Paper Houses: A Memoir of the '70s and BeyondAlternative politics, libertarian socialism, experimental living, feminist communes, street theatre, radical magazine, love affairs ? gay and straight ...sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll. Paper Houses is the memoir of a young woman who comes down from Oxford to London in 1970, determined to break free from a conventional middle-class, close-knit family. In the streets and houses of a dynamic, shifting London she finds alternative homes, alternative families and friendships that challenge, inform and shape her. As she wanders around the city she loves passionately, outer journeys inspire and merge with inner journeys. Her all-consuming longing to write causes conflict in her relationships and financial issues that lead her to something of an urban nomadic existence. Creating her own space - and learning to share it - in the houses of Holloway, Camberwell, Regent's Park, Notting Hill Gate and Peckham creates intellectual and ethical challenges, and leads to escape adventures in Bangkok, Bali and Italy. |
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Bangkok bedroom bedsit Bertie blue bought Camberwell Camden Town chatted clothes cooked dancing Dani dark diary door drank dressed father feel felt feminism feminist flâneur flat floor flowers friends front garden gave girl green Holland Park Holloway Road inside Italian kitchen knew lavatory lesbian Library listened lived London looked lover lunch male Michèle Roberts morning mother moved night novel painted Park party Penny Valentine pink played poems poetry politics Portobello Road realised Regent's Park Road Sara Maitland Sarah Dunant Sarah LeFanu seemed sexual Sometimes Spare Rib stayed Stoke Newington stories street theatre group supper talked Terry thought tiny told Tony Cliff took tried turned upstairs Vicenza Victorian walked walls wanted weekend William window woman women writing wrote young