I haven’t read this before, but, being in love with the English countryside, I approached with excitement! However, the detailed and unique descriptions of the minutia of home and village life, so beautifully written, will be what stays with me. I feel privileged to share in his slice of English history, as experienced in a Cotswold village, when I read his book. The changes wrought by war and the passing of the few years of his youth are captured so evocatively, and yet the author does not skate over the difficulties and narrowness of his childhood years. He had uncles who fought in the Boer War, and his family lived in a world that had little in the way of technology, medicine or prosperity. Laurie Lee was born just as WWI began, in a village dependent on the horse.

Laurie Lee’s memoir is one of the most sensual books I know!

I can see young Laurie lost in the grasses, “each blade tattooed with tiger-skins of sunlight”, smell the “smoky comfort” of the family kitchen, and taste the cider which is like the “wine of wild orchards, of russet summer, of plump red apples”. Its language is rich with imagery and makes you see, smell, hear and even taste the things described. ‘The Story of an African Farm’ – Olive Schreinerįor those of us who love England – its landscapes, way of life, history and, of course, its literature, Cider with Rosie is a delightful book.‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ – Muriel Spark.‘The Leopard’ – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.‘The Doll’s House’ – Katherine Mansfield.‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ – Alexandre Dumas.‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ – Thomas Hardy.‘Seven Little Australians’ – Ethel Turner.‘Little Red Riding Hood’ – The Brothers Grimm.‘Gone with the Wind’ – Margaret Mitchell.Terms of Service, Privacy Policy & Refund Policy.

Cider with rosie story