A Yank Back to England
Unfortunately, I have been quite ill the last few days so I missed a post that I had intended for Monday. It was a review of Denis Lipman’s delightful new book A Yank Back to England: The Prodigal Tourist Returns. (You may recognize Denis from the blog, England Rents, Rants and Raves.)
I found Denis’ book a real joy to read and I would have to agree with actor Michael York’s review – it does read like a Dickens novel. There are quite a few laugh out loud moments here, most of them involving his colorful parents, while Denis’ wife Frances, takes it all in stride. (Good on ya Frances!) Because I’m not well, I feel that words are failing me here and I am not doing this book justice so I’m going to include a quote from the back of the book by Michael Dirda:
“Half memoir, half travel book, A Yank Back to England never stints the reader. Here is England seen in entire, from inside out, from bottom to top, as Denis Lipman returns from America to his working class family home in Dagenham. From there he, his young American wife, and his cockney Mum and Dad embark on a series of funny, touching, madcap and even surreal adventures as they visit landmarks and holiday spots in England…”
– Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
Denis recently sat down for an interview with the BBC and looked like a true professional. I think you can really get a feel for how charming the book is just by listening to him.
Click here to watch.
Denis also made a clever video of himself reading an excerpt from his book. It’s so much fun to listen to and I personally love the fact that he really “gets in character” here. Later this week, I’ll post more videos and an interview with the author himself and his lovely wife Frances.
