Reviews

I Left My Grandfather's House by Denton Welch

benjamin909's review

Go to review page

5.0

In this account Denton Welch describes the walking tour he took in the early 1930s when at the age of eighteen he set off from his grandfathers house for Devon, staying at a series of youth hostels. Written some ten years after the event, the result is a remarkable feat of observation combined with a thoroughly honest and at times self effacing picture of the author as a sometimes naive, sometimes precocious young man.

Denton is not afraid to reveal his feelings, and occasionally hints at his leanings can be detected in his admiration of handsome young men. His love of old old buildings and of little collector’s trinkets is clearly apparent, but what makes this such an immensely enjoyable read is Denton's comparabilities as a writer, able to make even the most mundane captivating.
More...