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.Tags
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Member Reviews
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.
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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Awards
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
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- Members
- 27
- Popularity
- 1,011,280
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.33)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2























































