Praise
Personally I gravitate to books that gets to the heart of the complexity of human relationships and this is exactly what this book does. It is riveting and takes the reader on an insightful and at times uncomfortable emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I cried and I cringed.
The author has a huge talent for storytelling and I loved the cast of dysfunctional background characters. Especially Baroness Rosina von Kuhne and her morning school for little ones .
This book would really make a great film!
This is an excellent read. I don’t usually enjoy autobiographies, but I found this one entertaining, moving, and unexpectedly educational, particularly in its references to the experiences of the author’s ancestors in the World Wars. Andrew Vincent is a skilled writer who truly knows how to tell a story—no pretentiousness, no clichés, just an absorbing and fascinating true tale of a man who, after his father’s death, discovered far more than he had bargained for, forcing him to rethink many things he once believed about his life.
I read this book because it came up on my socials at a time I was embarking on a journey of tracing my ancestry. I found the language unpretentious yet poetic. It also reminded me that we are all future ancestors… pixels in someone else's picture. I would have preferred a less downbeat ending but the sentiment of acceptance is very touching.
Poignant and funny in equal measure with a fascinating reveal. I laughed out loud but also shed a tear. An essential read for anyone who's trying to make sense of their childhood and parents and wondered why?
From the very first page I was grabbed. The story is from my era and so many aspects resonate. But Andrew Vincent has a style that is so sharp and powerful that I became mesmerised and lost in the pages. Laced with equal amounts of humour and sadness.