Independent | Eco-friendly | Up to 75% off

Diamonds at the Lost and Found

A Memoir in Search of My Mother

Sarah Aspinall
Sarah Aspinall had an erratic childhood, travelling widely with her glamorous but secretive mother Audrey, who had left a poor childhood in 1930s Liverpool and charmed her way into aristocratic circles and into New York and Hollywood society. In this memoir, Sarah explores the mysteries of her youth, initially in Southport, then on the road, where she cobbled together her own education.
Postscript description
Read full publisher description

RRP £9.99

£4.99

✓ In stock

Free UK delivery on orders over £25

Product information:
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate
  • Year: 2021
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320pp
  • Illustrated: Yes
  • Dimensions: 197x128mm
  • ISBN: 9780008375195
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.2kg
Product code:
539323
Product information
Full publisher description
For readers of Hideous Kinky, Dadland and Bad Blood; the astonishing, beguiling story of Sarah Aspinall's harum scarum childhood, and a love letter to a woman who defied convention to live a life less ordinary.




My Mother attracted unusual people and events to her, and she made things happen....



Sarah Aspinall grew up in the glittering wake of her irrepressible mother Audrey. Born into poverty in 1930s Liverpool, Audrey had always known that she was destined for better things and was determined to shape that destiny for herself. From the fading seaside glamour of Southport, to New York and Hollywood, to post-war London and the stately homes of the English aristocracy, Audrey stylishly kicked down every door she encountered, on a ceaseless quest for excitement - and for love.


Once Sarah was born, she became Audrey's companion on her adventures, travelling the world, scraping together an education for herself from the books found in hotels or given to her by strangers, and living on Audrey's charm as they veered from luxury to poverty - an accessory to her mother's desperate search for 'the one'.


As Sarah grew older, she realised that theirs was a life hung about with mysteries. Why, for instance, had they spent ages living in a godforsaken motel in the Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina? Who was the charming Sabet Sabescue, and what was his hold over Audrey during several months in Cairo? And what on earth happened to the heirlooms that an ancient heiress, Miss Gillette, gave Sarah when they visited her in Palm Springs?


And why, when they returned to Southport was Audrey ostracised by the society she so longed to be part of?


Diamonds at the Lost and Found tells the story of how Sarah eventually pulled free of her mother's gravitational pull to carve out a destiny of her own. It is a beguiling testament to dreams, defying convention and exasperated love.
Read full publisher description
Reasons to shop at Postscript

Independent bookseller
Established in 1987, we’ve been sharing reading recommendations for decades.

Books you won’t find elsewhere
Discover new authors among our frequently changing bookshelves, along with almost-forgotten gems and a wealth of unusual titles you won’t find elsewhere.

Eco-friendly packaging
Orders are carefully packed in recyclable cardboard boxes, eco-friendly bubble wrap and solvent-free labels, paper and tape.

Condition and price
All our books are new, unused and unread, and they’re all up to 75% off RRP.

FREE monthly catalogue
Featuring over 400 handpicked titles, our unique catalogue is carefully curated and includes new and unusual titles, special features and exclusive collections.

Email newsletters
Our tailored newsletters are written by our booksellers, and we always highlight the books that we have talked about most in the Postscript office.

Footnotes blog
Some books spark ideas and conversations that our catalogue can’t contain – our Footnotes blog offers a deeper dive into a wealth of topics to inspire further reading.

Aftercare
We are all serious book people and we understand the value of reading. This is why we package our books so carefully and employ a helpful in-house customer services team to promptly resolve any queries you may have.

Delivery information - FREE UK delivery on orders over £25

UK

Free UK standard delivery on all online orders over £25

Flat rate for all standard delivery orders: ‬£3.00 (3-5 working days)

Flat rate for Next Day orders (orders must be placed before 1pm, Monday–Friday): ‬£4.50

Flat rate for all Royal Mail Tracked48 orders: ‬£5.50 (2-4 working days)

Standard delivery‭: ‬3-5‭ ‬working days‭ (‬Highlands and Islands 5-7‭ ‬working days‭)‬

Next day delivery‭: ‬Available all UK excluding Highlands and Islands

Collect your order from a local shop – prices and delivery times as above

Overseas

All orders‭: ‬delivery costs for orders outside the UK are based on country of destination and product weight.

You can view your overseas delivery cost using the Summary section within the Basket‭.‬

For more information on delivery/overseas orders please refer to our Delivery Information.