Doug Hartley combines his own evolution with a thorough early family history in always changing, often turbulent eras. Relatives and close friends may examine his story with interest, but even a casual reader will be indebted to his mother, Elizabeth Hill, whose diaries vividly portray England in the inter-war period. Her memories, along with the author's, cover a span of well over a century-detailed personal and social history at its anecdotal best, from life across "the Pond" to the States, to US Foreign Service and on to retirement-always enhanced by the author's abiding love of classical music and the sea. A dedicated history buff will find much to satisfy while pursuing this author's life.