Most Popular Books by Ann Thwaite

A.A. Milne is one of the most successful English writers ever. His heart-warming creations—Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet—have become some of the best-loved children’s characters of all time, and readers the world over are familiar with the stories from the Hundred Acre Wood. Yet the man himself has remained an enigma. Although in many ways his behaviour was that of a typical golf-playing, pipe-smoking Englishman, Milne refused to be typecast, and his publishers despaired when he turned from writing popular columns for Punch to writing detective stories. They complained again when the detective writer presented them with a set of children’s verse, but when When We Were Very Young became one of the best-selling books of all time, Milne’s credibility as one of the world’s favorite authors was sealed. In this biography of Milne, Ann Thwaite reveals the man himself, in all his complexity. As W. A. Darlington put it in 1921, commenting on Milne’s highly popular plays, ‘Mr Milne is obviously at heart (like all humorists) a serious person, with things to say.’ He had strong political feelings, and was a pacifist even before his experiences on the Somme in 1916. There was always something darker and more tangled under ‘the bright glitter of surfaces’. At his father’s school, Milne was taught by the young H. G. Wells, who remained a lifelong friend; later, J. M. Barrie called him ‘my Mr Milne’ and was ‘uncommon proud of him’; later still, P. G. Wodehouse became one of his greatest admirers, and a friend – but was then deeply hurt by Milne’s strong reaction to the notorious wartime broadcasts. Milne’s personal relationships, including those with his wife and son, were not always easy. In A. A. Milne: His Life, Ann Thwaite has produced a vivid, sympathetic and entertaining portrait of both the man and his work, set in the context of his time, which stands as the definitive life of a writer whose work has earned some loathing (for its supposed ‘whimsy’) but much more devotion among readers of all ages, not only in English-speaking countries but all over the world.

The definitive and revealing biography of the author of The Secret Garden. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s favourite theme in her fiction was the reversal of fortune, and she herself knew extremes of poverty and wealth. Born in Manchester in 1849, she emigrated with her family to Tennessee because of the financial problems caused by the cotton famine. From a young age she published her stories to help the family make ends meet. Only after she married did she publish Little Lord Fauntleroy that shot her into literary stardom. On the surface, Frances’ life was extremely successful: hosting regular literary salons in her home and travelling frequently between properties in the UK and America. But behind the colourful personal and social life, she was a complex and contradictory character. She lost both parents by her twenty-first birthday, Henry James called her "the most heavenly of women" although avoided her; prominent people admired her and there were many friendships as well as an ill-advised marriage to a much younger man that ended in heartache. Her success was punctuated by periods of depression, in one instance brought on by the tragic loss of her eldest son to consumption. Ann Thwaite creates a sympathetic but balanced and eye-opening biography of the woman who has enchanted numerous generations of children.

Originally published: London: Faber, 1990, as: A.A. Milne: his life.

A pigeon flies into a window in Rob''s house, breaking the window and making a mess of the house as it tries to get out again.

This book, with an introduction by Penelope Lively, brings together for the first time seven short stories by the prize-winning biographer, Ann Thwaite. The backgrounds include Wellington in New Zealand, Basra in Iraq and, in several stories, South Norfolk in England. Reviewers of her books have commented: ''Highly readable... the Thwaite style is irresistible.'' ''Beautifully written and compelling to read.'' ''She writes faultlessly; her tone is warm and wise.'' Ann Thwaite has published over 30 books, both fiction and fact, including the Whitbread Biography of the Year, A. A. Milne: his life. She lives in Norfolk with the poet Anthony Thwaite.

Today, Philip Henry Gosse is remembered, if at all, as the patriarch and tyrannical religious maniac in his son Edmund''s memoir, Father and Son. This is a vivid reassessment of the life of Philip Henry Gosse, the renowned Victorian naturalist, author, illustrator and Christian fundamentalist, who as both friend and antagonist of Charles Darwin, was at the very heart of the Victorian conflict between science and religion. Thwaite shows that Gosse believed that "the gratification of scientific curiosity is worse than useless if we ignore God."--Publisher.

It was as a small girl in Lincolnshire that Emily Sellwood first saw the boy Alfred Tennyson. Nearly thirty years later, in the year he became Poet Laureate, they married. What kept them apart and what eventually brought them together has never before been fully explored. This major biography radically alters the picture of the poet''s relationship with his wife, establishing in detail the person Emily Tennyson was. It is the story of a remarkable family as well as a remarkable woman, bringing into the foreground a neglected and often misunderstood character a century after her death. ''Meeting Emily Tennyson in the pages of Thwaite''s enthralling book is pure delight.'' Sunday Express ''A finely and deeply researched work, and clearly a labour of love ...She tells an ever absorbing story, and throws much light on that fascinating social area in which high art and worldly power meet.'' The Times ''This fat and well-documented book will quickly establish its place in bibliographies of essential Tennyson background.'' Literary Review ''A magnificent, surprising biography.'' Lynne Truss, Mail on Sunday

Biography about the novelist who wrote one of the best-loved childrens books, "The Secret Garden"

The story of A.A. Milne and his writing for children.

A little boy finds a way of avoiding going on a visit with his mother.

"The family history of acclaimed biographer Ann Thwaite, is in equal parts a window on colonial times in many parts of New Zealand, the story of a generation of expatriate intellectuals, a tender portrait of parent-child relations strained by distance, and a domestic account of World War II"--Page 4 of cover.

Rose goes on an outing with her family and has an adventure in the river.

A little boy finds a way of avoiding going on a visit with his mother.

Mary is mortified when she must disclose to her classmates that she lied about summer vacation plans and is staying in London. However, the miserable summer has a special moment when she makes a rare find along the Thames.