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As Geoff enters Cambridge University, two major themes are pursued in this penultimate episode of his memoirs.
First, the life of his mother as a working class woman of the mid-20th century – her ailments (bunions to be precise), work ethic (“work must not only be done, but be back-breakingly done”), quaint views of his passion for acting, and ultimately her sad death from Alzheimer’s.
The world of acting also hoves into detailed view. Our hero begins slowly at university, deals with the theatrical prejudices of ‘normal’ people, and tells stories generated from his efforts in the quirky and sometimes perilous world of amateur dramatics: short-sighted sword fighters, a beautiful but hopeless female Shakespearian actor, high camp Roman centurions, and theatrical sets and props that have a life of their own!
