Swimming with My Father

''Exquisitely written and wonderfully readable - There are tears, laughter and filial tenderness on every page of Tim Jeal''s perfect gem of a book.'' Val Hennessy, Daily MailAn exquisite and moving portrait of a deeply eccentric father. Tim Jeal''s beautifully nuanced memoir is by turns lyrical, poignant and gloriously funny.''Jeal''s prose is so sprightly, his interweaving of time-schemes so skilful, and his ''ordinary'' story so touching that his book feels completely fresh - At its heart is an unusually engrossing account of parental oddity, marital resilience and filial complexity.'' Andrew Motion, Guardian''This is a marvellous book: funny, vivid, immensely touching and beautifully constructed.'' John Preston, Evening Standard''A pleasure to read: unpretentious, moving, full of jokes but also unobtrusively wise.'' Anne Chisholm, Sunday Telegraph