The Extraordinary Life of A. A. Milne

by Nadia Cohen

The true story of the man who created Winnie-the-Pooh--yet struggled to enjoy the overwhelming success that it brought him.

Thanks to a phenomenally popular collection of whimsical children's stories about a boy named Christopher Robin and his beloved teddy bear, A.A. Milne remains a household name in almost every corner of the globe. Generations have grown up loving the tales of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.

But though his work brought unparalleled joy to millions, Alan Alexander Milne himself was never able to enjoy the fame and fortune they brought him. He died deeply resenting Pooh's success--as far as he was concerned those stories were just a tiny fraction of his literary work, but nothing else he produced came close in terms of public appreciation. Milne died still unable to reconcile the fact that no matter what else he wrote, regardless of all the plays and stories for adults he had published, he would always be remembered as a children's storyteller. And his son, widely hailed as the inspiration for Christopher Robin, could never accept his unique place in literary history either. He had barely reached his teens before he grew to loathe his famous father, who he bitterly accused of exploiting his early years.

This biography delves deep into the life of Milne--shedding light on new places, and telling stories untold.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2017

About the author

Nadia Cohen is an author who has written more than a dozen historical and contemporary biographies.

The Real Beatrix Potter will be the latest in a series of fascinating in-depth biographies about apparently whimsical children’s story tellers who actually hid a darker side behind the public facade. Others already published include The Extraordinary Life of AA Milne, The Real Roald Dahl and The Real Enid Blyton.

In a previous incarnation as an entertainment reporter she worked at various newspapers and magazines in London including Grazia, The Daily Mail and The Sun, covering showbiz news, film festivals, premieres and award ceremonies around the world. She was headhunted to join the launch of US magazine In Touch Weekly and spent several years working in New York and Los Angeles before returning to London to produce a series of documentaries for ITV.

Nadia lectures in Journalism at University of Winchester and is the editor of digital lifestyle magazine Box Ibiza.

Reviews

[Paula Bardell-Hedley · Rating 3 out of 5]

“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ears.”

After finishing Nadia Cohen's newly published biography of the writer A.A. Milne, I reached for my well thumbed and somewhat tatty copy of The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature and turned to page 357, fondly taking in the first few lines of In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One.

It's a very long time since I first read the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh, but like so many people born in the last eighty odd years, the motley animals of Hundred Acre Wood are deeply embedded in my childhood memories – in my case, they are strongly associated with being snuggled up in a cosy bed, book balanced on my knees, fingers curled around a steaming mug of Horlicks.

With this in mind, it makes me sad to think that both Alan Alexander Milne and his son, Christopher Robin Milne, on whom his storylines were based, came to deeply resent these whimsical tales of a boy and his bear. Alan because the fame of Pooh utterly eclipsed all his other written works – although he made a vast fortune from him - and Christopher because he was ridiculed mercilessly in school, eventually coming to believe his childhood had been stolen from him.

In 1939 Milne senior wrote an amusing but restrained autobiography (republished earlier this year by Bello): It's Too Late Now, and his son later produced several memoirs detailing the relationship he had with his famous father, from adoration to enmity. However, Cohen's relatively short (216 page), far from scholarly life history is certainly engaging, and what it lacks in meaningful literary analysis, it gains in readability.

She Tiggerishly scampers through Milne's early life as a British spy, playwright and humorist, up to and including the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926, then more leisurely traces his post-Pooh career, difficult marriage to Daphne de Sélincourt, latter compositions and disgruntled dotage - until his death in 1956 at the age of 74.

While The Extraordinary Life of A A Milne will undoubtedly delight fans, it will probably appeal to anyone with even a passing interest in the author and his famous teddy bear. One hopes that it also brings fresh interest in his Pooh-free plays, novels and non-fiction. (3.5 Stars)

Many thanks to Pen & Sword for supplying an advance copy of this title.

[Tracy Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often there comes along, a book that you just have to read. The Extraordinary Life of A A Milne
is such a book, and if you grew up with the tales of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, then this book will delight you.

This is quite a story, and one that is far away from a fairy tale. A A Milne was a man who was a brilliant writer, but Pooh's success meant that he wasn't quite known for most of his work ad he was very resentful of this fact.

Even Christopher suffers because of Pooh and I feel that Pooh was some kind of Nemesis for Christopher.

I highly recommend this book, as It is a complete dossier of the man we have all heard of. The writing flows brilliant and it's more than a memoir,

It is truly quite remarkable

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

GN There was obviously a whole lot of research behind this biography of Alan Alexander Milne, his family and his time. I enjoyed it as much for the insights into England during and between the World Wars as for the more personal look into the lives of the Milne family. This work makes you feel like Alan and his wife Daff and Christopher Robin were living just around the corner of time. There were disappointments - I hated that Alan was disappointed that his plays and novels, nice as they were, were overshadowed by his timeless children's stories. Hated that for a time Christopher was bullied because of his role in the popular Pooh stories. But there were wonderful highs, as well. Alan and Daff managed to continue to rub along in tandem despite their occasional unhappiness. Alan was able to get past his passive leanings to use his pen to support the military during WWII. Christopher came home from his trek through the war, with injuries but healed. Altogether an interesting look at a very special family.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Nadia Cohen, and Pen & Sword History in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date Nov 30, 2017
Pen & Sword History

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Thanks so very much to Netgalley, Pen and Sword and the author, Nadia Cohen, for the opportunity to rave about this book!

I loved it and was surprised at how difficult it was to put down. I finished it within 48 hours of starting and that was down to the excellent way the book is put together. It's a fascinating insight into the mind, life and family of this great Author. I didn't realise what a prolific writer he was (he'd be gutted to know that I knew him solely for his Winnie the Pooh books) and I found his relationships with his wife and son riveting.

I also enjoyed the 'Winnie the Pooh' quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the photographs at the end of the book. Just wonderful.

5 stars without hesitation.

[Heather Mulvihill]

Great book. Huge Disney fan. Loved learning about A A Milne and his fascination with teddy bears

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose, with any biography, you have to be incredibly interested in the lives of the subject in order to find joy in reading about them. However, I have since discovered, that despite how much I liked Winnie-The-Pooh as a child, I find I am just not that interested in the life of A. A. Milne. There is an incredible amount of detail, as expected, but I just couldn't be bothered with caring about it. Also, at 20% of the way into the book, it occurred to me that a large part of what made me uneasy about it was the emphasis on the fact that he didn't want to be known as a children's author, or even worse, may not have even liked children at all. Now there's a way to turn people off of your stories. Now, this review doesn't, at all, negate the magical qualities of Pooh and his life in the Hundred Acre Wood. I will always cherish the stories and look back at them fondly, and maybe one day read them to children of my own. However, for this particular biography subject, I find that I would probably be satisfied with reading his Wikipedia article rather than a whole book. Great for die-hard fans of Milne (do those people even exist?) who want to know how he got to where he did, but for the rest of us, it's probably just best to skip it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Eileen Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with Winnie The Pooh and friends, and so wanted to read about the man behind the tales.
As it is with many successful authors, the mask holds back the sometimes dark, troubling side of private life.
Milne was somewhat resentful of the success of his Winnie The Pooh stories, to the detriment of his other works,
his son Christopher Robin suffered in the early years also, due to his inclusion in the stories.
I'm wondering if there are any published works by A A Milne other than the well known ones.
They might make an interesting contrast.
Recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Pen and Sword via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Alexander Milne (18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne served in both World Wars, as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment,and later as a captain in the Home Guard.Milne was recruited into Military Intelligence to write propaganda articles for MI7 (b) in 1917-1918.
It was during a visit to London Zoo, where Christopher became enamoured with the tame and amiable bear Winnipeg, that Milne was inspired to write the story of Winnie-the-Pooh for his son.AA Milne grew up at Henley House School, a small independent school run by his father,John Vine Milne. One of his teachers was H. G. Wells, who taught there in 1889–90.Milne attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge,where he studied on a mathematics scholarship, graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics in 1903.After graduation,A. A. Milne contributed humorous verse and whimsical essays to Punch, joining the staff in 1906 and becoming an assistant editor.
After the war, he wrote a denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934), which he retracted somewhat with 1940's War with Honour.Milne wed Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their son Christopher "Billy Moon" Robin Milne was born in 1920. In 1925, Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex.
Hundred Acre Wood of the Pooh stories derives from Five Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, South East England.The success of his children's books was to become a source of considerable annoyance to Milne,whose self-avowed aim was to write whatever he pleased and who had, until then, found a ready audience for each change of direction.Sadly Milne and Daphne became estranged from their son, who resented what he saw as his father's exploitation of his childhood and came to hate the books that had thrust him into the public eye,and Christopher's marriage to his first cousin,Lesley de Sélincourt furthered the divide.The rights to the Pooh books were left to his family, the Royal Literary Fund, Westminster School, and the Garrick Club.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Extraordinary Life of A A Milne

by Nadia Cohen

Pen & Sword

Pen and Sword History
Biographies & Memoirs , History

Pub Date 30 Nov 2017

I am reviewing a copy of the Extraordinary Life Of A.A Milne through Pen and Sword and Netgalley.

From the time they were first published in 1926 A.A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories have been loved. To this day the stories are a favorite.

A.A Milne himself was a troubled man who spent much of his time trying to change negative perceptions of himself.

A.A Milne has left a legacy in nearly every part of the world, his Winnie the Pooh Characters are known and beloved.

A.A Milne’s Father John Milne wanted to provide the best education possible for his sons.

In 1929 Christopher Robin and Veronica dressed up as the Winnie the Pooh Characters and took part in a Children’s parade.

During Christmas of 1921 Christopher Robin received a gloomy toy donkey called Eyeore. He also received a stuffed pig named Piglet that year, a gift from his neighbor Chelsea.

For generations now Children have grown up listening to the tales of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eyeore.

Alan did not sit back congratulating himself on the success of Winnie the Pooh instead he ploughed on, struggling to accept the fact that he did not receive the same success with adult litterature that he did with his Winnie the Pooh stories. He published several works of adult litterature but without the success of Winnie the Pooh.

Milne would die upset with the fact that no matter what he wrote he would be remembered as a Children’s storyteller. His Winnie the Pooh stories have been loved by Children for generations.

I give The Extraordinary Life Of A.A Milne five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Nadia Cohen creates what is almost a dual biography in "The Extraordinary life of A A Milne" -- not only does she examine the life of the British author and playwright, but by tracing the events, influences, and needs in his life, she creates a biography of Winnie the Pooh, too.

In Cohen's telling, Milne's life is accomplished and successful, but filled with annoyance, from his restlessness while teaching school to his frustration at being defined by his most famous works, the stories about his son's eponymous alter ego and Winnie the Pooh and the other stuffed animals that inhabit the Hundred-Acre Woods.

It's a sad story that left Milne alienated from his wife, his son, and many others in his life. But, thanks to Cohen's masterful approach, the reader walks away with a feeling of deeper understanding about Milne and his work, rather than a sense of sadness over his life.

Anyone who has been curious about Winnie the Pooh's backstory -- or the life of a celebrated author between the wars -- will find this an engrossing book.

[Madly Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw a review of the film, Goodbye Christopher Robins, and the guy liked it but had a problem with TIME. It does have a problem with time, though the film keeps everything in its proper order. But Ms. Cohen did not even do that. TIME is just one of her issues. I really want to give this book a 1 star rating and it probably deserves it, but I know it took the author a great deal of research to put together this nearly 250 pages of "stuff" about A.A. Milne. It reminded me a bit of the sloppy bio someone wrote of Brian Molko, quoting from magazines, articles, and newspapers. I think she might have nearly plagiarized Ann Thwaite in some of her summaries here and there. Who is to say? I don't have the motivation to provide the evidence on Goodreads. She did get some of bits and pieces from online. I'm a big reader and I have good memory. Nothing new. I gave her a few dollars and 6 hours of my time, plus this review. That's enough.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley and felt very blessed to read it. Like most of us, I grew up with the poetry and stories of A A Milne, and knew a bit about his life struggles with depression. To look at Pooh and “ When We Were Very Young”, you don’t think sadness, but Milne fought to be understood and heard as a serious writer.

This book reflects that. Known for Pooh, Milne was a social commenter as well. I’m sorry that his son got bullied. I’m sorry he and his wife and his illness were at odds with many. I’m one of zillions who have seen the NYPL’s lovingly preserved actual stuffed animals that gave rise to The House at Pooh Corner and as much as I love them, the “Disney-fixation” of these very safe stories for children blots out the real story that Nadia Cohen has presented here. I highly recommend this book.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

While I loved this cover and I also love Winnie The Pooh, I did not love this book. I think it's for the fans who are probably a bit obsessed over the show, which isn't me, though the show does have a special place in my heart. There were too many parts of this that I found uninteresting and skipped over. It was nice though to have a better understanding of A.A Milne and readers will find out things that they probably previously did not know. Unfortunately though it wasn't a favourite of mine but I am grateful for having the chance to have read it. I dont regret that.

[Karen Keane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of this book but then I started to find it a bit boring. The story of A A Milne and his relationship with his son Christopher Robin is an interesting one but I felt this book took far too many extracts from other sources about what contemporaries of the time had said about him.

[Beverly Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book would be very interesting. I felt that there were times that I got bogged down in it and it was difficult for me to finish. I enjoyed a fair amount of it, but didn't care much for the stuff that was in italics. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm also glad that I finally finished it!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the author of Winnie the Pooh and the characters in that story. Even though the author wrote other materials, he is remembered for this series. Learning about his life was interesting and how that factored into the Pooh stories. It took a bit to get into the book, but was overall interesting.

[MaryCatherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review of 2 stars is not to say that this was not a good book but I personally didn’t care much for it. There were a few places within the book that were interesting but too many pages of Milne’s political views.
As a great lover of Pooh I was disappointed in the man Milne was and how he almost resented the popularity of the characters and the world he created that made him so popular.

[Paul S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and interesting. Gets a little long at points citing AA Milnes poems to prove the point. That's the only reason for one less star. Overall found it highly entertaining and a quick read.

[Charity Bartley Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully informative -- I learned so much about this interested person and family as well as the characters created.

[Sally Archer · Rating 2 out of 5]

different kind of book from my usual

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information but the writing was a little choppy with long quotes from other sources. Sad to hear how much he detested Pooh

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough biography of the creator of "Winnie the Pooh" (who irl HATED the fact that his children's stories were seen as the pinnacles of his achievements).

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.A. Milne has been one of my favorite authors since I was given the poetry book, When We
We’re Very Young at the tender age of 7. My mother would help me read some of the words i struggled with and my imagination would join the escapades happening in the poems. I still read the compilation every year.

So to delve deeper into the life of Alan, especially as a youngster, was like learning about a dear friend and hearing things you never expected. It makes me sad that he felt unappreciated for his works that didn’t entail Winnie the Pooh, because I enjoyed all his writings. His mystery novel, The Red House Mystery was my first delve into British novels.
His relationship with Christopher Robin was heartbreaking, however so many family relationships are curiously tenuous, although not usually over the stories of a children’s book. The insight that more of the Hundred Acre Wood’s Christopher experiences was closer to Alan’s life and not his son’s makes the lack of relationship even more heartbreaking.
I appreciated Nadia Cohen’s extensive research, her way of writing Alan’s story and her insight into his interactions with his closest friends.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Extraordinary Life of AA Milne.

[Melissa Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating tale of the author A. A. Milne, his writing, his family, and the time in which he lived. Milne was a mass of contradictions, both proud and hounded by the success of the Winnie the Pooh stories, close and yet ultimately estranged from his only son, and a pacifist who supported the second World War in several critical ways. This is a readable biography that had me returning to Milne’s works with curiosity and a lively interest.

[Amy Doram · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superbly written insight into one of the world's best loved authors! We all best know Milne for his children’s books and for the legacy that is Winnie the Pooh. This book strips back his life, his work and his views on life. A really interesting read for all book fans.