The House in France, By Gully Wells

 

Christopher Hirst
Thursday 14 June 2012 10:56 EDT
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A Proustian moment in the Provençal house of her mother Dee Wells whizzes the author back to the haute bohème of the Sixties.

A motley cast of bit players rub shoulders: Eartha Kitt, Isaiah Berlin, Mary Quant, Raymond Carr ("he made me pee with laughter").

Star roles, not always flattering, are given to her celebrated boyfriend and stepfather: "Until I met Martin [Amis], I thought Freddie [Ayer] was the most intellectually – and sexually – competitive man on earth."

Wells's pin-sharp memories produce an entertaining slide-show.

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