I'm always on the look out for great books with anything resembling a family history theme, and I spotted one a few weeks ago when I was over in London. I swallowed it whole on the flight home and have been intending to write about it since, but just haven't had the time.
I don't have a drop of British blood (that I know of yet, anyway!), but I was completely absorbed by this book. Perhaps my recent wanderings around the south side of the Thames colored my perspective, but this book enchanted me from the beginning.
What makes it all the more extraordinary is that it's simply the story of Ellen Tregent, the grandmother of Martin Knight, the author. Ellen lived a century -- from 1888 to 1988 -- and though she was an "ordinary" woman, her life was anything but. Not that she ever made the papers aside from the day she turned 100 years old, but it's amazing to grasp what a life can encompass. I also like that Knight doesn't do a lot of embellishing or pontificating. He lets his grandmother's story speak for itself.
I suspect most folks who are into genealogy would enjoy this book, and if you happen to sport any London roots, you'll be all the more enamored for the tales of the city that are interwoven with Ellen's.
And incidentally, I checked to see whether the book was available in the U.S. and was pleased to discover that it's about to be released here on March 27th. So for those who might be interested and live in the U.S., you should have an easy time of snagging a copy. Those of you in the U.K. can go snag a copy today!