Little Gypsy: A Life of Freedom, a Time of Secrets

I’ve always found that moving away from one’s comfort zone every once in a while is good for the soul, it allows you to challenge yourself and grow not only as a person but as a reader – at least I think it does – and that can only be a good thing. Books – for me – are all about discovering new things, learning about past lives, history and being thoroughly entertained – whether a crime novel, a historical drama or an autobiography – by a cornucopia of words the author deems fit to share with his or her readers.

Born in 1979, Roxy Freeman grew up travelling around Ireland and England in a traditional horse-drawn wagon with her mother and father and six siblings. Life was harsh but it was a childhood of freedom spent in harmony with nature. Roxy didn’t know her times-tables but she could milk a goat, ride a horse and cook dinner for the whole family on an open fire before she was ten. Early life was idyllic but when her father brought the family to England, they faced prejudice and hostility and Roxy found herself receiving the very unwelcome attentions of a family friend – which she endured in secret. Despite all of the difficulties she faced, she developed a passion for flamenco and traditional music and developed a career as a dancer, which took her around the world. Her beautifully written story is a frank portrait of what life is really like for women and girls of traveller communities.

It would be so easy, when reading the heart wrenching story that Roxy Freeman shares with her readers in Little Gypsy, to fall into the trap of pity, despondence and anger but the overriding emotions I felt when I finished the book were of hope and positivity. Together with a fortitudinous attitude I found compelling to say the least, Roxy shares the highs and extreme lows of a life so colourful I found it hard to put the book down, eager was I to gain an insight into the often scorned and prejudiced life of a Gypsy. Roxy pulls no punches, although having said that she never once sensationalised events others would be all too ready to do so, handling even the harshest of situations with a great deal of sensitivity.

We didn’t seem to belong anywhere other than together. In my memory, home was where the fire burned and where our mama sat. That was where we cooked our dinner, socialized and kept warm. Finding a log without knots to sit on was one of life’s priorities, if there weren’t enough logs we’d sit cross-legged on the ground. We’d sit in a circle with our food on our laps; no knives, napkins or place settings, just a bowl or a plate and a fork.

Roxy Freeman

Life was fairly simple for Roxy in the early days, living carefree on a bog in Ireland, racing around with her siblings trying not to fall into the quick sand – as her brother Rollin called it -and saving Elder trees from the wrath of a JCB thanks to a relationship the kids had with the driver. For me the funniest moment came when they got together and decided, out of the blue, to make a swimming pool. However, once the hole had been dug they soon realised that filling the hole would require a monumental effort and had no option but to wait for the heaven’s to open and the rain to fall.

Little Gypsy is available in Paperback and Kindle

Roxy, then just five years old, along with her mother Dixey and sister Perly, went to Thurles in North Tipperary to find a homeopathic remedy for ringworm. It was there that Roxy discovered her passion for shoes – a passion that never left her, much to the disappointment of her bank balance!

I pressed my face up against the glass, looking at all the bright, shiny leather shoes arranged in neat rows. In the middle was a pair of red patent leather shoes with little straps that clasped shut with a gold buckle.

Returning home from the trip she discovered the swimming pool had been filled following heavy rain and on her brother’s insistence she stripped off her clothes and jumped into the murky water ….. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happened next but it certainly brought about an evil grin on my face I can tell you!

Roxy Freeman

Roxy talks of her love for her parents and of course her siblings in little Gypsy. She shares her thoughts on her complex relationship with her father who saw fit to pick on Roxy as a young child with the occasional slap to the back of her head, stern words and an aggressive nature that would find her cowering behind her mother Dixey for safety. But for all this antagonistic behaviour early on, the pair developed a strong and loving bond. Roxy, as with everything she covers in the book, gives an incredibly well balanced account of her relationship with her father and despite his obvious faults, he has a lot to give – but for all that, she’ll always be mummy’s girl! I’d also like to single out Rollin – her brother – who comes across as a bit of a larrikin and a good sport – what he couldn’t do with an old bike is no one’s business!

Reviewing an autobiography isn’t an easy task. How much do you share? Do you give away the darkest of secrets the author has held back or do you divulge everything before a page has been read? I thought long and hard about certain aspects of the book and for me, without question, the most moving account of the book is Roxy’s battle (both physically and mentally) against abuse – not once but twice – both from trusted family friends. It’s frightening that a young girl, she was eight when it began, had to deal with it on her own without parental support and guidance. Roxy made that decision not to share, a decision no one – whatever the age – should have to handle on her own.  As time goes on she discovers she’s not on her own and eventually after years of keeping the darkest of secrets she speaks out.

Little Gypsy is a wonderful book and is, without a shadow of doubt, an example of triumph over adversity few people would be strong enough to handle, yet Roxy Freeman comes out the other end with an infectious enthusiasm for life and nature – utterly compelling this is one true story not to be missed.

Little Gypsy published by Simon & Schuster is available in Paperback and Kindle