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Title: Romany and Tom

Author: Ben Watt

Narrator: Ben Watt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-27-14

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Ben Watts father was a working-class Glaswegian jazz musician - a politicized left-wing bandleader and composer - whose heyday in the late 1950s took him into the glittering heart of Londons West End. His mother, Romany, the daughter of a Methodist parson, was a Shakespearean actress who had triplets in her first marriage before becoming a leading showbiz feature writer and columnist in the 60s and 70s. They were both divorced and from very different backgrounds, and they came together at a fateful New Years Day party in 1957 like colliding trains.

Romany and Tom is Ben Watts honest, sometimes painful, and often funny portrait of his parents exceptional lives and marriage, depicted in a personal journey from his own wide-eyed London childhood, through years as an adult with children and a career of his own, to that inevitable point when we must assume responsibility for our own parents in their old age. Spanning several decades - and drawing on a rich seam of family letters, souvenirs, photographs, public archives, and personal memories - it is a vivid story of the postwar years, ambition and stardom, family roots and secrets, big band jazz, depression and drink, life in clubs and nursing homes. It is also about who we are, where we come from, and how we love and live with each other for the long term.

Members Reviews:

Stories help us make a difference.

The compelling stories of both his Mom and Dad and all his family will help many have multiple connections to to the challenges faced by the author, Ben Watt and his family. They were also entertainning! For me...reading about his passionate parents and how Ben watches them grow old shows the need for compassion for those around us who are facing similar challenges. Giving those who are earlier on that path, some of the wisdom from Bens empathy and compelling story telling. Wisdom will help to make a difference. Thankyou.

Ben Watt delivers another heart-felt treasure.

Super captivating listening as Ben lovingly and candidly shares his family's fascinating, relatable history. What a beautiful human being he is as he reflects on his mum and dad!

Heartfelt and Genuine story

What made the experience of listening to Romany and Tom the most enjoyable?

I liked Ben Watt's Englishness and attention to detail and use with words.

I actually met Ben and Tracey in 1996 when they came to Houston. I was an aspiring musician then and gave them one of my demo cassettes. Nice gentleman.

What did you like best about this story?

This is about real life and it should be talked about more often. What happens when your parents get old?

Any additional comments?

The only negative for me is when Watt gives great detail about locations in England that I have no idea where they are.

Very Moving

What did you like most about Romany and Tom?

A really moving account of the lives of Ben Watt's mother and father.