Jolly Molly
TAYA ZINKIN
Too Much to Tell Molly Huggins (Heine- mann 45s) Lady Huggins has written a most readable autobiography. The beginning, about her child- hood in Scotland surrounded by maiden aunts, is enchanting and she ends the story of her life on a note of enviable wisdom. In between, she deals with the failure of her marriage with great sincerity, dignity and generosity. She undoubtedly was a tremendous asset to her husband's career; yet when she asked him to postpone- his elopement by one weekend, in order not to destroy her budding. political career, he refused: •an- old man in a hurry. What is remarkable is that Lady klugOis can write about it without bitterness.
Kindliness and generosity are Molly Hug- gins's besetting sins. Throughout the 320 pages of her reminiscences all the women are beauti- ful, clever and/or charming. She even quotes Lady Clifford's eyelashes as the longest she has ever seen, apparently unaware that, like dentures, they came out at night All the men she . ever met were dedicated, kind, hard- working and handsome. The nearest Molly gets. to- being catty is when she describes the interior decoration of Government House in Kingston and hoi, she had to redecorate everything when she moved in.
Thoie who hoped for revelations, for insight into lesbian practice in girls' boarding-schools, or for the Somerset Maughamish intrigues- and atmosphere which thrive in small, hemmed:in, colonial enclaves, should not waste their time on Too Much to Tell. In this day and age Molly Huggins reads refreshingly healthy, like Angela 'Thirkell. Molly went to- Roedean and loved every minute there so much that she wept bitterly,On leaving. The General Strike was fun for the young men she knew; life in. Malaya and Singapore was fun for the pretty young daughter of the colonial official; as a young wife Molly loved her time in Malaya and Singapore so much that once again she wept bitterly on leaving for the West Indies. In the West Indies Molly had a glorious time, she played a lot of games, went to a lot of parties, took a lot of exercise and made a lot of friends.
Meanwhile, her concern for the underdog, her energetic attempts to promote harmonious race relations remained genuine and sustained and this concern comes attractively through the rumbustious story of her life.
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