Everybody Was So Young - Tapa blanda

'Such is Amanda Vaill's skill - and it is almost incredible that this is her first book - that she makes what might have been a mere literary footnote into an enthralling and deeply moving narrative' OBSERVER 'fascinating, thoroughly documented biography of the legendary couple a haunting tribute to courage, devotion and an irretrievable dream lived to its fullest' THE TIMES 'Superb generous, acutely sensitive and deeply moving' - Calvin Tomkins, author of LIVING WELL IS THE BEST REVENGE 'Wonderfully bitter-sweet and beautifully written' - Deirdre Bair, biographer of Anais Nin and Simone de Beauvoir 'This absorbing biography subtly portrays a remarkable couple.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Vaill's version has authority, elegance and compassion.' THE HERALD (Glasgow) 'Viall's biography is almost as hypnotic as the works the couple inspired.' CITY LIFE 'An ideal book for the beach a subtle, senstive and hugely enjoyable investigation.' Humphrey Carpenter, SUNDAY TIMES

In Paris in the 1920s, Gerald and Sara Murphy were the emotional nexus of a charmed circle. Their friends and acquaintances included many of the major artistic figures of the 20th century, from Fitzgerald and Hemingway to Dorothy Parker and Picasso. Their "Villa America" on the Riviera was an enchanted Never-Neverland for their creative coterie and beloved children. However, the idyll they spun was not to last as they would lose both of their sons in the 1930s, and in the coming decades see most of their dear friends self-destruct. However, throughout their lives they provided all with "a lesson of courage disguised as taste". In this biography, the author, who had access to private family papers, explores how the talented members of their generation triumphed, suffered and manifested their gifts.