A 1930s Childhood in France -- The Second Edition of Author Alan Holmes' Hilarious and Entertaining Memoir

• Press Release
• Source: Xlibris
• On 8:34 pm EDT, Tuesday June 2, 2009

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 2, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the Moon takes you on a vivid and delightful tour of a young boy's life in France, and of his personal growth, daydreams, energy and enthusiasms. Told mostly in the voice of the growing boy, In the Moon recounts, often with great humor, the many situations and unusual characters in Alain's exotic life.

The son of a strong-willed, proactive Belgian mother and a brilliant, tough-minded but emotionally laconic British father, and heavily influenced by a surrogate father, Raimond, their French butler and gardener, the boy Alain has to shape his identity and life choices amidst the clashing influences of a class-ridden and multinational milieu. Adding to the suspense, Alain attends six schools over a period of six years, some of which are French and others English-speaking. Among these, Alain experiences harsh and cruel institutions where learning is nevertheless effective if painful. Alain spends three summers in a farming community in the north of France and learns firsthand about the pleasures and hardships of a French peasant family. His other summers are spent in a watering hole of the wealthy. In each situation, the author provides a richly detailed and lively description of these diverse aspects of the period's life and culture. Included in the telling are many stories involving his parents' colorful and unconventional life.

Throughout his memoirs, Holmes tells the story with eccentric charm, sometimes poetic detail, abundant humor and humility. Some readers have likened this absorbing biographical work to Marcel Pagnol's La gloire de mon pere, the memoir of the French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. As in Pagnol's book and the 1990 movie based on it, In the Moon presents the young protagonist's numerous adventures, personal discoveries, enthusiasms and hard-earned lessons. In the Moon is a light, highly entertaining read and one to which you will return over and over again.

About the Author

Alan Holmes was born in Paris and lived there for ten years. He was educated in France, England, Canada, and at Yale University where he earned his bachelor's and master's in Civil Engineering. Alan became a U.S. citizen while serving in the army during the Korean War. His multifaceted career includes working as a test engineer for the U.S. army, field engineer for a construction firm, structural engineer at a major architectural firm and, for many years, as a staff scientist at an aerospace company. A specialist in the structural analysis of unusual structures, Alan performed the structural design and analysis for the Air Force Academy Chapel and for several freestanding spiral staircases found at the Academy. He designed, then built, his own adobe house and a sailboat, and enjoys photography. Alan, who has enjoyed writing all his life, lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

            In the Moon (Second Edition) by Alan Holmes
              A Memoir of a 1930s Childhood in France
                  Publication Date: June 1, 2009
      Trade Paperback; $19.54; 373 pages; 978-1-4010-8430-1
      Cloth Hardback; $29.69; 373 pages; 978-1-4010-8431-8

To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.

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