Tea & Antipathy An American Family in Swinging London by Anita Miller

Quick, sunny book, plenty of dialogues and action Tea & Antipathy An American Family in Swinging London by Anita Miller. I know that you'll like this book so badly.

This one is a book I would suggest to every person who wants to stay for some months to London for studying english in a family.
Why? Because there are described the differences that there are between two different cultures; being prepared is important.

The story told  with great irony by the protagonist, Anita Miller, is the one of the vacation-trip attended by her, her husband and their three children, Mark, Bruce and Eric in 1965 for three months to London.
The husband opened a London office of Chicago press clipping service and traveled to London pretty frequently while Mrs. Miller remained to the USA studying and busy with their three children.
What a joy, mixed to terror, when the husband communicated to the entire family the decision of spending the summer-time all together in a London's house located in Knightsbridge. What to do in London all that time? she thought at first the author of the book, but then, with optimism and trust she enjoy the philosophy of: "It will be fun."
The owners of the house left at the family just the necessary for a living, sheets included. Just a pair. In the USA there were many differences and facilities in the kitchen and other corner of the house; that British house where they were living in sounded more like mr.Bank's house, the one where Mary Poppins lived, so a romantic old-fashioned place plenty of surprises.
The family decided of not thinking too much at the differences that there were between USA and UK and they started their mythical journey in the unknown with an optimistic approach.
After that newspapers were chosen, TV programs explored, understood that the main activity of Londoners during the entire day is drinking good cups of teas, (they love it so badly being cold) while they work or stay home, the family tried their best to start to receiving guests, friends, sharing thoughts and ideas, going out and exploring London with them.
My favorite character? Undoubtedly the one of Mrs.Grail. Too funny with her systematical, terrible, fascinating, scaring: "They're English, you know. They'll do you every time" speaking about lies.
Mrs. Grail was an Irish lady plenty of prejudices about english people; she was the woman who cleaned the house of the Millers during their three months of permanence to London.
She knew the owners of the house, and according to her point of view, that people didn't leave at all for Scotland during that months but they were systematically spying the lives of the Millers. She met them sometimes along the streets, reported to Anita.
Mrs. Miller became scared. Maybe it was better to speak with an attorney? asks to the husband. Mr. Jordan Miller, was more seraphic and didn't mind at all. After all the couple was extremely busy like also their children.
At their arrival the couple received the visit of the owner of the house for the inventory. Bad weather, desire of sun, sometimes put Mrs Miller in a melancholic state, but, they were surrounded by a lot of friends and co-workers; the friend I found more peculiar was Cynthia with her mantra: "I can't stay at long. My parents are old, I must take care of them." Dr. Bott will be another eccentric character that the family will meet along their way; the couple with the three children will try their best to convince in restaurant's, London's cafe's, waitresses to bringing them some touch of American food and beverages for "tasting some home", when melancholy was too persistent.
The Millers' children experienced sometimes the desire of leaving but after all they spent a positive summer-time.
A flood was a revelation for family Miller and... the house, in part damaged; the house revealed something...Material hidden by the owners of the house; there were also legal repercussions, also after that the couple with their three children left the house on September.

The Millers have visited the most beautiful places of London, from the London Zoo to Madame Tussauds, passing through every sorta of museums, and say or think a London's place, this family visited it for sure. Three months are a long period for visiting a city completely and with accuracy.
I found funny the story of a common friend of the couple. She reported them that this friend married an italian truck driver; the friend of the couple devastated. Why? Well, you know he was someone who, unfortunately didn't know who Charles Dickens was.
:-)

Highly recommended.

I thank Eurospan and Academy Chicago Publishers for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori