The Fragrance of Tears

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.