Description

‘Like a really great romp of a novel, a Hideous Kinky for Wales. I can think of at least ten people who must read it at once’ ELLA RISBRIDGER

‘A love letter to a remarkable childhood. To the music that shaped it and to the two people who watched over it. Enchanting and unique. A total joy’ SARAH WINMAN

‘Funny, vivid and touching . . . An utter treat’ RACHEL JOYCE
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In a small corner of a field in Wales, Tiffany Murray is hiding with Boggle the dog, dreaming of her mum’s moussaka, blackberry and apple crumble, and, if she’s lucky, ice-cold lemonade. A sheep bleats. The smell of hay tickles her nose. The twang of a guitar and crack of a snare carry on the breeze.

It’s the late 1970s and Tiff lives with her mum, Joan, at Rockfield, the iconic recording studios. This place of legend, where some of the most famous rock albums of all time were recorded, is the background to a freewheeling, ever-changing whirlwind of a childhood. Tiff’s days are spent running around the farm, making friends with local wildlife and helping out with the endless array of dishes her mum creates to keep the bands fed. She’s looking for a dog, she’s looking for a father; but the one constant throughout is her and Joan, building an unconventional family in the most unlikely of locations.

My Family and Other Rock Stars is Tiff’s remarkable, truly unique story of growing up in a rural idyll, of Cordon Bleu cookery and of a childhood where the chances of bumping into Freddie Mercury playing piano, or a group of Hell’s Angels turning up to record for Lemmy, or even the hope of David Bowie appearing, were as normal as hopscotch and homework.

Publisher Review

My Family and Other Rock Stars is sometimes charming, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes both funny and unsettling, and always - from start to end - very, very good -- Roddy Doyle I loved Tiffany's memoir, what an utter joy! Like a really great romp of a novel, a Hideous Kinky for Wales. I can think of at least ten people who must read it at once -- Ella Risbridger, author of MIDNIGHT CHICKEN Race to preorder Tiffany Murray's enchanting memoir, My Family & Other Rock Stars. It's a rock and roll Cider With Rosie hybridised with Elizabeth David at her most caustic and more than a touch of the blissfully feral childhood evoked in Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. -- Patrick Gale Tiff's book is an insane amount of fun. And such good company. Everyone's here, from Freddie Mercury to Elizabeth David - and of course, Mum, the indefatigable queen of the show. It's witty and sweet, and perfectly captures the highs and lows of an extraordinary childhood. Reading it felt like listening to a piece of music (a nice fat side of vinyl) I hadn't heard in too long, and then, alone in the kitchen, and at risk of breaking glasses and God knows, starting to dance -- Andrew Miller Tiffany's work is like you look out the window and there it is - the sun dancing in the sky. If Diamond Star Halo made you feel uplifted, My Family And Other Rock Stars will make you grow wings. Get out there now and buy it. The ghost of David Bowie says that you really must -- Patrick McCabe I'm just tucking in and love it immediately. Who'd have thought there could be such a surprising tale to tell; rock stars and food is an addictive combination -- Lindsey Bareham It's a wonderful read, funny and true and life-affirming and joyous -- Jim Lockhart An entirely delicious memoir - as moving as it is funny and compulsive. You'll love these people, I guarantee it -- Tom Bullough