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Did You Really Shoot the Television?: A Family Fable
- Narrated by: Max Hastings
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
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Did You Really Shoot the Television?: A Family Fable
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Summary
The author is the son of broadcaster and adventurer Macdonald Hastings, and journalist and gardening writer Anne Scott-James. Max’s father roamed the world for newspapers and as a presenter for BBC TV’s legendary 'Tonight' programme, while his mother edited 'Harper’s Bazaar', became a famous columnist and wrote bestselling gardening books. One of Max’s grandfathers was a literary editor, while the other wrote plays and essays. His great-uncle was an African hunter who wrote poetry and became one of Max’s heroes. In this audiobook, the author brings together this remarkable cast of forebears - with guest appearances by a host of celebrities such as Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad and John Betjeman. By turns moving, dramatic and comic, the book portrays Max’s own childhood fraught with rows and explosions, in which the sudden death of a television set was only one highlight, and helps to explain why Max Hastings, whose family has produced more than 80 books over three generations, felt bound to follow their path of high adventure and popular journalism.
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What listeners say about Did You Really Shoot the Television?: A Family Fable
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Ponsonby
- 07-02-14
A story of lost memories.
I loved this book particularly as I knew Max when I was a child. He has mentioned me as "my first girlfriend at the age of four had the unsurpassable name of Merelina Ponsonby". It is a good story evocative of a by-gone age. His description of his childhood and his bad behavior, his fathers adventures and his - very successful - but cold mother are so interesting to read about. He does not exaggerate either. His old Nanny (correct use of Nanny, not as the modern Granny name) are to me amusing, she was a great character and I still remember her over 50 years later. Nannies were our cornerstone of our lives in a world where our mothers did not feature much, and they were simply wonderful. They probably still are!
Max is an excellent writer and he "reads easily" and interestingly. I highly recommend this book.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- susie
- 02-07-22
Superb in content and literary style.
Max Hastings is a major figure in all aspects of journalism and authorship. Here he displays a real modesty about his own huge achievements but is generous to the end about his extraordinary parents whose achievements in their writing careers were not shown in their roles as parents. Max had a very odd and lonely boyhood, despite his loving Nanny. Indeed one can sense the relationship with his mother scarred him deeply. Max Hastings demonstrates his great respect for his parents' talents but one senses his love only extended to his father. This is a fine book written and read by a great and honest author. Highly recommended...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- YaggaMcc
- 18-01-20
Did you really
I've enjoyed several of Hastings works. I'd be happier if he was reader of more of them
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- gmb
- 25-10-21
A loving and honest tribute to a family
I loved hearing Max Hastings read these memoirs. They aren't for everyone; life has moved on in such a spectacular fashion in the last couple of years they really are of another world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- janie
- 30-09-20
A Great Read
Entertaining, beautifully written & how I would love to have dinner with Lewis Hastings.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Gill Bray
- 30-08-23
Utterly fascinating
Max Hastings’s book ‘Overlord’ started a lifelong passion for military history. I have now read all but three of his works. Therefore this book was indeed a revelation. It’s painfully honest, making me wince at times, but also extremely funny. The descriptions of his childhood misdemeanours would have provided good material for Richmal Compton.
Brilliant!
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