CHAMPAGNE FOR MOTHER

British style, trigger tension family history as the author depcits the childhood of himself, brothers and sisters, as they were aligned against the adult world. Here is the closed, merciless world of children, their appalling cruelty, vitality and delirium of misbehavior, as evidenced in their games, on railroad trips and holiday jaunts, in school and at home. There is the counterbalance in the discovery of self-respect, of conscience, the respectful acceptance of eccentrics, the appreciation of their own derisive corrections, the recognition of sham. Odious, funny, likable youngsters, human rather than exaggerated parents, the era up to the 1920's, a boy, growing up, reflects the world he knew. In spite of a plethora of books on family recall, this is a pleasant gesture.