From the cover, this seemed an interesting read, having previously read a war diary of a young lad growing up in wartime London and found that absorbing. But this was not what I expected at all. The early part of the book is quite interesting: Bryan's early childhood is in a deprived area of South London, Hoxton, although his family are a little better off since they have a family tailor's shop business and can afford to run a car. Also his father is unusual for their social background in loving classical music and opera, which he introduces Bryan to and continues to encourage his interest in, and also the theatre.

Bryan is evacuated along with the other children of the area, but initially goes to his grandmother in Sussex. He doesn't get on with her and he is eventually sent up north to Market Harborough where the rest of his school has been sent. There is again a quite interesting account of the cultural clash and how he and his classmates are accustomed to lie, cheat and use their fists whereas the country children are quiet, shy and peaceable. However the book takes a big about turn when he passes the exam which is the predecessor of the 11 Plus and moves to a public school on an assisted place. This is an unusual old school previously based in the City of London but now out in the Sussex countryside at a very large site with its own infirmary, dentist, and umpteen other buildings set in huge grounds. Bryan proceeds to receive an education that is very unusual for the time - for a boy from a working class background especially - and to stay there until he is 18. Most of the book is about his life at the school and his burgeoning interest in classical music and opera in particular.

It didn't really live up to the title: he is not involved in the day to day viccissitudes of putting up with bombing and the like or having to fit in with strangers and unable to see his family for years as a lot of evacuated children did. I'm afraid that I found the majority of the book to be difficult to relate to. Although I like some classical music when I hear it I have to confess to an ignorance of what a lot of pieces are called and the constant iteration of their names meant very little to me. I had sympathy for his relationship with his awful mother and the sad events as the war drew to a close when he loses those in the family with whom he is close, but a lot of the account did rather drag and I can only give it an OK 2-stars. ( )

I found the book interesting biography by a politician who was a little too light on the historical perspective for my taste. ( )