A Cornish Summer

The Minack Chronicles #7

by Derek Tangye

"I will begin exploring the Confusion Room today." So declares Derek Tangye at the beginning of the final Minack Chronicle, the autobiographical series that has been an inspiration to readers all around the world. Delving into the mass of letters and papers in the abandoned stable at Minack, the remote Cornish cottage where he lived alone after the death of his wife Jeannie, Derek weaves pieces of his past into the story of those last peaceful years spent in the company of his donkeys Merlin and Susie. Poignant and deeply evocative, The Confusion Room is a marvelous tribute to the memory of Derek Tangye.

Genres: Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1977

About the author

During WWII, Derek Tangye worked for MI5 (the U.K.'s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency) and, after the war, he worked as a newspaper columnist. His wife, Jeannie Nicol Tangye, was a hotel PR executive. They both left their jobs in the city to move to a simple cottage on a flower farm in Cornwall.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this little gem. I had read it many years ago, along with a number of other titles of this author. Derek Tangye with his beloved wife Jeanne wrote beautiful little stories about their life together in a little cottage salvaged from a wreckage with their cats, their donkeys, and numerous other 'wild' creatures. He talks with much humility of how they treasured their solitude and serenity living in the midst of nature. Far away from the madness of ever increasing modern development. Look him up on the net, there are numerous wonderful sites, and a society has been formed to celebrate and perpetuate both their lives.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of the books I inherited from my neighbour - a gentle reminiscence of the Good Life in Minack, Cornwall by the author with black and white vignettes by his wife Jeanne. Mid 20th century English rural and village life and an early attempt to live a more environmentally related life. I found his chapters rather rambling - might have benefitted from sub headings plus,oh please, an index!

[Calin Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meandering cozy read. The charm of this book was found in the reality that there was no defined narrative or conclusion; much like life, this book ebbs and flows as the author discusses the beauty found in the ordinary happenings of his life in Cornwall.