British Authors - 20th Century - Literary Biography, World War II - War Narratives, World War II - Personal Narratives, World War II Narratives

The Day Gone By

Name: The Day Gone By
Author: Richard Adams
ISBN: 9780679401179

by Richard Adams

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Synopsis

First volume of the autobiography of Richard Adams covering his early life in Taunton, undergraduate days at Oxford and experiences across Omagh, Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt, Normandy, Denmark, Singapore and Bombay between 1940 and 1947. The account ends with Adams giving Latin tuition to the girl next-door who became his future wife. Adams' early years should be of particular interest to any devotee of the novels since they concern a plethora of incidents which first fired his enthusiasm for nature. The book may be of particular interest to anyone interested in the social history of the period from 1920 to the aftermath of World War II. -- Amazon.com.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In an apparently artless, effortless fashion, Adams ( Watership Down ) guides readers on a journey back to his early years in this wonderfully detailed memoir. Born in 1920, the author grew up in pastoral England, blessed in his boyhood with a loving, stable family and the surrounding natural world which he roamed freely, usually with his father, before he was sent to boarding school. That was a vast, discomforting change from his tranquil home, but Adams adjusted, making friends, good marks and mischief. His education was interrupted by the outbreak of WW II, during which he served in virtually every theater in Europe and Asia. This affectionate evocation of ``the day gone by'' closes with the author home again in Newbury and meeting his future wife, Elizabeth. It's a safe bet that readers will clamor for a follow-up to the humorous, poignant and sometimes grim adventures of the early part of a singular life. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Adams (author of Watership Down ) divides his life into an idyllic early childhood, his loss of innocence at boarding school after age eight, and his treasured years at Oxford. Those years ended abruptly with the onset of World War II, which hurled him into adulthood. Living in pastoral surroundings, Adams begins to appreciate nature in the first phase of his life under the guidance of his physician father. In boarding school he recognizes his talent for storytelling in late night whisperings. Taking place in post-Victorian England, this memoir comments on class distinctions and the effects of the rapidly changing society of the 20th century on a young man with a sensitive intelligence. Recommended for general collections.--Janice Braun, Medical Historical Lib., Yale Univ.