Gertie Kenny – Google

It's a long movie but very good. Tells the tragic story of how Christian missionaries, though well meaning, brought nothing but misery and death to the people of Hawaii. Performances are excellent. Max Von Sydow as the fanatical and over zealous missionary, Julie Andrews ( in a complete change of role for her) is very good here as his gentle and compassionate wife who tries to temper his judgemental attitude towards those he wants to convert. Gene Hackman in a supporting role as a missionary doctor is excellent and really puts across very well the effects missionaries had on the Hawaiian people very well towards the end of the film. Richard Harris plays a good supporting role too as a whaler who was Jerusha's (Julie Andrews) first love. And the Alli Nui, or female leader of the Hawaiians, the actress name escapes me, is brilliantly played. I really enjoyed the film.

Brilliantly written and engrossing but also totally and utterly heartbreaking. Not surprising it took years of therapy to help him cope. How awful the British upper class was to its children, it seems to have been something that happened for generations ,the dreadful abandonment to boarding schools where such awful abuse happened to them. Also a very brave book to have written. I'd highly recommend it.

I loved Rememberings. I identified so much with Sinead's recounting of growing up in Dublin and the restrictions young Irish girls were faced with in every aspect of their lives. She was about 10 years younger than me and ,fortunately for me, I didn't experience the dreadful childhood trauma of abuse that she did as I had a very loving, kind and supportive parents.Things were ever so slowly changing in Ireland during those ten years but it was at a snails pace. I think the real miracle in ways was that she grew up as sane as she did. This book is written with love, humour and complete honesty about her life and I would highly recommend it. It was also written prior to the death of her beloved son Shane which is very poignant. It's so sad that she has passed away herself now and hopefully her amazing soul, which comes across so well in her writing, is now at peace with her son.