The Autumn of the Ace

Daniel Pitt Trilogy #3

by Louis de Bernières

'De Bernieres is a singular, cherishable voice' Mail on SundayFrom the master of historical fiction, this book follows war hero Daniel Pitt and his unforgettable family after the Second World War.Some bonds are hard to break...Daniel Pitt was an RAF fighter in the First World War and an espionage agent for the SOE in the Second. Now the conflicts he faces are closer to home.Daniel's marriage has fractured beyond repair and Daniel's relationship with his son, Bertie, has been a failure since Bertie was a small boy.But after his brother Archie's death, Daniel is keen for new perspectives. He first travels to Peshawar to bury Archie in the place he loved best, and then finds himself in Canada, avoiding his family and friends back in England. Daniel and Bertie's different experiences of war, although devastating, also bring with them the opportunity for the two to reconnect.If only they can find a way to move on from the past...For more adventures with flying ace Daniel Pitt, see The Dust That Falls From Dreams and So Much Life Left Over.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, British Literature, Historical, Literary Fiction, War, Family

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2021

About the author

Louis de Bernières is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international best-seller.

On 16 July 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University in Leicester, which he had attended when it was Leicester Polytechnic.
Politically, he identifies himself as Eurosceptic and has voiced his support for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis de Bernieres completes his trilogy that centres on half French WW1 fighter ace, Daniel Pitt, opening with the end of WW2 in which Daniel gets further decorated with medals and promotion after 4 years with the SOE, adventures flying to occupied France and back at night, carrying spies and partisans back and forth. In this epic trilogy, we follow Daniel, those connected to him, his friends, family, children and grandchildren and their lives, through the impact and repercussions of two world wars, the losses, the sorrow, the grief, the trauma, survival and their deaths, one by one, concluding here with Daniel's death. In WW2, Daniel lost his beloved daughter, Esther, and he struggles through the years to fight and reconnect with his son, Bertie, who does not want to know him, kept from him through the lies and deceit by his wife, Rosie, who refused to divorce him.

Daniel has two further children, Felix and Felicity, with the bohemian Cristabel, who herself is in a life long relationship with another woman, the painter Gaskell, forming an unconventional family with Daniel, in which he is close to Felix and Felicity as they grow up on their Hexham estate with Puss, their white lion, purchased from the Harrod's pet department. However, he remains unacknowledged as their father to fit into the limitations imposed by the social norms and attitudes of the times. Cristabel is Rosie's sister, and is the woman with whom Daniel maintains the longest and strongest of love relationships of his life, he keeps in close contact with Rosie's other sisters, Ottilia and Sophie. With the death of his brother, Archie, Daniel embarks on a pilgrimage and sacred undertaking, carrying his bones to Peshawar, where he wanted to buried, continuing his journey in search of the graves of his older brothers in apartheid South Africa. He continues to seek adventures in his sixties, riding his motorbike from New York to Canada with Oily Wragge, living in Canada longer than the 6 months he had envisaged, drawn back to England by those he loves, having missed Rosie's funeral, who had so wanted to reconcile with him at the end.

The author has written an emotionally affecting trilogy, following the lives of a wide cast of characters I came to really care about, in which the wars trigger thoughts and philosophical discussions, raising questions of faith and religion, and a melancholic understanding that military victories are ephemeral that so often change little. It was heartbreaking following the deaths in the novel, one after the other, highlighting that ageing really is not for the faint hearted, I felt particularly broken by the deaths of Christabel and Gaskell. Daniel lives a long life, well lived, that he could not have envisaged after surviving WW1, a life that sees him develop close relationships with his grandchildren, Theodore and Phoebe, and granted a late final miracle prior to his death. This is a beautifully immersive read, covering the cultural and social changes in Britain through the decades that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially those who love their historical fiction. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

[John McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to what’s been a memorable and wonderful trilogy. An old fashioned family saga with characters that you truly care about. A really good read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumn of the Ace is the conclusion of a wonderful trilogy (it is preceded by The Dust that Falls from Dreams and So Much Life Left Over) written by one of my favorite authors. I would not recommend this if you have not read the two preceding novels, because it is truly a conclusion. That said, following the characters we have grown to know and love to the end of their lives is very satisfying. As always, the writing is excellent. However, for me (since everyone says I am now officially "old") de Bernieres' writing about facing the end of life and death was some of the very best I have ever read. There were many passages that I thought perfectly described the way we feel as we age - the looking back on past experiences and relationships, attempts to achieve reconciliation (sometimes possible and sometimes not possible) and how we face our final years and death. For that side of the novel, I give it six stars!

[Sheridan Ayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhh. Such a satisfying read.
De Berniere’s characters are just so full of life and love and flaws that I became completely immersed in this novel from the outset. His acute observations of the best and the worst of human nature (and everything in between) and ability to weave these into a compelling story made this such a poignant read. War-time hero Daniel Pitt rightly has the predominant position in this novel as he attempts to find meaning to his life in the autumn years, but his character neither overpowers nor diminishes the depth of the others. A great read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Such a shame when I finished it - but the ending was inevitable. Daniel Pitt is the Air Ace who spends his last few years returning to countries and places significant to his life.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of the trilogy takes Daniel Pitt from the end of WWII until the 1980's. Completely absorbing. 4.5 stars. I think this is the best of the three.

[WendyGradwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I’d given up on the Daniel Pitt trilogy with the second book yet there this third one was, all neatly packaged and cheap as a ‘Kindle daily Deal’.

LDB is certainly a good storyteller but hell does he get it wrong when creating the female situation. I know that he’s dealing with past generations but you can’t help but feel that this is how he views women! Saggy breasts and zilch libido once you reach the menopause (no wonder the husband strays is the attitude). One woman of a certain age is repeatedly referred to as ‘ugly’ and nothing else seems to define her. Daniel’s estranged wife, Rosie, is ashamed to face her family because she has aged so badly. It just got on my t*** (saggy of course because I’m past it).

That’s not to say that LDB can and does write movingly on growing old and treasuring memories, I love this line:

“The thing is, you see Paradise much more clearly when it’s passed away”

I was going to give it 2 but I’m upping it to 3.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this trilogy, and am now sad it's over!

This might be the best ending to a trilogy ever.

[S.P. Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Autumn of the Ace” is the last book in the trilogy about Daniel Pitt and his friends and family, in a life spanning the most part of the 20th century. This final book covers the post-2nd WW period and has a similar feel in terms of subject and period to Kate Atkinson’s “A God in Ruins”, another book that I enjoyed immensely.

This is a tremendously well-written book. In covering a longer time period than the two previous novels, yet in a similar reading length, this cleverly conveys the sense of time running out as Daniel lives out the second half of his long life: “He felt a mild sense of panic that, whereas in 1919 he had wondered what he would do with so much life left over, now there may not be enough.”

I became completely immersed in the story, which is told, like the other books, in episodes from various points of view, letters and - unlike the other books - in gravestones and inscriptions. It’s a bit of a catalogue of deaths and funerals, yet this all underlines the inevitability that we all have to leave this earth somehow. Even the family home, “The Grampians” falls into desuetude (great word!), which is poignantly described.

The chapters are by turn wistful, or full of pathos, or matter-of-fact, or infused with gentle humour, or philosophising on “what happens to yesterday’s dreams”, adding up to a picture of the glorious muddle of life, which will never follow a set course. Although much of the story is set in the Home Counties, there’s a round the world element, too, with journeys to Peshwar, Sri Lanka, France, South Africa, South America and the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (which happens to be where my aunt and cousins live).

With so much death and endings, the book could have been dreary, but instead it is both comforting and ultimately hopeful: “For this he was thankful to whatever inscrutable force it is that manoeuvres us into making a hash of our lives and then, as if in afterthought, gives us a shot at redemption.”

I’m now tempted to start at the beginning again with “The Dust that Falls from Dreams."

[Mandy Cleworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy the way LDB tells a tale.
We rejoin Daniel Pitt post WWII as he is trying to figure out what happens next. The death of his remaining brother is the catalyst for one final adventure. His life has always been anything but boring, although not always happy he has always managed to carve joy out of the life he has. His family is eccentric crossing over in time from the old upper echelons and colonialism into a more modern age. His life and his familial ties unconventional.
I enjoyed how although Daniel is the main narrator, we get to hear other pov as appropriate.
This final chapter is laced with nostalgia as one by one those he has loved grow old and die, despite how very sad many aspects of his life have been, the story is one of acceptance and forgiveness, and ultimately a life well lived.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Louis de Bernieres’ beautiful and witty writing with the first novel in the “Daniel Pitt Trilogy” called, “The Dust that Falls from Dreams”, then with the second: “So Much Life Left Over”, and so I was well poised to adore the third book, “The Autumn Ace”, which completes Daniel’s fascinating story. I confess I choked up several times in the end.

These Daniel Pitt stories are crammed with absolutely wonderful and unforgettable characters, that de Bernieres manages to fully form in just a few pages sprinkled throughout. They are oh so “veddy veddy” British, and I adore them all, flaws aplenty!

Hated to have to say goodbye. I may need to start back at the beginning and re-read them all!

[Tansy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a few years since I’ve read deBernieres. After my Ma dissertation I drifted, read Notwithstanding and left it there.

But this trilogy reminded me why I love him. Such complete characters, no one does it better.

If you’d told me at the beginning who would end up as the hero, and not just a good character, but a real human with flaws I would have questioned it. And it all is tied up with the most beautiful ending.

[Caren · Rating 4 out of 5]

To prepare for reading this last instalment of de Bernieres’ Daniel Pitt trilogy, I first reread his 2018 ‘So Much Life Left Over”. If possible, I enjoyed it even more this 2nd time. “The Autumn Ace” picked up Daniel’s life post-WWII at 53 years old with a distinguished military career behind him and now the “time for empty holsters, for commonplace but beautiful things like gluttony and love.” His personal life had been challenged by separations and the loss of those he loved; yet, there was much ahead of him, as the author explored this resilient, flawed but admirable character until his death in his nineties. The strong connection between the reader and Daniel Pitt resulted from de Bernieres’ stunning portrait of Pitt’s internal world as well as from his relationships with his family (often troubled), from his bonds with his cherished friends and lovers, and from the strangers who celebrated his illustrious war record as a fighter pilot. This is a fictional character with whom the reader lives, even well after he/she has finished the novel.

The author’s astute observation of human emotion and behaviour extended to all the characters who were included in Daniel’s world. Even the most “minor” ones were drawn with sensitivity in the many separate narratives de Bernieres created for them, when involved with Daniel or when dealing with their own lives apart from his. Importantly, the landscapes are stunningly detailed, whether in Britain, in Canada, in Ceylon, in India, in Pakistan, and add depth and colour to the portrait of this sensitive, energetic citizen of the world as he journeyed through time and space.

Throughout Daniel’s life, in war and in peace, in happiness and in grief, in love and in loss, he pondered his place in the world. He realised with age, without regret, that “the last and most golden era of his life had passed, and that the remainder of his time was to be spent thinking about its meaning.” Although the novel can be read independent of the first two instalments, the trilogy artfully explored how our lives are shaped, not only by our actions, but by the people whose lives we enter and by those we take into our own.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Záverečné diely knižných sérií so sebou už spravidla nesú istú dávku sentimentálnej melanchólie - akéhosi neutíchajúceho pocitu straty prameniaceho z nevyhnutne sa blížaceho konca či rozlúčky. O to väčšmi to platí v prípade, keď sa s príbehom či postavami, ktoré nám prirástli k srdcu, nelúčime len naoko, ale spoločne prežívame jeseň ich života a teda im skutočne dávame zbohom.

Daniel a Rosie. Gaskell a Christabel. Sophie a Fairhead. Otille, Frederick, Murko či Archie... Ich príbehy bol spletité, osudy neľahké, spoločne prežité roky búrlívé. Od vyrovnávania sa so smrťou blízkych, cez alkoholizmus, chudobu a PTSD, až po rozbité manželstvá, narušené vzťahy i vieru...

Nevyhli sa prevratom ani vojnám, sklamaniam ani stratám, no hoci na seba v priebehu rokov trochu zanevreli, predsa len boli rodina - chaotická, s množstvom bláznivých či tvrdohlavých jedincov, s množstvom chýb a nešťastných rozhodnutí, ale rodina. Spoločne vyrástli, dospeli, trpeli i zostarli, ostala pred nimi posledná etapa. Doháňanie zanedbaného či dodatočné plnenie si snov. Snaha o zmierenie sa.

Po divokých (a poriadne krvavých) desaťročiach plných neustálych zmien de Berniéres tempo rozprávania o čosi spomalil, ubral na dynamike no hoci by sa mohlo zdať, že zážitok tým o čosi ukrátil, nie je to tak. Tam kde ubral na vojenských ťaženiach či osobných problémoch v podobe straty dieťaťa alebo neplodnosti, pridal na emócii (a prekvapivo aj vtipe).

V dojemnom závere série autor ponúkal odchod za odchodom, rozlúčku za rozlúčkou, a aj keď si myslím, že niektorým momentom (vzťah Daniela a Bertieho) mohol venovať o čosi viac pozornosti, zároveň si neviem predstaviť lepší koniec.

Séria ako stvorená pre milovníkov nenáhlivých a predsa svojský dynamických historických fikcií, ktoré nielenže pokrývajú široké spektrum tém, ale zároveň autenticky reflektujú dobový i spoločenský posun. Skutočne príjemné čítanie.

[Madhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of a trilogy and is the last part. I realised this only after I started reading the book, but this is not the first time I have started a trilogy from the end. The book stands on its own, and in some ways I like knowing only outlines of the backstory.
Daniel Pitt is a celebrated ace in British army, who has fought in both world wars. This part of the trilogy focuses on his life after the wars. It reads like a journey of self-discovery and quest for a purpose. In some ways a second coming of age, when there is no ready-made war time has thrown you in.
Daniel’s family is made up of interesting and complex characters and the writing meanders through each of their post-war lives. Their interactions with each other are beautifully balanced between reflection and impulse - they all (mostly) understand where they are going wrong and being unjust, but sometimes they cannot stop themselves. It’s not very different from how real relationships and human behaviour is, with the difference that in real life reflection plays a less prominent role.
The structure is very engaging - short chapters focusing on specific incidents or people. There are parts where narrative voice changes to a characters themselves through letters and those letters were my favourite part.

[Ross MacNicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an engrossing, richly rewarding read- Yes my sympathies are with Daniel - without going into the sad detail- the marriage did not work linked mainly to the death of Rosie's first..and only..love. This was a 'good enough' marriage for Rosie and I will read books 1 and 2 ..the menopause drama is unnecessary - but I do remember the 'time of change' my mother went through. Liked the novel very much- at 65 having had 2 children 'late' my wife and me still together- mostly happily in a rural paradise. Retired teachers- old dog- firewood important and heartwarming. Survivors of cancer brushes- no grandkids ..yet haha- My Dad was a returned WW2 serviceman as was father in law- pleased to get a chance at family and life. This book helps show the way a little-

[Claire Mander · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect final part of this brilliant trilogy, loved it.

[Mirjam Celie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so very eager to read this last part of the trilogy and loved every bit of it!

—

“Love is what love does. It’s as simple as that.”

—

“He felt a mild sense of panic that, whereas in 1919 he had wondered what he would do with so much life left over, now there may not be enough.”

—

“ Nothing is or is not as it seems.
As we are, so you shall be.
As you are, so are we.
As dancing motes of golden dust
We whirled within our beam of light,
And then became, but always were,
This dust that falls from dreams.”

[John Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am generally a great fan of Louis de Bernières, my first experience of his writing having been the superb Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Five years ago I was captivated by The Dust That Falls from Dreams, as much by its charming and sometimes quirky characters as by its plot line, and much the same went for its sequel So Much Life Left Over. And while I greatly enjoyed The Autumn of the Ace, I had the feeling that at times it was all getting rather tired (which I suppose is natural when one ages!) and sometimes unrealistic. This was most so (for me) in Daniel’s renewed relationship with his son Bertie and his grandchildren. Also the occasional references to the fads of particular decades seemed somewhat forced and unnecessary. Nevertheless, in spite of these flaws, the book was overall an enjoyable read and a very satisfactory conclusion to the lives of the characters I had come to love in the first volume.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last of the trilogy. Follows the main protagonists from their youth, in Edwardian England to 1980s. A slow and engaging read. I felt the author wrote in such a way that encouraged empathy with the characters who had their flaws but also lived and done great things. Having finished I think it’s one of those books where you miss the characters you read about!

[Bobby D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernieres is also the author of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN. This, his latest book is the third book in a trilogy (The earlier two books were THE DUST THAT FALLS FROM DREAMS, 2015, SO MUCH LIFE LEFT OVER, 2018). My experience with the three books is uneven. The first book was good but overall at the time I read it, I was disappointed. When I discovered the second book earlier this year and enjoyed it a great deal. AS I have this final book. Overall the trilogy has grown into a real favorite.
The “Ace” character is Daniel Pitt who becomes the central character as the series moves along. Daniel, like all the characters, comes from the British upper class and he survives WWI as a flyer. That he should not have survived is the major theme of the last two books with this last book covering many years following WWII. Daniel’s marriage is haunted by his wife's first love who was killed during the first war (and as a result never ages). The last book is about David’s reconciliation with his long life. In the end, it is all about relationships that end tragically and well.
These three books cover a lot of time and characters. The use of short well-written chapters makes the structure read much like epilogues. This may be why I feel the final two books were more appealing, given this structure. I found myself infused into the lives of these people as if they were all friends. And yes, this would make for a terrific mini-series. Although it is, what some have called, the old fashioned charm of Bermoeres writing that keeps drawing one back between the book’s covers. (Note: I ordered the book from the UK. I think it is to be published in the United States in February 2021.)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. But damn I have just found out it is the third of a trilogy and I wish had started at the beginning.
This book is full of characters who are quirky, funny and very real. Eccentric English without it being solely a trope. Very privileged and seemingly unaware of the fate of the lower class. Their speech and behaviours completely recreate post war England and beyond. It is a time of post colonialism and the patriarchy ran strong and these unappealing values are clearly brought into the light. It is a gentle reflection on war with some solid history there. It also explores people and their loves and life. I loved the main character Daniel who survived both wars to have a last adventure in Canada. He was so straight up and wise and kind. But most of all he was curious and he followed his curiosity.. it took him to wonderful experiences and kept him young. Larger than life really in a quiet way. I guess he is a bit too good to be true but I am happy with that. It is a story about Daniels autumn and is tinged with regret and contemplation of death. He reminisces and also takes some action to right some wrongs. His friendship with Oily Wragge shows what is possible but actually probably did happen despite the rigorous class system. Of course the writing is splendid and the specific detail adds to the texture of the novel. I really enjoyed this.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Autumn of the Ace picks up the latter years of wartime ace Daniel Pitt. A sweeping narrative of a hero from both world wars, we join Daniel after WWII as he struggles to find his feet in a world with a different purpose. Daniel takes us on adventures, revisits earlier loves and finds warmth among the younger generations.

A book of a life lived and losses suffered, The Autumn of the Ace is an absolute joy. Immersive, thoughtful and sweeping, I absolutely loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harvill Secker (Vintage) for an ARC in consideration of an honest review. I was a little blindsided, having not realised that this was #3 in a trilogy, which would normally send me to start from the beginning. However, I trusted fellow reviewers who suggested that The Autumn of the Aces is a fine standalone and the earlier books will rightly follow. I couldn’t agree more.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel picks up Daniel Pitt's story where So Much Life Left Over leaves it, as he reaches the autumn of his life in the aftermath of the Second World War. To me, the first part of the book seemed a bit "mechanical" in its style, explanations being used to fill the reader in on the story from the previous books in this trilogy. However, the rest of the book flowed seamlessly, and I was absorbed in the rest of Daniel's story, and those of his family. In particular, I felt that the events related to the deaths of friends and family were portrayed superbly.

[Juliasadventures · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should, by now, be used to the quiet heartbreak that Louis de Bernieres draws from his characters; yet everytime I am surprised.
This is the third novel relating the the characters from The Dust That Falls From Dreams. Here we see Daniel Pitt and the extended family around him, growing old and shuffling off this mortal coil. There are regrets and opportunities found and made. Years of rancour and bitterness are slowly unfurled and a few last adventures are had for the WWI Ace pilot. I particularly enjoyed the links between de Bernieres other novels. Overall, a satisfying conclusion for the McCosh and Pitt clans.

[Helen Precious · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autumn of the Ace is everything that you would expect from de Bernieres - finely honed characters, exquisite dialogue and a real sense of place all of which linger in the memory long after completion.
Although much of the theme has been covered before by other authors ( and de Bernieres himself), focussing on the impact of war on families and relationships, Autumn of the Ace draws you in enveloping the reader in the lives of the Pitt family. The characters by the end of the book feel like your own family, their triumphs and tribulations keenly felt. Highly recommended

[June Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Captain Corelli again recently and was still greatly admiring and absorbed by the writing and story- one of the most compelling anti-war books I have ever read. The Autumn of the Ace maintains Berniers storytelling grace and sympathy for the main character. A good read - actually hard to put down. Obviously the writer understands man at war and all ages of man, especially old age - I enjoyed it. Had to look up some of the words -- what does " polyaetic " on page264 actually mean ? I am unable to find a dictionary explanation.

[Amy Heap · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in what is now a beloved trilogy, The Autumn of the Ace follows Daniel Pitt, his family, and friends, after WWII to the 1980s. It is a beautiful and deeply moving story about meaning, ageing, legacy, and redemption. I love following characters across the span of their lives, and this trilogy is set in my favourite eras for fiction. It reminded me of Any Human Heart, Life After Life, and A God in Ruins, and I loved it as I loved them.

[Ed Stoddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

De Bernieres never disappoints. This caps a trilogy and I have to confess I have not read the first novel in it - I will probably read it next year as an origin story. But what a glorious autumn the old ace had, and wonderful to see a character from one of the author's earlier novels which this reviewer regards as his best work ...

[Theresa Southam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading The Autumn of the Ace was distracting at first. So many strong characters to track! However eventually Daniel becomes the glue that holds everything together. Although the wars are not pretty, nor are some of Daniel’s exploits there are bursts of beauty from all of the characters that jarred me out of my daily existence to contemplate my life choices. Rosie, Daniel’s first wife, says just before dying looking into the mirror and pointing her finger at herself: “You stupid woman,” … contemptuously. ‘Look at you. You were going to be a poet” (p. 60).
Daniel himself, in his eulogy to his war veteran brother Archie, who commits suicide, says of him: “It was not the kind of courage that comes from bravado or from being unimaginative, which is perhaps the most common kind of courage. It was the courage which comes naturally from greatness of soul, the courage that comes from selflessness. It was also a philosophical courage, or – may I say ? – a religious courage, that understands that one’s own life is a very. Little and unimportant thing, but that the lives of others have supreme value.” (p. 51).

The book also holds so many insights about growing old well, because its then that Daniel gets a lot of things right. I’ve tried to abridge two sections here but you really must get the book and read these pages in their entirety.

“In the last summers of his life Daniel still dressed in the manner of the North-West Frontier, in loose trousers and jacket of plain white linen, and more often than not without anything at all on his feet. He liked to sleeping the garden inn a deckchair, with his face to the. Sun so that he felt he was absorbing the essence of life itself. He dreamed of curious things…It occurred to him that sleeping and dreaming were, as a matter of course, how one travelled in time. More often than not, he was disappointed to have to return to the present when he woke up. ‘When I’m asleep I become a Time Lord, ‘ he liked to say…As he grew ever older, even the events of his early old age receded into the distance and became more beautiful.” (p. 287)

“After his grandchildren had left home, Daniel understood that the last and most golden era of his life had passed, and that the remainder of his time was to be spent thinking about its meaning. He lived in the manner of one who is getting ready to leave. He was content with this. He was tired now, and expended a great deal of time dozing in his armchair with his mouth open, the upper row of his false teeth falling askew onto the lower, adrift in dreams wherein he was still young and strong, in places bright wit novelty and wonder…He carried a pink plastic hearing …when the batteries ran out he would be enveloped in a strange, muffled semi-silence that in truth he quite enjoyed. He would listen to the inconsequential babble of his own thoughts, and wonder if he was losing his sanity or, indeed, whether he had ever been sane at all…Now he was in a waiting room, which was pleasant enough, and the past was his equivalent of a waiting room’s untidy stacks of anachronistic magazines. (p. 298)

This is a fabulous book for those who are exploring how to live more meaningfully!