Looking for Alice

One thing I think that you will agree after reading James Smith's remarkably entertaining memoir of the first thirty or so years of his life is that it was certainly eventful. You get the impression that he did and experienced more things in one month than many of us have over an entire lifetime. There is in both the figurative and literal sense a lot of ground covered here and one must read the book to appreciate how fast the narrative proceeds form one adventure to the next. From time spent in a London orphanage and a series of childhood scrapes and mishaps the story moves to Australia where James spends time working in the outback and in one gripping sequence we learn how he becomes nearly fatally lost. Other episodes see James working as a London bus conductor, travelling the world as a merchant seaman, spending time in jail, backpacking across Europe and eventually ending up in the British Army where he comes under enemy fire. It is really quite breathless and reads at times like a series of some "Boys Own" adventure stories. One stops counting the amount of different jobs and girlfriends he manages to gain and move on from.

James has an easy going self effacing style which is somewhat idiosyncratic at times. When being introduced to a new male character, James will invariably state their metric height for some reason. He will also interpose his prose with some of his heartfelt poetry which was often written but never sent to the intended beneficiary of his affections at that time. I particularly liked how he captures the period he writes about which includes a descriptive account of a visit behind the Iron Curtain in the late 1960's. Throughout the book there is an array of photographs to compliment the narrative. His story goes up until the mid 1970's and then there is an epilogue to bring us up to date.

To gain an appreciation of the past we can consult books by professional writers whether they be historians or social commentators, however to supplement this understanding there is nothing like reading about the past from people who were actually there at the time and lived and breathed its consequences. Sometimes these are quite ordinary people who with the passing of time and the onset of their latter years believe that the time has come to put into writing recollections of their former life for posterity. This happily for the reader is the case with James Smith who has produced a readable and honest memoir which I'm sure many readers will find both interesting and entertaining.

A lovely and honest memoir from James Smith. Born in London in 1945, he spent time in a London orphanage and in a children's home before migrating to Australia in 1960. he tells a series of tales about his travels in Australia, Europe and the rest of the world. An interesting story of family life and an easy read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

Wonderful autobio of james Bruce Edward Smith, born May, 20, 1945, just twelve days after WWII ended in Europe.
He tells his life story about growing up in postwar UK, in a world in which almost anyone was traumatized, and in which almost everyone grew up fatherless. 
Though the story begins rather sad, the memoire is a joy to read, with an abundance of adventures in store for young James. He later emigrated downunder, and this is his story. 
Easy read about a very adventurous life, and although the book could have been a tad bit shorter - it was a wonderful experience. Thank you kindly for sharing your incredible life story!

Easy read about a very adventurous life, and although the book could have been a bit shorter - it was a decent read. Thank you kindly for sharing your incredible life story!