Gloucester Crescent: Me, My Dad and Other Grown-Ups

by William J. Miller

Shortlisted for the 2019 PEN Ackerley PrizeGloucester Crescent is a curving, leafy street, tucked between Camden Town and Primrose Hill. It's unremarkable in many ways, unless you notice the lady in the van, and the familiar-looking residents crossing the road ...This is the story of the Miller family and their circle of brilliant, idealistic and intellectual friends in London in the 60s, 70s and 80s. We follow William through the ups and downs of childhood, as he explores the homes of his famous neighbours, attends dramatic rehearsals with his dad Jonathan Miller, gets drugs and advice from the philosopher A. J. Ayer's wife, and tries to watch the moon landing with Alan Bennett and a room full of writers. Hilarious, and at times heart-breaking, this is also about how we grow up and move on - and what happens when we come back.Not only a picture of an extraordinary time in Britain's cultural history - and a hitherto unseen portrait of some of the brightest minds of a generation - this book tells the funny, tender and moving story of a young boy trying to carve out his own identity.

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2018

Reviews

[SueKich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Street-smart.

William Miller is the son of Jonathan Miller - doctor, satirist, opera director, documentary maker, writer and all-round brainbox. In this very engaging memoir, William tells of growing up surrounded by such intellectual powerhouses in a neighbourhood peopled with the liberal elite. The abiding summer sound of his childhood is the clackety-clack of typewriters through the open windows.

Local friends and their offspring pop in and out of each other's houses at any hour of the day or night – these really are the chattering classes. The Miller household is very laisser-faire; some visitors stay for days, one – Jeannie – becomes one of the family and lives with them for years. Neighbour Alan Bennett comes round every evening for ‘his tea’ (he must be an extremely hungry chap because according to Nina Stibbe in her memoir ‘Love, Nina’ he ate at her employer Mary-Kay Wilmers’ house every night!).

William’s was, on the whole, a happy childhood and his primary school years were idyllic. As he grew up, he wanted nothing more than to please his Dad. Having always regretted abandoning medicine, Jonathan wanted his son to be a doctor and this, along with his parents' insistence on a state education, led to some misguided educational choices. Bullying and difficulty with exams made William's life at secondary school thoroughly miserable and the reader really feels for him.

I loved the way this way this was written. As William tells us about each chapter of his life, he adopts the tone of voice appropriate to his age. Others may baulk at this but I found it a refreshing way to convey his innermost thoughts as well as the passage of time. Interestingly, he also shows us just how much Gloucester Crescent changes over the decades too. Very warmly recommended.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Miller grew up in Gloucester Crescent at a time when almost everyone living in the crescent seems to have been an author, publisher, philosopher, or something equally highbrow. He and the other children in the crescent had great freedom of movement, climbing over walls into each other's gardens, and wandering in and out of each other's houses, while the adults wrote and talked and argued about life, the universe, and everything. William yearned to impress his father, the brilliant Jonathan Miller, but for all his brilliance, he seems to have been insensitive to his son's need for affection and approval, and hopelessly Ill-equipped to communicate with children. There are some very funny bits in this book - especially the part about Miss Shepherd 'the lady in the van' who lived in her filthy van for many years, moving it around to different parts of the Crescent before finally settling in the front garden of Alan Bennett. And there are some painfully sad bits as well - William's difficulties with schooling, and the lack of sympathy shown by his parents towards his problems. The description of his A level results arriving is both hilarious and tragic.
THere are many interesting photos throughout the book, including one of Miss Shepherd's horrible van, and lots of photos of the various intellectuals living in the Crescent.
This book should be of interest to anyone who has enjoyed Alan Bennet's diaries, or The lady in the Van, or Alice Thomas Ellis’s Home Life books, or just anyone who enjoys reading about extraordinary people.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book - a memoir of growing up on Gloucester Crescent in London during the 70's and 80's, living next door to Alan Bennet, Claire Tomalin, and many other notable people of that time. While many names are dropped, William treats them all as backdrop to his own coming of age (being bullied in school, losing his virginity, etc). There were so many moments when other stories I've read intersected with this one (Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van often parks in from of the Miller's house. While not mentioned, Nine Stibbe writes about being a nanny for next door neighbor Mary Kay Wilmers at this time in one of my faves - Love, Nina, etc) I am fascinated by this time period and this neighborhood.

[Danielle McClellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this on my to-read pile since I read Claire Tomalin's wonderful memoir this summer. Gloucester Crescent was the London neighborhood that was home to many fascinating literary and intellectual types as well as assorted eccentrics. This particular memoir, written by William Miller, son of director Jonathan Miller, focuses on the late-1960s through the early 1980s, the author's childhood and youth. I loved the free-wheeling, stream-of-consciousness memoir style that Miller takes, examining and polishing jewel after jewel along a string of events excavated from his childhood. Famous people wander in and out of the chapters, as well as other fascinating characters, such as the now-famous lady in the van, that Alan Bennett, another resident of the Crescent, wrote about so wonderfully, and who was later played by Maggie Smith. The specifics Miller relates about his childhood actually made me feel a bit nostalgic for my own Southern California childhood of the same era. Although our environments were quite different, we remember the same global events and many of us of this generation were the beneficiaries of the laissez faire parenting styles of the time, which I suspect may have led to childhoods that were quite a bit more optimistic and free ranging than those of our children.

[Laura Spira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a largely enjoyable read although I was a little saddened by the difficult relationship the author had with his father, Jonathan Miller, and kept wondering how he had reacted to reading it. It is a painfully honest account of the challenge of growing up with a multi-talented father, wanting to please him and also look after him.

I liked the style of writing and the insights into the lives of the many well-known - and eccentric - people living in Gloucester Crescent at the time are quite fascinating. Some of the story is poignant - for example, school bullies undermining William's confidence - and some is laugh-out-loud funny, especially his encounter with royalty.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir centres around the author’s family: the writer, documentary-maker and doctor, Jonathan Miller, his wife, Rachel, and the author’s siblings, Tom, and Kate. The family lived in the leafy street, Gloucester Crescent, the backing track to their lives there produced by the sounds of typewriters (the author tells us that other famous writers/ artists also lived both on his street, and in the street behind – Regent’s Park Terrace - and so the collective ‘going to work’ sound were the keys on the various typewriters, always going at different speeds). The author tells of his childhood in the street, family holidays to Scotland, the collective assembly around the television to watch the moon landing, his school days, his visit to America and his romantic entanglement there, starting boarding school (and receiving ‘straight Os ‘ in his exams), to leaving to begin his new life in New York. The Epilogue brings the reader into 2018, several years after the author has returned to London. The death of Ursula Vaughan-Williams (one of their neighbours on Gloucester Crescent when William was a child) warrants the sale of her house, bringing William back to his childhood street, where he notes all its changes. William ultimately buys the house, ending up full circle back from where he started, within a short distance of his parents.

If I’m being honest, I did not really gel with this book. While it was very easy to read, I didn’t feel like I had learned anything on finishing it, other than places change – but that is a given anyway. I also found the continual reference the author made to himself and others as ‘me and xxx’ or, another example, ‘He couldn’t face the way Tom, Kate or me sometimes refuse to eat what’s put in front of us’ (20) grammatically grating – it’s one of my pet hates! For pure light-reading, entertainment value then this book is a pleasant way to pass the time.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very British memoir, which I was all here for. Gloucester Crescent is about William's life experiences living in a pretty house in a London suburb and growing up with lots of friends and famous faces. His Dad is also famous and has worked on programmes for the BBC. It was nostalgic considering I wasn't around during the decades discussed throughout the book. The passages of the broken down father and son relationship, however, was the hardest to read. It may be a little triggering if you have experienced the same and/or a similar thing in your life. It was quite visual with the inclusion of family photos throughout. Good read!

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed
I was so looking forward to this prepublication. Harbouring hopes of the vibrancy of that neighbourhood but whilst talking of that, didn’t capture it
Felt it really was therapy for the author re his issues with his father, which I was expecting to an extent. I was getting annoyed whilst reading it though of the lack of the author’s appreciation for the stable, privileged lifestyle he lived, even when going to a state school meeting children from far less well off families. Sorry, far too self indulgent for my taste.

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who was around in the 60's - 80's will know many of the residents of Gloucester Crescent. It’s like looking through a magic window into a world of eccentrics and writers. I loved hearing that the most familiar sound William remembers from his childhood is the - clacking of typewriters coming from every window! This was a time when kids were allowed to roam free in their neighbourhood, and they did! The Miller household was the kind of place where anyone could pop in at any time, and they did. Imagine having Alan Bennett as your neighbour and having him come across for most of his meals! This is very readable, touchingly honest and funny at times. It's full of amazingly ordinary people with incredibly brilliant minds.

[Lesley Tilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of spoilers!! Don't read this review if you object.

If you've seen "The Lady in the Van" you know Gloucester Crescent a little bit; you have a little idea of the kind of people who live there - like the kind woman who tries to give Miss Shepherd some home baking, and the cross man (Roger Allam) who opens her jar, the children who play piercingly on the recorder and drive her nuts, and Alan Bennett himself. You know that the houses are tall and Victorian, possibly 😏, and have tiny little front gardens and large basements kitchens.

If you read the Nina Stibbe book "Love Nina" you find that the family she was the nanny for - the Frears, and Mary-Kay Wilmer - lived opposite Alan Bennett. Jonathan Miller, with his wife and family, lived up the road, and they borrowed his saw to cut up a Christmas tree. Claire Tomalin, busily editing literary pages for a Sunday paper, and writing a biography possibly, lived close by, and with her a playwright called Michael Frayn. Mrs Ursula Vaughan Williams lived in the street, and later on, so does Debbie Moggach, another writer. Nina was absolutely thrilled by the comings and goings and the artiness of everyone in the street. She writes home to Leicester to tell everyone about it and she reports conversations verbatim, which makes her seem like a playwright herself. She spots the wit in people, and some of the ridiculousness of the young people she meets at the Poly, and the second time I read the book I laughed a lot. I think the first time I read it I thought - "oh, it starts to flag when Alan's off the scene", but that was just me. The writing has a free-wheeling personality all the way through.

Nina-the-nanny has to cook something for supper every evening, not just for Mary Kay (editor of the London Review of Books) and the boys, but for Alan Bennett as well, and some of her letters are concerned with the trials of cooking and asking her sister for more recipes. Alan is a bit critical of Hunter chicken, saying he prefers it without tinned tomatoes. He brings around milk puddings as his contributions. Sometimes I wondered if he ever went round to see Jonathan Miller, because in Nina's book they don't seem to be on speaking terms. Did they fall out after "Beyond the Fringe"? They must have done. Do they even nod at each other in the street for old times' sake?

I was concerned about the non-relationship between Alan and Jonathan, and in the spirit of enquiry, I went to another book about Gloucester Crescent which is called "Gloucester Crescent" by William Miller, son of the famous Jonathan. This popped up on my Amazon feed. So I went for the Kindle version. (I am now deploying this strategy with book-buying: If I want it on my bookshelf I buy the book but if I think of the book as a mere diversion, e.g. a thriller, I get it on Kindle. If it's for my research it's nearly always out of print and I have to get a second-hand version on Amazon.

So, "Gloucester Crescent" is written by an almost exact contemporary of mine. Whereas I was growing up in the stockbroker belt he was right in the middle of London. His sort of people were the sorts that appeared in the Sunday Paper Magazine. (A Life in the Day of). He writes in a terrible plonking style because he is a small child to start with, and this reflects a small child's sensibility, but it carries on like that. The vocabulary gets better as he gets older. He never really gives you a taste of the fun that must have gone on at his father's dining table, but he does tell you...

That Alan Bennett came round to dinner every night. Every night. And brought milk puddings. And brunch on Sundays. You can understand how perplexed I am. At no point does Alan seem to stop going to the Millers' and start to go to Mary-Kay's. Did he eat two dinners every evening, and if so why? did he not put on weight?

What comes across very strongly is William's father's personality and his father's strong opinions. These reject the idea of perpetuating class - the class system. Jonathan went to a public school and onto Cambridge, and spoke with an incredibly posh accent. At Cambridge, he was able to meet a large number of young men and a small number of women just like himself. He could see that the public school system was very wrong and divisive so he decided to send his own children to the local state schools. This is fine when the children are small, and get help at home, but later on his children, especially William, suffered from being threatened horribly by bullies, and could have achieved a lot more than they did, we infer, if the classrooms not been merry hell. The freedoms that the children enjoyed when they ran around to each other's houses reminded me of the children of the more Bohemian parents at my private primary. They were slightly frightening, because they were too grown-up for children. Their parents were not the protective sort. William seems to have looked for his nurturing in othr people's homes, with mixed results.

But although the Millers went with their principles in the matter of education, they still had a lot of unfair advantages when it came to personal contacts. And so William went into the Meeja through the contacts of his father, and nothing, absolutely nothing changed. He ended up buying a house on the same road. Middle-class children are just not allowed to fail. Their parents couldn't live with it.

Jonathan Miller wasn't a wonderful father, in spite of being a clever and very engaging man. He liked to hear his own voice too much. He never held back from his dramatic suicidal threats out of anxiety for his children. He also liked to have his friends around all the time to the extent that his children must always have felt unimportant. His son says that he always loved him very much, but the book is full of complaints about his parenting. William says his mother was wonderful, but one can't help but feel, in an effort to keep up with her husband's needs, she spread herself a little too thin.

[Karen Faarbaek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely read, I laughed out loud several times, and almost cried a few. What a unique street and upbringing surrounded by some of the greats in British culture. Highly recommended!

[Beth Bonini · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's one sound I've only ever heard in the gardens of Gloucester Crescent. And it goes on all day, every day of the week: the sound of grown-ups working. Lots of them work at home on typewriters which they sit at with the windows wide open. Dad And Alan talk about the other people in the street who do lots of typing, and how, when they eventually finish, their friends come over and they have a party to celebrate that they've stopped.

The first chapter of William Miller's memoir is called, appropriately, "Competitive Typing" and it recounts - from a child's point-of-view - the extraordinary literary culture which was concentrated on Gloucester Crescent in 1975. (As Miller explains, depending on what end of the street one lived on - and one's personal biases and pretensions - Gloucester Crescent was located either in Camden Town or Primrose Hill.) This particular street, this particular era (1960s to 1980s were its heyday), was the home of a cluster of famous friends - people who were very much at the centre of the cultural/literary life of London at the time. Some of the notable names include: the author's father Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, A.J. Ayer and Dee Wells, Claire and Nick Tomalin, Mary-Kay Wilmers, Beryl Bainbridge, Alice Thomas Ellis (Anna Haycraft), George Melly, Shirley Conran, Angus Wilson, V.S. Pritchett, A.N Wilson and Ursula Vaughn Williams. Unsurprisingly, Gloucester Crescent has been mined for story material before this memoir. In the last ten years, Nina Stibbe has written about her stint being a nanny for Mary-Kay Wilmers in the early 1980s (Love, Nina), Alan Bennet has written about one of the most eccentric inhabitants of the street in The Lady in the Van and Claire Tomalin has touched upon this era in her recent biography: A Life of My Own. As Miller says, it was a unique conglomeration of Oxbridge-educated, left-leaning intellectuals who pursued their careers whilst having a fairly laissez-faire attitude towards child-rearing. William Miller was one of those children.

I was completely charmed by the first few chapters of this book, which mostly focus on the golden years of William Miller's childhood (ie, before he went to secondary school). The way he peers through the curtains of these famous homes - his studiedly naive perceptions of the familial and friendly dynamics of the adults on the street - is fascinating. At least it is fascinating to me, and probably to other people who like that sort of thing. But when I described this book to my boyfriend, who grew up in Hampstead - and knew lots of people with famous parents - he was totally dismissive about the interest value of this sort of memoir.

If the book is taken as a whole, it is really about William Miller's relationship with his difficult but brilliant father. It is about how children live in the shadows of their larger-than-life parents, and how they live up to the expectations set for them. It is also very much about William Miller's frustration with the education he was given.

We were sent to the local state schools, where we could mix with children from every walk of life, and were encouraged to be free spirits. They frequently left us to our own devices while they went off and expanded their utopian vision and pursued glittering careers. We all looked up to our gifted parents and hoped that one day we might be like them, but as we got older many of us found ourselves left behind and struggling to keep up. It began to seem that we'd been part of an experiment driven by their principles, rather than their care.

As it turns out, William Miller grew up to have a successful career in television as a producer. He may not have been given an Oxbridge caliber education, but he did grow up seeing creative geniuses at work - and of course he was supremely well-connected. I didn't not feel empathy for some of his struggles - especially with having such a self-entered and neurotic father - but the truth is that much of his "coming-of-age" story is really not that interesting. His teenage years were almost boring, and I felt like the writing in this part of the book was not as strong as in the opening chapters. This book is most definitely a memoir of the growing-up years of William Miller. Unfortunately, his calling card - living in this extraordinary time and place - is the only thing that really makes his story interesting to read.

[Eyejaybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Miller’s memories of his childhood and adolescence are highly entertaining and I found them especially evocative. He is, I believe, just a year younger than me, so I shared many of his recollections, such as watching the launch of Apollo missions with great excitement, and his memories of the music or television programmes associated with different stages of his life.

My personal empathy went slightly further, however. While my childhood and teens were not passed in quite such a rarefied local environment as that enjoyed by William Miller, there were similarities. Gloucester Crescent is situated on the cusp between Camden Town and Primrose Hill, and during Miller’s childhood the street was home to a number of literary and academic luminaries, all of whom seemed to spend the day working away, with varying degrees of dexterity, on typewriters, composing novels, scholarly papers of television programmes. That patina of celebrity was certainly wholly absent from my youth in North Leicestershire, but the quiet road where I grew up was similarly dominated by the world of writing. My ‘neighbourhood’ (I don’t think that Loughborough, even now, might be said to run to suburbs) was home almost exclusively to lecturers and tutors from either the then rapidly expanding Loughborough University, or from its longer established counterparts at Leicester and Nottingham.

Of course, William Miller could also trump me when it came to the matter of parental celebrity, as his father was the feted polymath, Jonathan Miller, who had studied Medicine at Cambridge where he participated in the famous Footlights Review. Indeed, his career in medicine proved to be truncated as he rose to fame for his part in the hugely successful revue, Beyond the Fringe, which catapulted him to fame and a life that would be spent largely in the theatre, directing plays and subsequently operas around the world. William Miller gives a wonderful portrait of his father’s life and the frequent clash between public perception of polymathic genius and the seemingly endless frustration he encountered in everyday life. William spent much time in the house of his neighbours, including such renowned figures as Alan Bennett (who lived across the road, and was already playing informal host to the later celebrated ‘Lady in the van) and the philosopher A J “Freddie” Ayer and his American wife Dee.

William’s recollections of the television programmes of his childhood certainly prompted empathetic memories of my own. Jonathan Miller spent much of his time in the 1970 decrying television as essentially dangerous to the cultural welfare, luring people away from books and other more beneficial pursuits, and corrupting the populace through its provision of mindless fodder. My own father frequently expressed the same view, and there were long periods in my childhood when there was no television set in the house, punctuated by periodic relapses when my father would decide that the deleterious effect was not as great as he initially thought. These relapses seemed, fortuitously, to coincide with the Word Cup or Olympic Games. Like Jonathan Miller, my father was eventually convinced of television potential as a force for good when he was invited to make some programmes himself: in my father’s case, a few physics tutorials for the Open University, broadcast to an audience of a few hundred. while in Jonathan Miller’s case it as the landmark series, The Body in Question, envisaged as a tour de force to be spoken of in similar terms to Jacob Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man or Kenneth Clark’s history of art, Civilisation. I remember watching it avidly with my family, although I suspect the millers remained lamentably ignorant of my father’s physics programmes!

William’s insight into the chaotic manner of life in the Miller household (something else with which I could strongly identify) is comical and endearing, and set out in very accessible (and often delightful) prose. I think that Gloucester Crescent must have been a wonderful place in which to grow up, and I am grateful to William Miller for writing about it so engagingly.

[JanGlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the recommendation of a friend who raved about it. While I really enjoyed reading it I would stop short of wholeheartedly endorsing it. William Miller writes about growing up in a middle-class liberal neighborhood full of highly talented, intelligent people many of whom were well known in literary, academic and theatrical circles at the time. In many ways it was an idyllic childhood though marred in teenage years by the relentless bullying at his secondary school. At the centre of the book is the figure of his father, theatre director Jonathan Miller, with whom William had a difficult though not unaffectionate relationship.
The story is written from the perspective of the child he once was, and this didn't entirely work for me. I felt that by seeing people primarily through a child's eye I was missing out on a more rounded picture. Some characters are clearly drawn, others remain murky, though clearly of importance in his life. All in all though a very readable look at the effect others have on how we lead our lives.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was wondering what might be worth hearing about a street in London. When it has a cast of characters like Jonathon Miller, Alan Bennett, occasional cameos by the Monty Python crew and the royal family, it rises above your average London street.

I especially enjoyed William Miller's childhood years. I thought his voice was very authentic as the very young William. Not sure he sustained it into the later years which became a little bit "tried, failed, tried again, then tried something else". The bullying at Pimlico Comprehensive sounds horrific and what an unfortunate relationship with his father, who seemed unable to actually function as a father.

Overall an interesting read.

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful, funny and sad, fascinating book. Fancy living in that time in that place surrounded by remarkable people. Though not to every reader's taste, I like the way the early chapters are written as though he was that age at that time.
The author writes vividly about the various character in the area, especially Dee whose colourful language gets William into trouble at school!
William has matured surprisingly stable for one raised by such a overwhelmingly remarkable person as father Jonathan.
The return to live in the Crescent with his family gives the book a satisfying conclusion.

[Anne Siddell · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole I enjoyed reading this book although, as other reviewers have commented, it felt more like self-help therapy for the author rather than the "love letter to a unique and special time, place and family" described on the dust jacket. It is also difficult to escape the conclusion that, however admirable his parents' wish for "everything to be equal and for everyone to have access to the same opportunities", at the end of the day having good connections matters. One wonders how some of the author's contemporaries at Pimlico School have fared.

[Rowena Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read about growing up in the literary and intellectual atmosphere of Gloucester Crescent during the 1970s and 80s. The work of many of the people mentioned I was very familiar with but a child's perspective is interesting. The author's father, Jonathan, seemed to have problems with fathering, a common problem, especially in that period. William is no great stylist, but he has a readable and engaging style

[Sara Tilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was clearly tough being the son of prodigiously talented and self-centred Jonathan Miller. Poor wee lamb was sent to a nasty rough comprehensive by his liberal parents, but he’d much rather have gone to a nice posh school like them.
After flunking his exams it was jolly lucky he had his dad’s book of contacts so he could set up a TV production company, represent his childhood chum Nigella Lawson and buy his own multimillion pound home in the street. Self made man.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at a book swap and literally only picked it up because of the pretty cover. I started reading these memoirs and was like but who are you? I got half way through the book and thought OK I'm pretty sure the dad is famous but I don't know why. Three quarters of the way through and I'm still like but who are you? But it was a very sweet story and I did enjoy it actually.

[Charlie Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure why this is so good

Partly because I knew one of the families ..or had some connections to some of the places mentioned ..but perhaps it is just is an honest account of a growing up which does not offend ..which takes skill ..and is very readable. It’s been a highlight of my pre-sleep evenings for the last two weeks

[Rebecca B - What Rebecca Read Next · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant & comfortable read. You relax with William as he navigates life as the son of two incredible parents, each with their own issues.
The balance of growing up, being an individual and fighting to be what you believe your parents want is all too visible.
Affectionately remembered, a delight of a book.

[Laura Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say I listed to this via Audible and totally enjoyed it. The narrator was excellent. I am a huge fan of Alan Bennett and Beyond The Fringe, so the residents of the Crescent are not unknown to me. I found it an interesting and amusing tale of growing up privileged.

[Diane Tait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very interesting. Like the way it was written reflecting the age the author was supposed to be in each section. Always amazes me how well known people's lives are intertwined eg. Jonathan Miller, Sarah Armstrong Jones, Nigella Lawson, Keith McNally ... How does that happen?

[✰matthew✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

not entirely sure why but i absolutely loved this book and didn’t want to put it down. perhaps because my life is so far removed from millers and that made it like pure escapism for me?! anyway i loved it and could pick it and read again tomorrow.

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Mary Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* 52 book challenge #40 A book with photographs.

[Kangelani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. Lovely. A time in UK history now passed.