GWB

Tessa Perry is a woman with responsibilities: a marriage in crisis, a daughter heading off the rails at university, and a son she barely sees. Not to mention saving the world from carbon footprints, nuclear waste, and budget-cutting councils - and that's before a TV makeover crew turn up on her doorstep. As her life begins to come undone she looks back at the root of it all: that day she swapped her secretary's desk in Stevenage for a protestor's tent on Greenham Common. Joining a group of impassioned (if sometimes crazy) women, she quickly learned the perils of a pulse-based diet, the only way to be dragged away by the police with dignity (sort of), and to treat all journalists with suspicion. But it would be the lessons of friendship, love, and integrity that stay with her most. Looking back, Tessa realises just how much her life has been shaped by the people she met and the choices she made on that muddy patch of land. Told with down-to-earth humour and insightful honesty, Simmond's sparkling debut is a touching story that will make you cry a little, laugh a lot, and look at the world with fresh eyes.