals Jean to be a wonderful raconteur.’ DoveGrey Reader.com

‘Could the next big thing to hit the galleries of Hoxton be a fluffy-haired Midlands grandmother who never likes to stray far from her pincushion? Judging by a most extraordinary new book, The Girl on the Wall, and the phenomenal piece of craftwork it is a companion to, there’s every chance it could.’ Sunday Telegraph

[Sidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed the book. it was about her simple life growing up. I like the fact it was biographical and also included the facts that happened during those times. also, it was interesting to see her keep referring to doing anything she wanted for the girl in the wall. such was her aversion at doing something for herself, but I am sure it was just the way things were taught back then. it was very interesting to see how this pieces of history effected a girl's life.

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was terrible.
it starts off on the 31 december 1999.
it is about a girl on the wall who is jean baggott.
it is about her life
it is based in england.
it is based in the 1940's and 1950's.
it is about the formation of the united nations and about the world war 1 and the world war 2.
it is about the life of jean baggott.
there is mention of various stuff here and there.
there is talk about mans landing on the moon.
like the the boxer muhammad ali and nelson mandela and the hiroshima and nagasaki bombing.
there is talk about 9/11.
the book has an abrupt ending to it.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Social history read

[Valerie McGurk · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book in small chapters to dip in and out of.

[Skye Knights · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting read and was fascinating to see how this was depicted through embroidery tapestry and the commentary of the creators thoughts.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight into one's persons memories, but the flow of the tales was rather haphazard and therefore became a distraction in the telling of the story of Jean Baggott's life. I could relate to some of the memories. but it made fell quite old on reflection and there were few light touches, those that either made you laugh or smile inside. I started to compare it with Nigel Slaters' 'Toast' and felt that his book was the better written,and made for much happier memories.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading, embroidery and social history - three of my favourite thing rolled into one. A biography in which the author talks about her life in West Bromwich from the 1940s onwards, illustrated by her own hand-stitched memories. I haven't read every page yet but it's one for dipping in to. What a beautiful way to tell your life story, by creating an embroidery!

[Alice Dove · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were interesting, well constructed and amusing, however for me this book did not draw me in on the whole. I felt that the way it was created was its down side unfortunately because, as it was made from a series of small tales that is all that it can ever be. There is no story line so one can pick if up and put it down with each chapter, and some chapters are not for me.

[Bonnie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir of a lady's life told through her tapestry. I enjoyed many parts of this book but as it wasn't a complete story from start to finish I skipped some of the sections that didn't particularly interest me. Generally it was an interesting read as I enjoy history and reading about how ordinary life used to be.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever application of personal creativity of a needlework variety to (for a change) happier memories of life during and just after WW 2 in Great Britain. I liked the way the author crafted her tapestry and then orchestrated memories in and around each piece of that tapestry in a compellingly recitation of events