A Tree with My Name on It

Finding a Way Home

Non-Fiction - Memoir
378 Pages
Reviewed on 06/26/2025
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Author Biography

Victress Hitchcock grew up in London, Paris and Madrid as the daughter of a diplomat. She graduated from the London Film School in 1972 and began a 45-year career making award winning documentary and educational films. At 72, she began writing a memoir. A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home was published by Bold Story Press in October 2024

Victress lives in Colorado, teaches writing and contemplation workshops, writes poetry and stories, hangs out with her grandchildren, is a long-time meditator in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and an ordained Buddhist teacher.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home by Victress Hitchcock is a tender and soul-searching memoir about what it means to rebuild yourself when everything you counted on disappears. After she relocates to a remote Colorado ranch with her husband, life takes an unexpected turn toward isolation, heartbreak, and profound uncertainty. Alone in a place that once promised peace, she begins to confront the unhealed wounds she has carried for years. Through the patient companionship of horses, the healing rhythms of the natural world, and her own unflinching honesty, the author charts a quiet, courageous return to herself. This is not a triumphalist story of reinvention but a deeply human one—messy, nonlinear, and laced with grace.

Author Victress Hitchcock puts her whole soul on display in her writing, and as such, she brings huge warmth, wit, and emotional intelligence to every page. I was surprised by the amount of gentle humor and humility that ran through her reflections to lighten the mood and keep things distinctly human and relatable. She does not claim to have all the answers, and that vulnerability is what makes the book so resonant. Instead of framing her journey as one of success or arrival, she invites the reader into the in-between moments—when the ground is still shaky, but the heart is beginning to beat with hope again. Overall, A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home is a quiet triumph of a memoir, filled with wisdom, courage, and the kind of honesty that lights the path forward. I would recommend it to memoir fans everywhere.

E. Dickey

There is so much to like in this engaging, beautifully written memoir. The evocative language, the humor, the sharp observations of people, animals and nature, the expression of feelings close to the bone, the working through of relationships, and the cleverly interwoven Buddhist teachings and just street wise (ranch wise) experience and wisdom.

M.Libs

This is a beautiful book. I was carried along by Victress‘s story, always looking forward to getting back to it. It has stayed with me.

Shanley

This book is compelling and truly vibrant. The author's language paints the picture of the Wet Mountains vividly and draws the reader into this heart rendering true to life story of a woman struggling with the realities of her marriage andlife. I highly recommend this book !

K. Wilding

This book is a real treat. It is a compelling personal story, a vivid description of life on the ranch and the ranch itself, and a deep reflection on love. It almost feels like a screenplay for a movie.