This is a novel way of presenting an autobiography. There is no timorous toeing of the line; the reader polices taste. Hence, the story is unhampered. The story takes place in the days of the great white ocean liners when home-made on-board passenger entertainment ruled the waves, before the advent of the jet-age and package tours, and a far cry from the world of 20th century cruising. Having also experienced life at sea with the P&O Lines in the 60s and early 70s as a Social Hostess, I can certainly recommend this book, particularly if you too have memories of life on the passenger liners in the 20th century. Peter Tate’s detailed recollections of his life as a very young Ship’s Surgeon and his descriptive writing has the reader sailing with him all the way. This is a book that had to be written and I just had to read it!