Most
people think Rosie is no longer with us but she's very much
alive and well - in her 90s now - and fit as a fiddle. |
Mark
Cummings |
The
classic tale 'Cider With Rosie', which many students read for their
GCSE English Literature exam, is based in Stroud's Slad valley,
and is a true tale about the life of the late Laurie Lee.
The
story is set in 1917 and draws upon the innocence of rural Cotswold
life at the beginning of the last century.
 |
Laurie
Lee |
In
the novel, Lee recalls his childhood memories, thoughts, feelings
and family life
Central
character
The
central character Rosie is one the most well-known literary heroines
in modern literature, but did you know that today she's alive and
well and living in Cheltenham?
 |
Rosie
- doesn't like cider |
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Radio Gloucestershire's Mark Cummings went to interview Rosie recently,
and was thrilled to meet her.
Said
Mark: "Most people think Rosie is no longer with us but she's
very much alive and well - in her 90s now - and fit as a fiddle.
It was a pleasure to meet her."
"She
claims nothing really happened underneath the wagon that summer's
day [in that famous passage from the book].
"She
assures me she never took a sip of cider and that Laurie Lee was
prone to exaggeration."
Good
friends
Rosie
- or Rosalind as she prefers to be known - remained good friends
with Laurie Lee right up to his death in 1997.
 |
Classic
literature - Cider with Rosie |
She
married a policeman and moved around Gloucestershire, finally settling
in Cheltenham.
She
was bombarded with national press interest in the 1970s when she
finally went public and admitted she was "Rosie", although
to her astonishment someone else claimed to be the real Rosie.
Mark
Cummings said: "I took a bottle of cider as a gift hoping we
could share a slurp on her sofa, but to my bitter disappointment
she hates the stuff! She made me a cup of tea instead."
Click
here to listen to Mark Cummings' interview with Rosie that
was broadcast on on Wednesday 24th November 2004. To
listen to audio content on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ you will need to have a program
called RealPlayer installed on your computer.
)
|

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