A Yank Back to England - Denis Lipman

I got this book from my friend Kim last Christmas, I believe; her mother is friends with the author.  It's part travelogue, part cultural dissection, part historical information, part family tale.  It's the true stories of Denis, a Brit who has moved to the US and who goes back to visit London and towns near London along with his American wife, Frances.  While there, they also spend time with Denis's family, most notably his parents.

I really enjoyed "seeing" some of the towns outside of London and getting to know the background of them.  It was also interesting to read Denis's observations of the British, being a somewhat removed Brit himself.  Not all of the towns interested me equally, which I think is to be expected.  I think it's a well written exploration, though.

I also was taken with Denis's writing style.  At one point (and I wish I had noted where) I even remarked how he was able to make the act of walking much more interesting just by the different words he used to describe it within the same paragraph.  He also does a great job in describing his parents, and every "Ghrrr" following his father's comments was just endearing.

Another aspect I enjoyed were the snippets and pieces of personal history that come through sometimes, showing what everyday life was like growing up for Denis.  For instance, take this paragraph:

We had electricity, but the supply to our little house in Dagenham was metered.  The electric meter was situated in the hallway, and attached to it was a coin box that took two-shilling pieces.  If we didn't feed the meter, the electric power switched off.  This happened many a night, and if no one had coins handy, one of us would careen into furniture, groping a way through the dark until the "light money" was found.  The light money was kept in an old Rowntrees pastille box, on the ledge on the farthest wall of the kitchen.  Coin in hand, the person sent to "do the light" would feel the way back, patting the narrow passageway until it turned, then shuffling across the hall before colliding with the chair that was always there.


And it goes on in a little more detail like this...which is just fascinating to me.  Makes me grateful for monthly billing!!!

All in all - a really enjoyable book to read.  The only thing is that I ended the book feeling like I know a lot about the towns, the sights, Denis, his parents, some of his extended family...but, oddly enough, not much about his wife or his daughter.  Maybe that's intentional; she's American, and this is about his experiences back in England, so maybe that's part of it - but I feel like I would have liked to know her a little better throughout the book.  Just my opinion.

Anyway - definitely worth a read, especially if you've been to or are interested in traveling to England.