Trying to Please: A Memoir

by John Julius Norwich

John Julius Norwich's life has reflected an appetite for living, enlivened by a sense of personal theater. Trying to Please is an engaging and amusing memoir that describes a glamorous but vanishing world. From the monasteries on Mt. Athos to a camel trek across the Sahara, the book shows how Norwich's passions for history, travel, and music have combined with simpler pleasures like friendship and a close family. A remarkable life and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, British Literature, History

425 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

John Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had become aware of John Julius Norwich as a historian of the Mediterranean world, and I had liked his engaging writing style. So when I realized he'd written a memoir, I decided to read it. The effort was well rewarded, even though the author would be the first to admit that he has done nothing world-shocking.

Born as the only child of Lady Cooper, a society beauty, and Duff Cooper, a prominent politician, John Norwich had a relatively privileged youth. He escaped much of the deprivations of WWII by being sent off to America, went to the creme de la creme of English schools, and landed a Foreign Office job without too many difficulties. He spent about a decade of the post-war years in various embassies and consulates in the former Iron Curtain countries, and traveling as much as possible. Around 1963 he chucked the Foreign Office job to become a writer of history books. He also became a much-in-demand presenter and commentator for the BBC and found even more opportunity for travel in the production of art and history documentaries. In his private life, an affair with the estranged wife of film director John Huston led to the birth of a daughter, Allegra (half-sister of the more famous Anjelica). The girl was raised by John Huston and co after her mother died in a car accident, rather than by her biological father- a decision (taken by whom? Why?) that had me scratching my head.

One of the nicest aspects of the book is the fact that the author seems pretty well contented with his life, even if he seems to think that his choices would have disappointed his much more glamorous parents (both of whom also wrote memoirs, if I remember correctly). It's clear that his greatest interest in in traveling and researching history. He describes travel in Rumania, Albania, the Sahara, the Middle East and other regions that were hardly welcoming to the average Western tourist in the 1950s and 1960s- there is a touch of nostalgia about those pages.

The self-deprecating humor makes this book fun and accessible, and I read it chuckling and thoroughly enjoying myself.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and interesting for the most part, some slow and dull bits in last chapters with leavening sections that keep you going till the end. What a busy and interesting life he had. His parents were accomplished and famous and he did them proud.

[Terry Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book which tells the story of the only son of aristocratic English parents - he was born in 1929 and grew up trying to live up to parental expectation - a great insight into that world made more cogent by by his lengths his parents went to protect him during the war.

A fascinating read for anyone interested English aristocrats during and after the war plus the son's extraordinary experiences including his time with his parents in Paris in 1944 where his was sent as British ambassador - think Nuremburgh trials.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and funny from the first page. Out of the gate like a race horse.

[Celia Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This happens to me a lot: I enjoy about four fifths of a book very much, but then... I wander. John Norwich is a real live Viscount. He is the son of a minor English movie star and a member of Churchill's cabinet. He has spent a lot of time in fabulous places with fabulous people. Yet, somehow, he is not a twit. In fact, he's rather good company. Always modest and usually funny, he recounts the story of his mostly happy very privileged existence with no real purpose except to entertain. It reads like a really good travel book. He had the luck to be posted by the English foreign service to places like post-war Belgrade and Beirut. He traveled all over the middle east and Africa in the 1950s. He knew EVERYONE. He is frank about his mistakes and enthusiastically complementary to almost everyone he has ever met. I was surprised that a book about such a nice life could be so interesting. I can't say exactly why I stopped reading, except that it's a lot of life, and after a while, I wanted more of an arc? It was too clear that he would just be softly adjusting to the pleasures of a distinguished old age, and who wants to read about that? Maybe I'll pick it up again after I've read something else.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this sitting on the New Reads shelf at the local library; I remember John Julius from several BBC presentations and remembered that they were enjoyable. Forgot he was the only child of the lovely Diana Cooper and the remarkable Duff Cooper and so that was an added bonus because, of course, he talks about his parents and provides an insider's look at some of the key events in their lives. (Have a great deal of respect for Duff Cooper's decision to resign from his government post over the way that the the British government was handling the growing Nazi threat in Europe). The focus of this book is on John Julius and his work, which he presents in an elegant prose and with a slightly "golly gee" sort of tone that is quite charming. He is clearly a scholar and yet I never felt "talked down to." He is fluent in several languages, well read in history and literature and has a deep passion for music. His life is remarkable in that he has traveled widely, has known interesting people and has taken every opportunity handed to him and made the most of it. As a result, he has lived well and has a story to tell. It was a good book to kick of the year!

[Leni]

This is an amusing and frank account of the life of an extremely well-connected member of the British "elite" who seemingly knew everyone from Merle Oberon to Anjelica Huston and Winston Churchill to Gordon Brown and a whole lot of others in between. His descriptions of foreign lands are interesting and interspersed with historical accounts. Had a friend not given it to me I wouldn't have read it, but perfect for holiday reading if you like this kind of thing.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Norwich, son of Diana and Duff Cooper, has written a breezy, optimistic, but grounded memoir of his fascinating life. Eton, the Royal Navy, Oxford, the BBC and his many books all receive their due. But it is his pen portraits of his parents, loving yet honest, which really stand out. Not s cheap book but one guaranteed to interest his many fans.

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story however he really doesn't go into any depth about his life. You don' know when he divorces his first wife and then marries Mollie. Also he casually slips in about his daughter with Ricki Houston, no description how his wife feels about all this.....a tad disappointing.

[Xdw · Rating 2 out of 5]

too many english famous names dropped for an american.