Cider with Rosie, by Laurie Lee
This book was my assignement for the books1001 com. And I’m not late, deadline are highly motivational.
I wouldn’t have read this autobiography on my own, for the simple reason that I had never heard of the author before. It seems that Laurie Lee is well-known in English speaking countries, but he’s not in mine. I’ve read the French translation by Patrick Reumaux, who is a novelist and translator. I’m pretty sure it was a good translation, simply because of the quality of the language.
mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Cider with Rosiemso-ansi-language:EN-US"> is Lee’s autobiography (published in 1959), beginning with his first memory and stopping with the end of the village’s old way of life, in the late 1920s. The first few chapters are in chronological order, but the other one are written around a theme : the school, the kitchen, his mother, two old neighbors, … My favorite chapters were the one centered around the family’s life or the village’s most outstanding citizens. I especially liked Lee’s description of his mother, who was the heart of the family. He describes an eccentric and loving woman, who spent all her life waiting for her husband (he abandoned his family and lived in London while they lived in Slad). I also loved the chapter called Grannies in the Wainscot : Lee’s two neighbors were old ladies, who hated each other, but couldn’t quite live alone. His portraits of them are full of amusing and touching details.
This book also gives us insight into the life in the beginning of the 20th century, when cars and electricity were not a part of everyday life, at least not for those who were not rich. Life was organized around the necessity to bring wood in, to work in the fields, …
I’m not sure if this book is a truthful account of Lee’s childhood. I don’t think he lied but it’s obvious that one of his primary concerns while writing was the style. His writing, at times, is like poetry, and I’m sure no child, especially a young child, can think in those terms. Cider with Rosie is more like memories of childhood seen through the prism of poetry.
I honestly loved this book, even if it took me a while to begin it. I think it desserves its place on the list, even if I'm sure there are many other exemples of very good autobiography for the early 20th century. It’s touching, funny, sometimes cruel. The reader can also read the chapters separately: if you don’t want to read the whole book, you can read a few chapters only. I’m glad I read Cider with Rosie, and I’ll probably read the two following volumes, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morningmso-ansi-language:EN-US"> (1969) and A Moment of WarEN-US"> (1991).
I wouldn’t have read this autobiography on my own, for the simple reason that I had never heard of the author before. It seems that Laurie Lee is well-known in English speaking countries, but he’s not in mine. I’ve read the French translation by Patrick Reumaux, who is a novelist and translator. I’m pretty sure it was a good translation, simply because of the quality of the language.
mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Cider with Rosiemso-ansi-language:EN-US"> is Lee’s autobiography (published in 1959), beginning with his first memory and stopping with the end of the village’s old way of life, in the late 1920s. The first few chapters are in chronological order, but the other one are written around a theme : the school, the kitchen, his mother, two old neighbors, … My favorite chapters were the one centered around the family’s life or the village’s most outstanding citizens. I especially liked Lee’s description of his mother, who was the heart of the family. He describes an eccentric and loving woman, who spent all her life waiting for her husband (he abandoned his family and lived in London while they lived in Slad). I also loved the chapter called Grannies in the Wainscot : Lee’s two neighbors were old ladies, who hated each other, but couldn’t quite live alone. His portraits of them are full of amusing and touching details.
This book also gives us insight into the life in the beginning of the 20th century, when cars and electricity were not a part of everyday life, at least not for those who were not rich. Life was organized around the necessity to bring wood in, to work in the fields, …
I’m not sure if this book is a truthful account of Lee’s childhood. I don’t think he lied but it’s obvious that one of his primary concerns while writing was the style. His writing, at times, is like poetry, and I’m sure no child, especially a young child, can think in those terms. Cider with Rosie is more like memories of childhood seen through the prism of poetry.
I honestly loved this book, even if it took me a while to begin it. I think it desserves its place on the list, even if I'm sure there are many other exemples of very good autobiography for the early 20th century. It’s touching, funny, sometimes cruel. The reader can also read the chapters separately: if you don’t want to read the whole book, you can read a few chapters only. I’m glad I read Cider with Rosie, and I’ll probably read the two following volumes, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morningmso-ansi-language:EN-US"> (1969) and A Moment of WarEN-US"> (1991).