Never Ask Permission: Elisabeth Scott Bocock of Richmond, A Memoir by Mary Buford Hitz

I know the author, Mary Buford Hitz,, quite well. She sang in my choir at St Paul's Church in Alexandria VA and her daughter sang in my children's choir. I have stayed overnight at Scott's Castle in Afton VA. Unfortunately, after I purchased the book I lost my ability to read and so have read just a little bit, but I am sure from what I did read that the rest of the book is just wonderful.

Carries the reader through experiences of eighty years creatively driven in this exotic family and life of this matriarchal individualist, from city streets to mountain tops rugged and exciting.

The book was suggested to me a staff member of a local museum where I volunteer due to its references to Royal Orchard, the Scott families castle located on the near by mountain. Well, I not only learned more about Royal Orchard, but more importantly I learned about a woman who lived an amazing life. She was ahead of her time in so many positive ways and made a lasting impact on the world of preservation, the city of Richmond, VA, and apparently on the lives of everyone who knew and worked with her.I'm so glad this book was recommended to me, I enjoyed it completely and would recommend it to anyone who loves to learn about people, and especially women whose lives have made a difference in not only the times they lived in but today as well.

Mary Buford Hitz does a wonderful job of describing the very prototype of the great southern lady - her mother, Elizabeth Scott Bocock. The portrait is nuanced, and builds over the course of the telling. Unconventional in its structure, the biography sets down layers from which the portrait of Mrs. Bocock emerges. In the process, a way of life among what can only be described as the Virginia aristocracy of that erais also brought to life.

This story had particular appeal since I live in the Shenandoah Valley of VA, cross Afton Mountain frequently and have caught a glimpse of Scott's castle on the mountain for many years. The book is a great accounting of the castle's origin and the family who owns Royal Orchards. I enjoyed every saga of Elizabeth Scott Bocock, I am fortunate to have known dynamic women like her in my life.

Anyone who has grown up in Richmond, Va. will love this!

If you live anywhere near the Richmond/Charlottesville/Blue Ridge Mountains, this is a book for you! Mary Buford Hitz retells the important role her mother played in these areas and with her family. I laughed, cried and learned so much about Mrs. Bocock and the history of the areas where I grew up.

fabulous book. highly recommended