This memoir explores the beginnings of a long and eventful life, tracing inner and outer journeys that began in England on April Fool''s Day 1937.
As a babe in her mother''s arms, Gillian was soon travelling on the Orient Express to Istanbul just before the outbreak of World War II. Two happy years growing up in Istanbul were followed by a series of eventful and dangerous wartime journeys. With just her mother, a very young Gillian travelled through Palestine, Egypt, South Africa and the North and South Atlantic Oceans. They managed to slip through the German blockade of the United Kingdom and eventually found themselves back in a war-torn England with its air raids and severe rationing. Her life had become a roller coaster, or Switchback. After the war Gillain, now on her own, experienced the challenges of a journey back to England, boarding school, university and a growing social life.
Gillian shares many of her intense experiences and reflects
