When the Cat Had My Tongue: A Very English Memoir

By Diana Fassino

Book Overview

Raised by nannies and governesses in an English country house where 'you practically needed a passport' to travel from the nursery wing to the drawing room or the maids' sitting room, the author portrays with uncritical candor and humour a vanished world of privilege and isolation. We meet an alarming grandmother with 'tomb breath and eyes flecked with blood and malice', witness the near execution of a village enemy, share the author's passion for animals, her suspicion that her flamboyant godfather may in fact be her father, suffer the torments of boarding school and of first love, and wonder with her on her wedding night if the Duke of Windsor could really have given up the throne of England 'for this.'

"If nostalgia is your thing, I recommend you to read this unique, hilarious insight into the Upstairs Downstairs goings-on in Diana Fassino's riveting, intensely personal account of upper class English country life during WWII."
John Whitney. Director Sagitta Productions. Creator of Upstairs Downstairs.

"Diana Fassino's endearing English wit enchanted me from cover to cover."
Betsy Pearson, artist and syndicated columnist

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595396151
• ISBN13: 9780595396153
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Thank you, Diana Fassino!

When the Cat Had My Tongue - A wonderfully delicious book - deliciously amusing and witty. And utterly amazing: when you think that the times described are "only" a few decades back in the past... sounds like Diana grew up on a totally different planet and yet, that was England too. I'm impatiently looking forward to the next volume!

When the Cat Had My Tongue: A Very English Memoir

WE loved this book! Very clevor writing.....and amusing!! Paints a very colorful look at life in the English countryside, surrounded by nannies, plenty and such!! Quick good fun, and easy to read..... Can hardly wait for her sequel!

Funny, witty and lovably quirky---irresistible in fact!

If you are English or an Anglophile (and even if you're not, you grouch), you will adore this dizzy account of growing up in a privileged, highly eccentric family in the England that was in the 30s... When the Cat Had my Tongue is written with great charm. I heard about it through a friend who sent me a copy and bought several to give for Christmas but have parted with some already, to sick friends who needed cheering up or for birthday treats. You don't need to be a Brit to warm to this book--DF is a natural writer and breezy humor and outrageous facts delivered with offhand panache make this a read that deserves good word of mouth. Try it, you'll like it!

When the Cat had My Tongue: A Very English Memoir

A beautiful memoir filled with English humor takes the reader into a privileged Nottingham Country Life after World War II, into a way of like that has disappeared. The setting is in the vicinity of Sherwood Forest and it's good to hear a story other than Robin Hoods! Beautifully illustrated by Diana Fassino. A page turner! Looking forward to the sequel!