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My Family and Other Rock Stars

‘Gloriously tender and funny . . . a bohemian rhapsody of her very own' Sunday Times Book of the Year

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My Family and Other Rock Stars

By: Tiffany Murray
Narrated by: Rachel Atkins, Tiffany Murray
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About this listen

 A book of the year for the Times, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Guardian and the Daily Mail
'Charming . . . heartbreaking, sometimes both funny and unsettling, and always - from start to end - very, very good' RODDY DOYLE

'Magical . . . as scrumptious as the home-made mayonnaise, pumpkin soup and game pie coming out of Joan's kitchen' DAILY MAIL, BOOK OF THE WEEK

'A love letter to a remarkable childhood. A total joy' SARAH WINMAN

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In a small corner of a field in Wales, Tiffany Murray is hiding with Boggle the dog, dreaming of her mum's moussaka, blackberry and apple crumble, and, if she's lucky, ice-cold lemonade. A sheep bleats. The smell of hay tickles her nose. The twang of a guitar and crack of a snare carry on the breeze.

It's the late 1970s and Tiff lives with her mum, Joan, at Rockfield, the iconic recording studios. This place of legend, where some of the most famous rock albums of all time were recorded, is the background to a freewheeling, ever-changing whirlwind of a childhood. Tiff's days are spent running around the farm, making friends with local wildlife and helping out with the endless array of dishes her mum creates to keep the bands fed. She's looking for a dog, she's looking for a father; but the one constant throughout is her and Joan, building an unconventional family in the most unlikely of locations.

My Family and Other Rock Stars is Tiff's remarkable, truly unique story of growing up in a rural idyll, of Cordon Bleu cookery and of a childhood where the chances of bumping into Freddie Mercury playing piano, or a group of Hell's Angels turning up to record for Lemmy, or even the hope of David Bowie appearing, were as normal as hopscotch and homework.
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'You will fall in love with Tiff, her hilarious non-nonsense mother Joan, and a cast of hungry rock stars from Freddie Mercury to Siouxsie Sioux. An utter treat' RACHEL JOYCE

'Full of pop gossip that'll leave you starry-eyed, and written with a warmth and precision you'll want to savour for as long as you can . . . I didn't want it to end' SÉAMAS O'REILLY

'Enchanting' INDEPEDENT, 20 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Longlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize

My Family and Other Rock Stars was the Daily Mail book of the week 17.05.2024©2024 Tiffany Murray Food & Wine Gastronomy Music Women Funny

Critic reviews

Murray, a sublime memoirist, has written the most beautiful of tributes to a fierce and indomitable spirit . . . This childhood tale, then, is Cider With Rosie, but fuelled with something far stronger - Lemmy's Jack Daniel's, perhaps
Magical . . . My Family and Other Rock Stars is as scrumptious as the home-made mayonnaise, pumpkin soup and game pie coming out of Joan's kitchen
A delightful childhood memoir . . . full of anecdotes to make you smile
My Family and Other Rock Stars is Murray's gloriously tender and funny account of her unconventional upbringing, a music memoir that reveals as much about the mores of the 1970s and 1980s rock scene as a hundred serious surveys of mixing desks and demo tapes would . . . a playfully arranged account of a remarkable childhood that is testament to the love and connection that music and food can bring. With My Family and Other Rock Stars Murray has written a bohemian rhapsody of her very own
Funny, vivid and touching, above all fizzing with joy, this is a tribute to an extraordinary childhood, both feral and advanced beyond its years. You will fall in love with Tiff, her hilarious non-nonsense mother Joan, and a cast of hungry rock stars from Freddie Mercury to Siouxsie Sioux. Tiffany Murray's skill is in capturing the changing world of a child with such giddy, heartbreaking enthusiasm, and not one tiny note of self pity. An utter treat (Rachel Joyce)
My Family and Other Rock Stars is sometimes charming, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes both funny and unsettling, and always - from start to end - very, very good (Roddy Doyle)
A love letter to a remarkable childhood. To the music that shaped it and to the two people who watched over it. Enchanting and unique. A total joy (Sarah Winman)
I loved Tiffany's memoir, what an utter joy! Like a really great romp of a novel, a Hideous Kinky for Wales. I can think of at least ten people who must read it at once (Ella Risbridger, author of MIDNIGHT CHICKEN)
Race to preorder Tiffany Murray's enchanting memoir, My Family & Other Rock Stars. It's a rock and roll Cider With Rosie cooked up by Elizabeth David at her most caustic and more than a touch of the blissfully feral childhood evoked in Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (Patrick Gale)
One of the best I've read all year. Full of pop gossip that'll leave you starry-eyed, and written with a warmth and precision you'll want to savour for as long as you can. And it has recipes! My strongest possible recommendation. . . I didn't want it to end (Séamas O'Reilly)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved all aspects - didn’t want it to finish! Would highly recommend, particularly to those who were young girls in the same era.

Humorous and beautifully written

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I've always been a fan of Tiffany Murray's writing but this is her best book yet. Her memories of Rockfield Studios, where her mother worked as a Cordon Bleu chef, will have you searching for a ratatouille recipe and playing Bohemian Rhapsody, while Googling whether cafe creme cigars are still available to buy. Five stars!

Coming-of-Age in the age of rock

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A trip into my childhood with Rupert the Bear books, radio DJs of the 70’s and 80’s - what a privilege to grow up alongside such classical bands (Queen) creating unforgettable music in Rockfield studios. Also do not listen to this if you are hungry - too many delicious recipies. Excellent narration by the author herself.

So funny and bittersweet

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Told through the eyes of a child living at Rockfield studios whilst the biggest names in rock created the most famous music of all time. Rock fan or not. You’ll love this.

Great piece of rock history

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This book made me laugh out loud and cry like a baby. I loved it and am looking forward to making Joan’s duck in gooseberry sauce.

Amazing

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