On Swallows' Wings

Mental health was not something you talked about openly in the 1960s, but Lesley Hughes was determined to beat the anxiety that plagued her. She longed for a purpose, a stable relationship, and a family - but all were elusive. The author was born in a small town on the Welsh border, but a move to the Home Counties and a subsequent separation from her peers at school contributed to an early sense of unbelonging that persisted through much of her adult life. This led her, at twenty-five, to admit