Book info

• Title Finding My Voice
• Author Nadiya Hussain
• Year 2019
• Genre Memoir

From the moment Nadiya Hussain was born, she has been questioning her role in life. But the irony is, she never wanted to be a trailblazer. She just wanted to follow a 'normal' path. But life kept telling her 'you can't'. And so she found her own way, beyond anything she dared to dream... In this wise, witty, open-hearted book, Nadiya lets us into her life and, for the first time, shares the memories and experiences that have shaped her into the woman and role-model that she is today, alongside her personal recipes and the stories they tell.

Thoughts

I listened to the audiobook version of this - an intensely personal memoir from Nadiya Begum of Bake Off fame - and it was lovely to hear it read by the author, who has a lovely voice to listen to and a really honest warmth that you just gravitate towards.

The structure of the book was slightly different to other memoirs, each chapter introducing Nadiya from another point of view - as a wife, a mother, a daughter, an in-law and much more. There was a sort of chronological sequence to things but it was more about telling the personal stories within.

There are some really jarring moments, like Nadiya’s father’s first words when she was born, or the terrifying isolation of the newlywed, and the moment Nadiya works many jobs just to get away from home. But despite the down days, there’s a lot of heart and happiness, warmth and wonder to the tales.

I’m not sure the poetic style totally worked for me, but if I’m honest, Nadiya is so awesome she can get away with anything.

Rating: 4 / 5