Swimming with my father

by Tim Jeal

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This is a tender portrait of childhood, growing up, and of a father who was uniquely English eccentric. From his own embarrassing schoolboy meeting with T.S. Eliot to his father's struggle with Parkinson's, it is a lovingly composed, honest exploration of the past.

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Member Reviews

1 review
This is a sweet memoir of a childhood in 1940-50s England, from this prize winning biographer. Because of my own experiences growing up in the UK, albeit 15 years later, it is interesting to me.

This book is really a memorial to his eccentric father - his father's "eccentricities" being prescient when you consider the present day eco-movement. He was a vegetarian, a conscientious objector and a nature lover. He was also deeply spiritual.

I enjoyed this memoir, and it was a nostalgic read. However, Americans may not identify with the culture so it may not appeal to all.

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Author Information

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12 Works 1,149 Members
Tim Jeal is a highly acclaimed biographer and novelist. (Bowker Author Biography)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Swimming with my father
Original publication date
2004
First words
My father loved to swim in rivers, and, in 1949, when I turned four and he forty-three, he started taking me with him.
Blurbers
Bragg, Melvyn; Hennessy, Val; Motion, Andrew; Preston, John; Chisholm, Anne; Moorhead, Caroline (show all 15); Ironside, Virginia; Massingbird, Hugh; Barber, Lynn; Waugh, Alexander; Forster, Margaret; Gorb, Ruth; Gray, Christopher; Guest, Tim; Pizzichini, Lillian

Classifications

Genres
Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
920History & geographyBiographies, Genealogy, HealdryBiographies
LCC
PR6060 .E2 .Z468Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish Literature1961-2000
BISAC

Statistics

Members
27
Popularity
1,011,280
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (4.33)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
2