DAME OF SARK

by Sibyl Hathaway ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 1961

Mrs. Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, has written a charming book about her life as feudal ruler of the small Channel island she holds in fief from the Queen of England. She grew up on the island, and can speak the Norman patois of the islanders, who get their living from farming, fishing in the treacherous waters, and nowadays, from tourism. She inherited the island from her father, an eccentric domestic tyrant, who threw her out of the house in the middle of the night when he learned with disapproval of her impending marriage. After that she spent some years in England and on the continent. Her first husband died after the First War, and she was already Dame of Sark when she married Mr. Hathaway, an American. When the Second War came, the Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans. There followed a most difficult time, in which some of the island residents, including the author's husband, were interned in Germany. Mrs. Hathaway's story of how she played up her seigniorial status to impress the authority-conscious Germans, how the island was visited by commandos, and how towards the end of the war islanders and Germans alike struggled against starvation is written with the humor born of determination. Since the war, Sark has been honoured by several royal visits, including the first by a reigning monarch. No prospective visitor, royal or otherwise, should fail to read this book.

Pub Date: Jan. 12, 1961

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1961

Categories: NONFICTION