Beyond the World of Pooh: Selections from the Memoirs of Christopher Milne

by Christopher Milne, A.R. Melrose, Lesley Milne

Christopher Milne was the world-famous son of A. A. Milne. This collection brings together passages from the four volumes of C. R. Milne

302 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Son of A.A. Milne.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came upon this book at the library and, strangely, brought it home to read. And then I actually read it, or most of it. I don't know why. But it changed my life. No, it didn't. That's a joke. I'm guessing I thought this book was by A. A. Milne and not Christopher, and that's why I gave it a chance. Even so, there were a few chapters that I enjoyed. Others were quite dull. Christopher writes a little about his childhood and his relationship with his father and about fighting in World War II. He paints himself as an extremely timid person, sort of a Piglet type. He had a stutter, was very shy as a child. I have never read a book by anyone who came across as this sort of dismissive of himself and so forthright about his weak points. But he was also a good carpenter and he was a bookseller,too. He writes about those parts of his life, also about his wife, and thoughts he has as he roams the English countryside. I can only give it two stars because it was a fairly uneven read, maybe because it was a compilation of chapters selected from four different books. It didn't quite 'hang together'.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book. Christopher Milne is something of a philosopher in his own right. He recounts how these books were written, what parts were based on his own life and what was fabrication. He also talks about how hard it was to be himself under the shadow of the boy who played with Pooh.

[Stacy Wempe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book a struggle to finish. I was hopeful to get some insight about the real Christopher Robin and what he did when he outgrew Pooh. My curiosity was peaked when I saw Goodbye Christopher Robin and Disney’s Christopher Robin. I now the Disney one was complete and total fiction down to his wife’s name. Reading this book was slow and not very interesting. C.R. tries to be a philosopher and knowledgable expert on just about everything. He ponders all sorts of minutiae down to oil beetles that no one really cares. He reveals very little of himself other than he hates that he is Christopher Robin, wants nothing to do with anything related to Pooh, became an atheist like his dad and claims he is humble while philosophizing on everything in which he is an expert. His writing is very tangential and often I found myself asking what the point of him writing this had. So I can summarize the points if his life - his wife Lesley and he had a daughter with cerebral palsy that went away to boarding school from ages 6-17 and then returned home to where CR had made their home in Dartmouth owning and running a bookshelf while renouncing any benefits related to Pooh, his father or his name.

[David Timms · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delight to find a book by Christopher Robin. Well, not exactly Christopher Robin - but the inspiration of the character. And to find some reality in the myths we all mentally create of how it must have come to be created.

The book was a gift from my wonderfully eclectic daughter who NEVER gives ordinary gifts - and is a treasure to me in that it is so little known, but is so filled with interesting gems of knowledge.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was nothing special. I guess I was expecting more about his childhood. It was really more about his entire life. Which again was nothing special. He had everyday normal experiences just like everyone else. The most interesting thing is that he marries his cousin. I know this was not unusual for way back in the day. But this was not that long ago so it seems weird to me.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Christopher Robin Milne of Winnie the Pooh fame was incredible. I learned a great deal about A.A. Milne and most importantly, how his books affected the life of his only son. Very interesting and beautifully written.

[Rose]

B Mil