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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Mt. Jackson, VA, United States, 2010/09/01 - The witty and entertaining memoirs of the only son of Duff and Diana Cooper. Memoirs of a remarkable life—and a thoroughly enjoyable read!.
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“If British memoirs with celebrity name dropping and juicy gossip on every page are your cup of tea, this one is for you... His aristocratic parents—she a silent film star and he ambassador to France—raised him ‘to please.’ He did so throughout their lives and does so for all of us with this pleasing and entertaining book.” - Jim Barnes, Editor, IndependentPublisher.com
“Poor old baby, he’s only trying to please,” his nanny said—and his life has reflected an appetite for life, enlivened by a sense of theater. John Julius Norwich’s equally famous parents frequently entertained everyone of note in Britain, France, or the United States, including their good friend Winston Churchill, H.G. Wells, and Hilaire Belloc, who sang ancient French songs in an old, cracked voice.
Trying to Please is an engaging and often amusing memoir that breathes fresh life into the worlds he describes. From a walking tour of the monasteries on Mt. Athos to a camel trek across the Sahara, the book shows how his passions—for history, for travel, for music—have combined with simpler pleasures like friendship and a close family. His recollections evoke a world now extinct, such as a Beirut of cloudless sunshine and moonlit dinners where eleven different religions peacefully coexisted.
Norwich has led a remarkable life, and his autobiography is a thoroughly enjoyable read—just the thing to keep at one’s bedside for a moment of unalloyed pleasure at the end of the day.
For more about the book go to: AxiosPress.com/books/Trying to Please
About the Author
John Julius Norwich—the 2nd Viscount Norwich—is one of Britain’s pre-eminent historians and travel writers. His parents were Duff and Diana Cooper: the former a cabinet minister and political ally of Winston Churchill; his mother a famous beauty and socialite. Norwich had a privileged upbringing. He was educated at Eton and Oxford. He served a stint in the Royal Navy, and twelve years in the British Foreign Service in Yugoslavia and Lebanon, and was a member of the British delegation to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva. He is a prolific writer, an editor, and is frequently on radio and television. He lives in London.
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info[.]axiospress.com 
