British Summer Time Begins by Ysenda Maxtone Graham
From the author of the beloved Terms & Conditions, British Summer Time Begins is a delightful, nostalgic and joyous celebration of summer holidays, told in Maxtone Graham's signature hilarious style.
This book has enough stories for a hundred novels. . it is unbearably touching, probably because it is tales of children; their vulnerability, their talents, their dreams. It recalls a shabbier, parochial England . . . I wept -- Tanya Gold * Oldie *
[A] joyously addictive history of British summer holidays . . . Maxtone Graham is a wonderfully spry and eloquent writer . . . she has a fine ear for others' words - and a high sense of comedy -- Laura Cumming * Observer *
Hilarious, nostalgic and tragic in turns, this captivating social history is a must * Country Life *
I defy anyone who lived in it not to be irresistibly transported back to their eight-year-old self, reliving the wild, eccentric, poor-yet-rich fun of pre-internet, pre-neurotic-parented childhood. This is a joyous book, one to make you smile in recognition, yearn to talk to your best pals from the time and wish to record your own memories -- Melanie Reid * The Times *
This splendid book rings bells galore . . . with her beady eye, Maxtone Graham keeps things tight and purposeful. The sweet aroma of nostalgia is never far away . . . this perfect little book serves as both a celebration, and a lament -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
A wonderfully evocative and unashamedly nostalgic account of how our childhood minds were formed * Guardian *
Glorious nostalgia . . . A Miss Marple of memory, she detects all the things that made us us . . . Almost every page of this glorious book triggers a Proustian rush of recollection . . . Lots of books have tried to capture the essence of the summer holidays. Maxtone Graham's is the best. There are moments when the quality of her noticing allied to a deep sympathy for the men and women who lent her their younger selves achieves a rare poetry -- Allison Pearson * Telegraph *
British Summer Time Begins is shot through with brilliant phrases and vignettes that have nothing and everything to do with the subject at hand . . . I wonder whether Maxtone Graham has founded a new school of historical writing -- Tom Crewe * London Review of Books *
This hugely enjoyable book, ranging from 1930 to 1980, is not just about seaside holidays. Its subject is that 'vast stretch of untimetabled time' which began with the school bell ringing for the last time in July and went on until lessons began again in September. Drawing on the memories of dozens of people, it's a wonderful portrait of long summer weeks when so many of us, free from adult scrutiny ('My parents had no idea where I was'), found our true selves through play * Daily Mail *
[A] joyously addictive history of British summer holidays . . . Maxtone Graham is a wonderfully spry and eloquent writer . . . she has a fine ear for others' words - and a high sense of comedy -- Laura Cumming * Observer *
Hilarious, nostalgic and tragic in turns, this captivating social history is a must * Country Life *
I defy anyone who lived in it not to be irresistibly transported back to their eight-year-old self, reliving the wild, eccentric, poor-yet-rich fun of pre-internet, pre-neurotic-parented childhood. This is a joyous book, one to make you smile in recognition, yearn to talk to your best pals from the time and wish to record your own memories -- Melanie Reid * The Times *
This splendid book rings bells galore . . . with her beady eye, Maxtone Graham keeps things tight and purposeful. The sweet aroma of nostalgia is never far away . . . this perfect little book serves as both a celebration, and a lament -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
A wonderfully evocative and unashamedly nostalgic account of how our childhood minds were formed * Guardian *
British Summer Time Begins does a remarkable job of awakening the reader's deepest and most tender memories: with
a deceptively light touch it took me by the hand, and led me across sunlit lawns towards my own childhood . . . Graham evokes the muted magic of empty hours and nearsilences
Glorious nostalgia . . . A Miss Marple of memory, she detects all the things that made us us . . . Almost every page of this glorious book triggers a Proustian rush of recollection . . . Lots of books have tried to capture the essence of the summer holidays. Maxtone Graham's is the best. There are moments when the quality of her noticing allied to a deep sympathy for the men and women who lent her their younger selves achieves a rare poetry -- Allison Pearson * Telegraph *
British Summer Time Begins is shot through with brilliant phrases and vignettes that have nothing and everything to do with the subject at hand . . . I wonder whether Maxtone Graham has founded a new school of historical writing -- Tom Crewe * London Review of Books *
This hugely enjoyable book, ranging from 1930 to 1980, is not just about seaside holidays. Its subject is that 'vast stretch of untimetabled time' which began with the school bell ringing for the last time in July and went on until lessons began again in September. Drawing on the memories of dozens of people, it's a wonderful portrait of long summer weeks when so many of us, free from adult scrutiny ('My parents had no idea where I was'), found our true selves through play * Daily Mail *
Ysenda Maxtone Graham was born in 1962 and educated at The King's School, Canterbury and Girton College, Cambridge. She has written widely for many newspapers and magazines, as features writer, book reviewer and columnist. She is the author of Terms & Conditions;The Church Hesitant: A Portrait of the Church of England; The Real Mrs Miniver, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography of the Year Award; and Mr Tibbits's Catholic School. She lives in London with her husband and their three sons.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781408710555 |
| ISBN 10 | 1408710552 |
| Title | British Summer Time Begins |
| Author | Ysenda Maxtone Graham |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2020-07-09 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |