• On Chapel Sands
  • On Chapel Sands
  • On Chapel Sands
  • On Chapel Sands

On Chapel Sands: My mother and other missing persons

Non-Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Literary Biography & Memoir
Paperback Published on: 02/04/2020
£9.99
36 reviews
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Bookseller Reviews

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On Chapel Sands
A memoir with a mystery wrapped around it.
I have an dislike for memoirs in general mainly as the “growing up” element bores me as I just wish to get to the interesting parts. This flips it on its h... READ MORE
Adam Yates

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award 2019

Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month for April 2020

Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2020

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019

Uncovering the mystery of her mother's disappearance as a child: Laura Cumming, prize-winning author and art critic, takes a closer look at her family story.

In the autumn of 1929, a small child was kidnapped from a Lincolnshire beach. Five agonising days went by before she was found in a nearby village. The child remembered nothing of these events and nobody ever spoke of them at home.

It was another fifty years before she even learned of the kidnap. The girl became an artist and had a daughter, art writer Laura Cumming. Cumming grew up enthralled by her mother's strange tales of life in a seaside hamlet of the 1930s, and of the secrets and lies perpetuated by a whole community.

So many puzzles remained to be solved. Cumming began with a few criss-crossing lives in this fraction of English coast - the postman, the grocer, the elusive baker - but soon her search spread right out across the globe as she discovered just how many lives were affected by what happened that day on the beach - including her own.

On Chapel Sands is a book of mystery and memoir. Two narratives run through it: the mother's childhood tale; and Cumming's own pursuit of the truth. Humble objects light up the story: a pie dish, a carved box, an old Vick's jar. Letters, tickets, recipe books, even the particular slant of a copperplate hand give vital clues. And pictures of all kinds, from paintings to photographs, open up like doors to the truth.

Above all, Cumming discovers how to look more closely at the family album - with its curious gaps and missing persons - finding crucial answers, captured in plain sight at the click of a shutter.

  • Publisher: Vintage Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781784708634
  • Number of pages: 320
  • Weight: 277g
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 24 mm

Customer Reviews

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On Chapel Sands
A fascinating family mystery
All families have their stories and Laura Cumming knew that her mother had disappeared for 5 days when she was a young girl. But nobody had ever spoken of ... READ MORE
Will Rycroft
On Chapel Sands
Excruciatingly slow
This book is proof that not all books are everyone, which is fine. I'm not really a fan of biographies but I picked this up to try something different. The... READ MORE
Katy@Guildford
On Chapel Sands
A slow, meditative family mystery
Other reviewers have suggested that this book could have been much shorter, and I'm inclined to agree. But it is hard to begrudge its length when the subje... READ MORE
Josh at Kings Road
On Chapel Sands
A stunning and memorable book
I had to go into hospital last Summer. it was a sudden thing and I had no idea how long I might be confined. On my way up to wait at A and E I grabbed up ... READ MORE
Ian Beck
On Chapel Sands
Gripping, thoughtful book
Gripping real life description of a mysterious adoption. And so much more. Exquisite quality writing. This book will stay with me for a good while. Thank y... READ MORE
Mandy Setterfield
On Chapel Sands
Unravelling a Poignant Family Secret
Unravelling a Poignant Family Secret Laura Cumming's family have been living with a secret. Laura's mother disappeared 'On Chapel Sands' as a child, but h... READ MORE
Alan Burton
On Chapel Sands
Fascinating story
This is quite a short book telling the fascinating story of the authors mother, plenty of interesting twists and turns but also passages relating to art wh... READ MORE
Anne garrison
On Chapel Sands
Slow read
Not what I expected. I found it a really slow read, there wasn’t any mystery as to the disappearance from the start. It was difficult to understand when th... READ MORE
Nia ST
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
I found this book particularly hard to read and actually quite stressful at times trying to understand some of the more convoluted and confusing paragraphs... READ MORE
Isabel Fowler
On Chapel Sands
On chapel sands
The author tries to solve a family mystery excellent story
Peter Cookson
On Chapel Sands
Read this book
Fascinating story with far reaching consequences. Beautifully written social history - which probably was not unique in that period of the C20th.
RosieH
On Chapel Sands
Fascinating, detailed, but oh so sad...
Possibly the saddest thing I’ve read, certainly for a long time. The detective story element ends satisfactorily - the story of her mother’s childhood is r... READ MORE
Thomas Burke
On Chapel Sands
Intriguing story
I was totally intrigued by this story and the wall of silence surrounding it. How Laura's mother became the obviously loving and well loved woman she was ... READ MORE
Jan Hirst
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
This book was well written in detail but wasn't fast moving enough for me, hence only giving it 3 stars. The author went in to the history of the families... READ MORE
Brenda Brett
On Chapel Sands
A great read
I found this book really interesting as the 'mystery' gradually unfolds. Laura Cumming succeeds in holding your interest right to the end of the book.
Deirdre Honey
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
I haven't read it yet as I'm half way through another book. However, my daughter-in-law is reading it now, and she says it is highly enjoyable.
Wadace
On Chapel Sands
Very well told
A beautiful book telling an very personal story. A real pleasure to read. I know the area but as a holiday destination, it was very interesting to think ... READ MORE
Stephanie Roberts
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
Not your usual biography. Part mystery, part biography, part art critique. A good, thoughtful read that shows how different things were in the early 20th c... READ MORE
Joyce Mitton
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
A beautifully written account. The author perfectly describes her longing to discover more about her family when she looks at old photos. Lots of twists an... READ MORE
Sally Roberts
On Chapel Sands
A fascinating story and very well written
It keeps the reader interested all the way through to the end. It also shows how the story itself helped the author to gain a much more rounded view of the... READ MORE
john925
On Chapel Sands
intriguing gentle story
This book had me hooked from the first page. It was not an unusual story about lost children at that time however ongoing story of the lifetime effects o... READ MORE
Jo Fletcher
On Chapel Sands
Non stop
Didn’t know what to expect but boy is this good couldn’t stop page turning recommend this book to all .
m hardcastle
On Chapel Sands
On Chapel Sands
This is one of those books where the narrative swaps from the author to her mother’s story. As the story unfolds we hear how a child was kidnapped from a... READ MORE
Maureen Bennett
On Chapel Sands
Struggling
I’ve struggled to get into this book, but I’m determined to read it. I’ve left it now but will pick it up again soon.
Jenny Mills
On Chapel Sands
traumatic
in my view, this didn't live up to the publicity the book has been given. thought it was ok but complicated and the story was very traumatic for the famili... READ MORE
Graham Magee
On Chapel Sands
Fantastic reading
I absolutely loved this book, once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down. The story in this book is so compelling and the fact it is a true sto... READ MORE
Nicola Harrison
On Chapel Sands
so much said, so much not said!
A great read, mystery, family, a bygone age on the east coast, the writer has great empathy with her mother, her art and her life, thought provoking, inspi... READ MORE
Andrea Ramsey
On Chapel Sands
Interesting read
enjoyed this book it was different to my usual choice but found it interesting to read
Michele Prescott
On Chapel Sands
Trip down memory lane!
Of particular interest as I was born and grew up on that coastline many years ago. Like taking a trip down memory lane remembering all the villages, towns ... READ MORE
Linda Raby
On Chapel Sands
No mystery
I enjoyed this book for the depiction of the time and place about which it was written.There was no mystery about the girl's disappearance almost from the ... READ MORE
Anne Downie
On Chapel Sands
Beautiful writing of a heartbreaking story
I have read so many books with rave reviews and, by the end, decided they were only 'all right' so it was a delight to find this lived up to its promise. ... READ MORE
Monica Quinn
On Chapel Sands
Intriguing family mystery
The reviews for this book immediately sounded appealing and I looked forward to reading it. To begin with, I wondered if the story, strange and intriguing ... READ MORE
katebee

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