A Yank Back to England

January 15, 2010
Here Lipman (partner, the Creative Shop), a longtime U.S. resident and commercial writer, packs up his wife and baby daughter for a series of visits to his elderly, quarrelsome parents, who still live in the tiny home in East London where he grew up. Lipman set out to explore the England he never saw as a child, with his bemused parents in tow. He peppers his book with amusing stories, e.g., being tossed out of Harrod's department store for wearing cut-off jeans, and chronicles the family's trips throughout the southeast of England, including Windsor, Canterbury, and Rye. But the story is as much about the journey the author makes to reclaim his relationship with his father as it is about the places they visit. VERDICT While not as overtly funny as Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island", this book shares some of the same good-natured disgruntlement about the English way of life and is recommended for those who love everything English, good and bad, with a family story that will affect many readers.Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams

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