Romany and Tom: a Memoir Free

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Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Romany and Tom by Ben Watt. Longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction Ben Watt's father was a working-class Glaswegian jazz musician-a politicized left-wing bandleader and composer-whose heyday in the late s took him into the glittering heart of London's West End. His mother, Romany, the daughter of a Methodist parson, was a Shakespearean actress who had triplets in her first ma Longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction Ben Watt's father was a working-class Glaswegian jazz musician-a politicized left-wing Romany and Tom: A Memoir and composer-whose heyday in the late s took him into the glittering heart of London's West End. His mother, Romany, the daughter Romany and Tom: A Memoir a Methodist parson, was a Shakespearean actress who had triplets in her first marriage before becoming a leading showbiz feature writer and columnist in the '60s and '70s. They were both divorced and from very different backgrounds, and they came together at a fateful New Year's Day party in like colliding trains. Romany and Tom is Ben Watt's honest, sometimes painful, and often funny portrait of his parents' exceptional lives and marriage, depicted in a personal journey from his own wide-eyed London childhood, through years as an adult with children and a career of his own, to that inevitable point when we must assume responsibility for our own parents in their old age. Spanning several decades-and drawing on a rich seam of family letters, souvenirs, photographs, public archives, and personal memories-it is a vivid story of the postwar years, ambition and stardom, family roots and secrets, big band jazz, depression and drink, life in clubs and nursing homes. It is also about who we are, where we come from, and how we love and live with one another for the long term. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. More Details Other Editions 6. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Romany and Tomplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Romany and Tom: A Memoir. Feb 13, Paul rated it really liked it. Ben Watt is known as one half of Everything But The Girl, but here he recounts the lives of his parents: jazz composer and musician Tom Watt, and Shakespearean actress, turned mother, turned writer and journalist, Romany. From Ben having to take on the grown-up role as his own parents' health deteriorates, to looking back at their careers, their romance, their drinking, their disappointments and their obvious pride in their son's success it is at times nostalgic and sad without being maudlin or Ben Watt is known as one half of Everything But The Girl, but here he recounts the lives of his parents: jazz composer and musician Tom Watt, and Shakespearean actress, turned mother, turned writer and journalist, Romany. From Ben having to take on the grown-up role as his Romany and Tom: A Memoir parents' health deteriorates, to looking back at their careers, their romance, their drinking, their Romany and Tom: A Memoir and their obvious pride in their son's success it is at times nostalgic and sad without being maudlin or dewy-eyed. There are plenty of recognisable scenes that anyone will be able to empathise with particularly in trying to arrange care for his parents. Then there are many surreal moments in which it is hard to imagine yourself, such as seeing your father come on as a shambolic secret guest on "This Is Your Life" or your mother heading off to meet Richard Burton Romany and Tom: A Memoir Elizabeth Taylor in Mexico. I also found it strange hearing about his father's childhood in Knightswood, Glasgow a few streets away from where I grew up. I also must add that I enjoyed listening along to the playlist Ben has put up on Spotify of much of the music mentioned in the book was caught by surprise when "Autum Leaves" came on, as my dad used to sing it to my mum. It is obviously a very personal book, but I was glad to have found out about these two fascinating people. A lovely touching memoir of a marriage, but so much more as well. This was a great read. Jun 24, Slammerhaze rated it it was amazing. Absolutely wonderful and very moving. It resonated so much with my thoughts and feelings about my own parents. A joy to read even in the moments of despair. Aug 16, Liz Mckay rated it it was amazing. Beautifully written was a great read. View 2 comments. Jul 21, Richard Watt rated Romany and Tom: A Memoir it was amazing. As I may have mentioned before, I feel a curious Romany and Tom: A Memoir with Ben Watt. That doesn't mean that I particularly wanted to read about his parents - the 'biography of my parents' is a curious literary sub-genre in my eyes; the story would have to be particularly compelling to make me pick it up. On the eternal drive to Penticton the other week, I listened to a podcast As I may have mentioned before, I feel a curious affinity with Ben Watt. On the eternal drive to Penticton the other week, I listened to a podcast in which Ben Watt read Romany and Tom: A Memoir, and explained, this book. It rang so many bells with me we are almost exactly the same age, and many of the same concerns have braided themselves around my life in the last few months and years that I downloaded it as Romany and Tom: A Memoir as we got to the hotel, and began reading it that night. It is a curious thing, this getting older business. We don't mean to do it, but we become something we weren't, and in Romany and Tom: A Memoir cases, something we intended not to be. How do we get from there to here, from teenaged revolutionaries to middle-aged parents with cars and mortgages and teenaged revolutionaries of our own? We don't do it deliberately; it just happens to us. Worse, while we are doing that, our parents are morphing from vital, energetic, important people Romany and Tom: A Memoir curmudgeonly, tired, old people. In my case, I vividly remember the struggles my parents had with their own parents, imploring us to "shoot us if we ever get like that". Yet they do get like that, and we cope the best we can, resolving never to do that to our children, knowing in some part of us that we inevitably will. Watt's parents were, perhaps, more revolutionary, more tempestuous, than most there again, perhaps not; Romany and Tom: A Memoir the key difference was that they acted on their impulses where most didn't - having risked so much Romany and Tom: A Memoir be together, they appear in some respects to have been bound together until the end, Romany and Tom: A Memoir that end might be. The story of this book is not just the tale of that end coming to pass, but an attempt to put it all into context; to understand how these two people came to be like this, and how it became impossible for them to change the way they were. And it is compelling. Watt's Romany and Tom: A Memoir eidetic memory illustrates every page, and his facility with language you should read Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness as well; it's as taut as any thriller keeps the story moving as it skips from generation to generation. All human life is here, laid bare for our inspection, but it never feels voyeuristic; these are real, sympathetic characters and a real, human story to which we all can or will, in time relate. In the end, it's the way I related on a personal level to this story which elevates it above the norm. As Watt describes his father's depression, I found myself nodding in recognition; when the depression comes full circle towards the end, I found the room becoming a little dusty - rarely have I felt such a powerful urge to reach out and hug the author of a book and tell him that everything's going to be OK. The best book I read last year was by a musician from my formative years about her life and her unexpectedly vivid insights into the human condition Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. This might well make it two in a row. Nov 01, Huw Rhys rated it it was amazing. Musician Ben Watt, best known as being one half of Everything but the Girl, tells the story of his mum, his dad, and his family from his perspective. This is not an easy read, but extremely rewarding. His mother, Romany, was an actress who went on to be a magazine columnist, and his father, Tom, was a musician and bandleader. This meticulously researched book takes us through the ups and many downs of their relationship, beset as it was with alcoholism, mental illness and career disappointments. T Musician Ben Watt, best known as being one half of Everything but the Girl, tells the story of his mum, his dad, and his family from his perspective. To most of us, having parents who are jetting round the world to interview superstars, or leading orchestras on television would be quite surreal; but these Romany and Tom: A Memoir normal for Ben Watt as he was growing up. That he went on to arguably outshine both his parents is a theme that might have been explored more in the book, as might the circle of fading fame, alcoholism and mental illness. Maybe these are themes Romany and Tom: A Memoir Watt may revisit some time - he is such a brilliant writer, we can only hope he pens many more books in years to come. Towards the end of the book, there is quite a heart stopping revelation by the Romany and Tom: A Memoir, which adds even greater depth Romany and Tom: A Memoir perspective to the whole story. At no stage is this book light and easy to read - indeed, the majority of the book is extremely harrowing given the various challenges the family had to face over the years. But if it's harrowing, it's very deep as well, asking many fundamental questions about family, love, life and inevitable death. The stories are told Romany and Tom: A Memoir a very deft touch- many of us are familiar with Ben Watt's first book "Patient" where he tells the story of how he almost succumbed to illness some 20 years ago- and this book too is beautifully written, doesn't pull any punches and is a very honest and illuminating look at family life. Jul 27, SarahK rated it really liked it. I listened to the audio of this book, narrated by Ben himself. Initially I struggled to persevere - I found it a little slow and found some of the descriptions of places, sounds, smells quite laboured. Gradually however I was pulled in and began to care deeply about Romany, Tom and Ben. Romany and Tom: A Memoir later in the book about the mental health challenges experienced by several members of the family rang very true and the sometimes unlikeable qualities of Romany and Tom started to make sense in the I listened to the audio of this book, narrated by Ben himself. Descriptions later in the book about the mental health challenges experienced by several members of the family rang very true and the sometimes unlikeable qualities of Romany and Tom started to make sense in the context of their own family histories. In the end the book felt like a fitting, moving tribute to Ben's loving but flawed parents. Feb 22, Mark Walker rated it really liked it. Always engaging. Romany and Tom: A Memoir: Ben Watt: Bloomsbury Circus

Buy from other retailers. Please note that ebooks are subject to tax and the final price may vary depending on your country of residence. Ben Watt's father, Tommy, was a working-class Glaswegian jazz musician, a politicised left-wing bandleader and a composer. His heyday in the late fifties took him into the glittering heart of London's West End, where he broadcast live with his own orchestra from the Paris Theatre and played nightly with his quintet at the the glamorous Quaglino's. Ben's mother, Romany, the daughter of a Methodist parson, schooled at Cheltenham Ladies' College, was a RADA-trained Shakespearian actress, who had triplets in her first marriage before becoming a leading showbiz columnist in the. They were both divorcees from very different backgrounds who came together like colliding trains in Both a personal journey and a portrait of his parents, Romany and Tom is a vivid story of the post-war years, ambition and stardom, family roots and secrets, life in clubs and in care homes. It is also about who we are, where we come from, and how we love and live with each other for a long time. He has a songwriter's gift for the deft phrase, while his powers of observation and recall Romany and Tom: A Memoir quite extraordinary Rather like Watt's musical compositions Romany and Tom is a tender work infused with the understanding that this is the final chapter of two rich and complex lives This … pulses with the same combination of clarity and kindness. You can unsubscribe from Romany and Tom: A Memoir at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter. For information on how we process your data, read our Privacy Policy. This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. It looks like you are located in Australia or New Zealand Close. Visit the Australia site Continue on UK site. Visit the Australia site. Romany and Tom: A Memoir on UK site. Romany and Tom: A Memoir - Ben Watt - Google книги

This website uses cookies to help us give you the best experience when you visit our website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies. It was presented by the theatre writer Richard Findlater Romany and Tom: A Memoir his actress wife, Romany Bain, and began at what appeared to be their home, a pebble-dashed suburban house. In the first scene, Findlater was shown leaving for work in his coat and hat, his wife having carefully placed his newspaper in his hand. In the second, viewers saw Bain, elegant in a roll-neck sweater and dark trousers, closing the front door behind him. The film spoke of order and contentment: here was a happy couple fulfilling their allotted roles with aplomb and, in the case of Bain, not a little glamour. But nothing was as it Romany and Tom: A Memoir. Oh, yes, they had tried to break it off, their respective spouses having found them Romany and Tom: A Memoir. Yet it had been no good. It was before they were free to marry, by which time Bain was carrying her fifth child her first with Tommy. This baby grew up to be Ben Watt, the musician best known for being half of Everything but the Girl. Yet it survived for more than 40 years. He also understands the fear; she never left her embittered husband, perhaps because she could not bear to fail at marriage twice. Slowly, Watt tacks back. At first, their lives are full of possibility. There is hope. She works as a journalist, using her theatre contacts — she had been at Stratford with Gielgud — to bag a series of syndicated interviews with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Envious, Tommy returns to drinking. Lonely, Romany joins him. His account of his grandmother is very funny indeed. Thanks to the age gap between Watt and his elder half-siblings, he is both an only child and a brother to four, a complex and lonely position, especially once he Romany and Tom: A Memoir marooned with the warring adults. He captures beautifully the unease of the second family — its near-permanent state of truce — without ever passing judgement on its members and connecting his own troubles to their treatment of him. What timing he has! We do not see Romany and Tommy falling in love until the final stages of the book, by which time the drama of their collision feels as necessary as air. Its intensity makes the rest of the story bearable, as it must once also have done for them. She is now a writer at The Observer. This Romany and Tom: A Memoir appears in the 05 March issue of the New Statesman, Putin's power game. Sign up. You are browsing in private mode. Judy Garland et al at Quaglino's in the s, the London restaurant where Tommy Watt's first band played. Photo: Getty. Rachel Cooke trained as a reporter on The Sunday Times. Related articles. Veteran science fiction writer makes the Goldsmiths shortlist.