Estonia and Equines is a deeply intimate and often fascinating book proving that autobiography does not have to be the preserve of celebrities or VIPs. Indeed, the very fact that the author is an ordinary member of the public adds to the reading experience, as her life story is both compelling AND relatable.

anfcEstonieAndEquinesAs the title suggests, this great little read is divided into two journeys of love and discovery.

One half of the book relates the author's deep-rooted and life-long love affair with horses and horse riding. A former amateur show jumper, Ann delights in her stories of training horse and ponies.

Sacrificing university to fund her life-long enthusiasm, the author's equine adventures have taken her to all manner of places around the UK and brought many satisfying challenges to overcome, coupled with an equally satisfying dose of fun and frolics. Her passion for these sensitive, intelligent animals really leaps out from the page as she describes the characteristics and personalities of the four-legged companions she's had over the years.

The other section of the book documents Ann’s heart-felt search for the lost Eastern European branch of her family, who became divided from the author and her mother through the chaos and devastation of the Second World War. Elegantly, and movingly, written, the book invites the reader into her personal struggle with a forgotten – and, for many years, forbidden – identity and heritage.

Ann was left in the dark for over 60 years about her Estonian family as her mother, Astrid — who had daringly escaped from her beloved Estonia during the Russian and Nazi occupation — refused to speak about her wartime past, the memories proving too painful to recall. With no other relatives in the UK, the author felt a keen sense of loneliness which was only compounded by the loss of her beloved father in 2007, and the increasingly fragile health of her mother, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's. After her father's funeral, she decided to track down her lost family and with the name of her maternal grandfather’s name as her only clue, Ann turned detective, using the internet for help.

As she recounts, she was extremely fortunate from the start, finding a matching record listed on the website of the Museum of Occupation in Estonia. Seeking expert help to overcome the language barrier, she soon found herself on an incredible journey of discovery that eventually reunited her with a long-lost aunt, uncle and cousins.

The experience of being reunited with her relatives is both joyful and bitter-sweet. On the one side there is the poignant and rewarding reunion with her relatives, and sheer wonder to be found in exploring the culture and geography of a new country. Ann falls under Estonia's spell from the start, and her vivid, wide-eyed description of taking her first horseback ride through the unspoilt forests makes you want to book a flight out to the country right away.

Yet, at the same time, there are unpleasant revelations to be made. We learn of the tragic fate of her grandfather, a major in the Estonian Calvary, whom the author credits for passing on her love for horses and riding. Arrested by Russian forces during the occupation of Estonia, he was taken in secret to a labour camp in Siberia, where he was later executed by firing squad after starting an uprising. The first photo the author receives of her grandfather is of him with a shaven head, taken minutes before he was killed. It is a shocking moment and underlines the realities of the atrocities that took place during those dark days. There are also the hidden truths about her mother’s private life which come to the surface.

So reticent was Ann’s mother about her background, fearing that she would alert the Estonian authorities and be sent back to the then-Communist country, that her nationality was altogether unknown to the author for many years. It must have been a terrible experience for Astrid, with the Nazi annexation of her homeland ripping both her family and community apart while she was just a teenager. Not only did she lose her father, but was forced into back-breaking work digging trenches, watched over constantly by cruel and lustful German soldiers. Thankfully, Astrid was eventually able to escape the country and went to live with family in Germany, where she met Ann's father, Albert, a soldier in the British Army, in 1945. After returning to England, Albert hired a two-seater plane to bring Astrid and a friend to the UK. They arrived in 1946, landing at Croydon Airport, and went on to enjoy a long and happy marriage.

The couple's devotion to each other is clear to see, as the author includes many letters from her father to her mother depicting his love for Astrid and his struggle to get her back to England. The book, then, is as much a celebration of bravery and love as it is of rediscovery and reconnection. Sadly, Astrid never got to see Estonia again, or meet with her siblings, as she died in 2010 unaware of her daughter's quest and the fruits it had borne. There is, however, a happy ending of sorts as to honour her mother's memory; Ann took her ashes back to Estonia to rest beside the grave of her sister.

Estonia and Equines is a unique book that will be appreciated in equal measure by animal lovers and those with a keen interest in Eastern Europe, World War Two and genealogy, as well as those who appreciate smaller, though no less impressive, real-life stories. Poignant, and yet often light-hearted, this page-turner will bring tears to your eyes, a smile to your face and warmth to your soul.

Estonia and Equines: Finding my family and my horsey heritage by Annabelle Till is available now from Amazon, priced £7.99.