5.0 out of 5 stars I’m very happy!

A.M. · October 8, 2017

This is a hard book to find, I’m very happy!

4.0 out of 5 stars It was a wonderful and revealing description of life in Deia

A.C. · April 2, 2017

The book was a fascinating read. It was a wonderful and revealing description of life in Deia, Mallorca by a person who was at first an outsider from his English birthplace who became a true Mallorcan, part of the fabric of his new home. It also was an heartfelt story of a child of a famous, but at times, eccentric poet, novelist father. For anyone who has had to endure a parent's deviation from a "normal" marriage, this story will touch you. Having a famous and brilliant, older father who wasn't dictated, at times, by conventional marital commitment was a test William Graves was able to triumph over and achieve a different type of success in life beneath the shadow of a literary giant.

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opener about the past

K.C. · June 9, 2019

I was in Majorka in May 2019 and to read more about the history and how things developed, was an eye opener. Many questions were answered in this book. The book reads easily and keeps you turning the pages.

3.0 out of 5 stars Just as title states, Life in Majorca with Robert Graves

R. · October 17, 2012

William Graves is the oldest son of Robert Graves (best remembered for I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius and Good-Bye to All That: An Autobiography) from his second marriage and moved to the village of Deia (or Deya) on the Spanish island of Majorca (or Mallorca) with his family at age 6 in 1947."I, Claudius" is one of my favorite books - this is how I think of the father Robert, however I gather in the academic world his is known more for being a poet and scholar of ancient myths, biblical stuff etc. That was one interesting tidbit from this book, that Robert wrote "I, Claudius" just to make money and considered it a potboiler. Funny, I thought it was great but I guess that is the difference between an academic and a regular reader.The focus of this book is not Robert but William and his life on Deia, he considered it magical and home. He discusses how he saw it change from an authentic village to a pseudo-artist hippie hangout with most of the traditional occupations replaced by jobs to support the tourist industry. Really the whole village was completely transformed in its look and character within 25 years. How strange that must have been to the villagers.I drove thru Deia a few years ago and it is so stunning, and there were so many tourists, I couldn't help but wonder how wonderful it might have been when it was still real and isolated so it was interesting and a little sad to read about the transformation.Unlike most writers, Robert seems highly productive and disciplined and domestic, there every day like a regular father. Of course he has some digressions with his search for the 'muse' but it was nice to read what a regular dad he was, not the best dad but a dad nevertheless.But if you have never been to Deia, I doubt this book would be of much interest as so much is about life in the village. Unless a real fan of Robert Graves and want something so supplement his many biographies.

A beautiful Mallorcan childhood with some human shadows

S. · October 13, 2011

This is a beautifully written account of an exceptional childhood set in the period after WW2 in Deya, Mallorca. A very interesting perspective of a child born into the family of Robert Graves, the war poet, who absorbed both cultures as well as trying to make sense of a complex family grouping. William Graves is a talented writer, who invites you into his Deya paradise from page 1. Has similarities to My Family and other animals in that you can visualise the simple beauty of a place through a child's eyes and the what actually is important to a child, despite what adults think.Excellent, creative writing. The emotional side of being a son to a complex creative individual who was actually highly controlling and selfish, but understandably so given his history and his Art.Fantastic to read on many levels, including that of post war Spanish history.

Conocer a Graves desde el Inicio.

C.A. · June 5, 2016

Me decidí a comprar este libro de Williams, porque soy un fan de Graves. Después de haber leído Farewell to all that, entre otras obras, y haber visitado su casa en Mallorca, sentí la necesidad de ir más al origen. De tener más datos o simplemente impresiones que tan bien evocadas aparecen en esta obra. Recomiendo su lectura para aquéllos que estén interesados en la figura de Robert Graves.

Five Stars

8. · April 22, 2016

Thanks

very interesting

L.B. · July 9, 2020

This very personal book gives us a close up look at the life of a famous ex-pat family in Majorca. Robert Graves comes out as a horrible philanderer and an egotist. William Graves paints a very honest portrait of his father and his family. It is like many families with its ups and downs and in this case a bit of a roller coster. I did not know much about Robert Graves outside of his work and now I know maybe too much, the shine is off. I am happy to have read this book and learned quite a lot about William's family, life on Majorca before it became a tourist trap and on his famous father warts and all. I recommend this book.

I can appreciate what William Graves' childhood must have been like. William paints a wonderful description

C. · October 30, 2015

I am really enjoying this book. It is written well and very interesting. Having visited my own family who live in Mallorca on many occasions, I can appreciate what William Graves' childhood must have been like. William paints a wonderful description, which any one should be able to enjoy, about village life in the beautiful village of Deià and the interesting people who managed to live there in sometimes difficult circumstances.