“The writing is excellent,
natural and graceful.
There is a comfortably
old-fashioned feel with
warmth, humour and
amazingly vivid eye
for detail. Those with
perception will see what
I saw: a completely
modern story of the
human heart riding a
roller-coaster of
happiness and hardship
with timeless humour
and wisdom. At least I
hope so.
- Richard Addis,
Editor-in-Chief of
Newsweek and The Day.
“a vividly drawn
journey into the
characters, customs
and sumptuous food of
the Caribbean, you can
almost smell the exotic
flowers and spices.
The story is intoxicating.”
- Anna Stothard,
novelist and travel writer.
“This book is not a
travelogue – still less a
political study of new
independence. It is a charming
and wittily told tale of how one
woman found so much to learn
and value among peoples
about whom the rest of us
know little or nothing.”
- Sir William Nicoll,
Former Director General,
Secretariat of the Council
of European Communities
on Culture Shock and
Canapés
“What shines through this
delightful memoir is Pamela's
love for the countries that
became her temporary homes,
and the people ( and animals)
she met there.'
”
- Daily Mail, on Culture
Shock and Canapés.
Published by Quartet Books on 31 October 2014
When Pamela O'cuneen heard her diplomat husband was being transferred to Suriname, her first reaction was 'Suri-where?- Neither she nor anyone else she spoke to had heard of the country. Having spent sixteen years in Africa - a story told in her first book Culture Shock and Canapés she was prepared for surprises, but Suriname, the mysterious land of seen cultures, proved to be a multi-layered experience that tested all her powers of cultural adaptation.
Hummingbirds in my Hair describes Pamela's move from rainforest Suriname to carnivalesque Trinidad where, beneath the sound of steel pans and soca music, a dark and violent history of enslaved peoples still influences politics today.
Those who read and enjoyed Culture Shock and Canapes will welcome this second episode of diplomatic travels and travails, revealing that what goes on inside embassy walls in developing countries is not just endless champagne and silver spoons. The book unrolls with humour, delighting in a lively procession of multicultural characters and animals and includes a variety of recipes collected along the way ...