Introduction

Aged eleven, having been removed from the ghastly orphanage wedged between slag heaps in the industrial part of Northern France and where girls were better identified by their uniforms numbers than by their names, young Martha arrives in the City of Lights: Paris.

In this book, Miss Bertrand takes us on the chaotic journey of her adolescent years fraught with tough challenges, unexpected drama and surprising discoveries. Quite apart from the excitement of being caught up in the May 68 Students Riots due to her school's location, Martha experiences close relationships and friendships which she had never been allowed to enjoy in the past and which leave her totally confused, but deliciously so.

The stark contrast between the cold, humourless nuns and the warm, ebullient friends she brings along becomes sharper as we witness her tumultuous life spent between schools and various countries where she is sent during the school holidays.

Alas, a free spirit is never welcomed within the confines of a strict convent school. Hence, in the inflexible mind of those in charge, there is only one way to deal with it: tame it or crush it.