The Extraordinary Life of A. A. Milne

Nadia Cohen

Published by Pen and Sword

A beautifully presented hard back book with many photographs of the subject and his son.

This is the story of A. A. Milne’s life; sympathetically written, which shows the depth of this extraordinary man’s character and talent.

Taught, among others, by H. G. Wells, his friends included P. G. Wodehouse, J. M. Barrie, and Kenneth Graham, whose book, The Wind in the Willows, Milne dramatized into the play Toad of Toad Hall.

This book also explains his extremely close bond with his brother, Ken, and his lifelong financial generosity to Ken’s family before and after Ken’s premature death.

The major regret in A. A. Milne’s life was the fact he was never truly recognised, for his novels, plays, and political writings, but remembered mainly for being the writer of children’s stories which he wrote for his son, Christopher Robin.

A rift grew between father and son when, after returning from the 2nd World War, Christopher married his cousin, of whom his parents disapproved. The rift sadly never healed.

Do not let the wording on page 202; which makes it seem as if Christopher Robin outlived his daughter, Clare, while stating that he died in 1996 and his daughter in 2012; stop you from buying it. It, in no way, detracts from an excellent and well written book.

I loved this book and I’m sure you will too.

By Elaine Carlo
On behalf of www.loveofbooks.co.uk

See more news items in our blog.