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Thursday's Child: One Woman's Journey to Seven Continents
Happy, tragic, and at times, a combination of both. This is the story of one woman’s journey across seven continents.
Maralyn Rittenour has lived a life of accidental twists and turns full of luck, opportunity, intrigue, and at times, hardship and tragedy. From her first close call as an infant when her mother literally missed a boat that later sank, to being twice married in November and twice widowed in August, to trips to all seven continents on the globe, to her work for MI6, Thursday’s Child chronicles the life of a true adventurer, her rich family history, and the people—some famous, some not—she’s met along the way. For anyone who has ever traveled extensively, or even just dreamed about it, the wonderful and unexpected journeys told in this travel memoir will captivate and inspire the adventurer in all of us.
Maralyn Rittenour has lived a life of accidental twists and turns full of luck, opportunity, intrigue, and at times, hardship and tragedy. From her first close call as an infant when her mother literally missed a boat that later sank, to being twice married in November and twice widowed in August, to trips to all seven continents on the globe, to her work for MI6, Thursday’s Child chronicles the life of a true adventurer, her rich family history, and the people—some famous, some not—she’s met along the way. For anyone who has ever traveled extensively, or even just dreamed about it, the wonderful and unexpected journeys told in this travel memoir will captivate and inspire the adventurer in all of us.
352 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
July 23, 2022
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/thursdays-child-one-womans-journey-to-seven-continents-by-maralyn-rittenour/
Maralyn is my second cousin, the third oldest (second oldest living) great-grandchild of our Whyte great-grandparents, born in 1938. I only remember meeting her once, but I’ll certainly get back in touch after having read this very entertaining memoir. My parents, aunt and grandmother get passing mentions; she writes a lot more about her own family, the MacDermots, and other relatives who we both knew and know.
Having been disinherited after her parents’ divorce at the behest of her stepmother, Maralyn worked at a variety of jobs, starting with nannying for her uncle who was the British Ambassador in Indonesia, culminating in a series of semi-diplomatic roles in New York and then retirement in the Hamptons. She has been married twice; her first husband died dramatically in a canoeing accident, her second much later in life of natural causes.
She has clearly kept a diary, or at least good records, of everything that has happened to he since she was a teenager. The theme of the book is supposedly her travel to various parts of the world, including Antarctica, and indeed she has a sharp eye for detail, especially nature and landscapes and the things that happen to you on a long sea voyage, but the heart of the book is really her own friendships and family relationships.
Obviously I got this out of personal interest, but I think it would be an entertaining read even if you are not related to the author.
Maralyn is my second cousin, the third oldest (second oldest living) great-grandchild of our Whyte great-grandparents, born in 1938. I only remember meeting her once, but I’ll certainly get back in touch after having read this very entertaining memoir. My parents, aunt and grandmother get passing mentions; she writes a lot more about her own family, the MacDermots, and other relatives who we both knew and know.
Having been disinherited after her parents’ divorce at the behest of her stepmother, Maralyn worked at a variety of jobs, starting with nannying for her uncle who was the British Ambassador in Indonesia, culminating in a series of semi-diplomatic roles in New York and then retirement in the Hamptons. She has been married twice; her first husband died dramatically in a canoeing accident, her second much later in life of natural causes.
She has clearly kept a diary, or at least good records, of everything that has happened to he since she was a teenager. The theme of the book is supposedly her travel to various parts of the world, including Antarctica, and indeed she has a sharp eye for detail, especially nature and landscapes and the things that happen to you on a long sea voyage, but the heart of the book is really her own friendships and family relationships.
Obviously I got this out of personal interest, but I think it would be an entertaining read even if you are not related to the author.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review