The Fragrance of Tears : My Friendship with Benazir Bhutto

A memoir of Victoria Schofield's thirty-year friendship with her Oxford contemporary, Benazir Bhutto. 'Fascinating and moving' Lord Owen 'Abounds with behind-the-scenes gems' Spectator 'Sheds light on the human side of a courageous politican' Financial Times 'Brings unique insights into the life and times of Benazir Bhutto' Lyse Doucet In the summer of 1978, Victoria Schofield travelled to Pakistan to join her friend Benazir Bhutto, whose father, the former prime minister, was facing a charge of conspiracy to murder. In the fevered context of Bhutto's appeal against the death sentence, their university friendship grew into a lifelong bond, ending only with Benazir's assassination in 2007. Schofield's memoir sheds light on the recent history of this turbulent region, and affectionately charts Benazir's transformation from Oxford undergraduate to one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics – a woman whose life and career were defined by tragedy. A memoir of Victoria Schofield's thirty-year friendship with her Oxford contemporary, Benazir Bhutto, who rose to be one of the most powerful politicians in Asia, set against a backdrop of seismic political events. Born to a wealthy and influential Pakistani family that has dominated the centre-left Pakistan Peoples Party since its founding in 1967, Benazir Bhutto twice served as prime minister of her country (thereby becoming the first woman to head a democratic government in a predominantly Muslim nation); she was assassinated in December 2007 while attempting a political comeback. Schofield's memoir provides first-hand insights into Bhutto's transformation from Oxford undergraduate to political activist, prisoner and politician against the backdrop of an increasingly turbulent region. Drawing on diaries and letters, Schofield narrates with affection and emotional honesty the trajectory of her close and enduring bond with one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics and a woman whose life and career were defined by tragedy