Fathers and Sons
Alexander Waugh, Review, £8.99
The distinguished opera critic (son of Auberon, grandson of Evelyn) attempts once and for all to rid himself of family comparisons by bundling them into a single book and hauling them out to sea. The exercise is also meant to provide general insights into father-son relations, which seems unlikely given the status and eccentricity of the Waughs. The accounts remain honest even in the autobiographical sections -- but the family smugness hangs around, too.