“The story of an era . . . astonishing.”
Libby Purves, Radio 4’s Midweek | February 8 , 2017
“About the beautiful young mother the author lost as a child—and a lifetime’s search to uncover his family’s dark secret.”
The Lady | November 25, 2016
“An extraordinary search for truth, recounted in a memoir that unspools with the elegance of a vintage detective novel.”
Daily Mail | October 13, 2016
“Darling Baby Mine is a deeply affecting story, beautifully told, all the more powerful for its lack of self-pity with period-sharp descriptions of people and places that helped the author piece together his family jigsaw with the dedication of an investigative journalist.”
The Literary Review | October 2016
“A fascinating hybrid of memoir, detective story and novel. . . He uses the techniques of documentary drama . . . but it is the clarity of his prose and emotional significance of his search that ensure an entirely plausible imaginative reconstruction.”
The Spectator | September 24, 2016
“Marvellous, enthralling in every way—as a compelling search, as sleuthing, as the discovery of a lost world, and ultimately as the affirmation of a son’s resilience and a mother’s love.”
Paul Theroux, author of The Mosquito Coast, The Great Railway Bazaar, Picture Palace, Riding the Iron Rooster, Saint Jack, and Dark Star Safari
“A remarkable memoir and a powerful, deeply affecting achievement by one of the most distinguished journalists of his generation.”
John Cornwell, author of Hitler’s Pope, The Pontiff in Winter and Seminary Boy
“John de St. Jorre’s masterpiece of a memoir will touch anyone who ever had a childhood drama. The story is tragic, and it is movingly and beautifully told.”
Charles Glass, author of The Deserters, Tribes with Flags, and Syria Burning
“The author spent half a lifetime searching his lost mother. His tender and compellingly readable book tells an unforgettable story of filial faith, duty, love, and of his mother.
Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, The Professor and the Madman, and The Man with the Electrified Brain.
“A beautifully rendered account of irretrievable loss. The author writes with precision and compassion about what it means for a mother to lose a son, and what it means for son to lose a mother.”
Judy Bachrach, author of Glimpsing Heaven: The Stories and Science of Life after Death
“A profoundly moving and compassionate account of John de St. Jorre’s decades-long search for his mother, Darling Baby Mine gripped me as only the best detective stories can, reduced me to tears with its emotional depth, and left me full of admiration for the author’s unswerving sense of humanity.”
Gully Wells, author of The House in France
“Darling Baby Mine is, in turns, enchanting, enthralling and heart-breaking. John de St. Jorre’s journey of discovery brings the reader into a world that few will have experienced but which will be remembered long after the final page.”
Paddy Hayes, author of Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain’s Cold War Spy Master
