Old Filth
A retired judge, raised as a Raj orphan and shipped to Wales at five, reckons late in life with everything he never said.
Sir Edward Feathers, a retired barrister and judge, was a Raj orphan sent from Malaya to Wales at five and handed to strangers. Jane Gardam moves between his celebrated career in Hong Kong and the childhood he never discussed, and the nickname of the title, Failed In London Try Hong Kong, turns out to be the least true thing about him.
Recommended by 1 Person
Ayelet Waldman
Here's another favorite, also permeated by regret! The hero (such as he is) looks back on a painful childhood and a life characterized in no small part by disappointment. Though he is a successful barrister and judge, Sir Edward Feathers' nickname, derived from "Failed In London Try Hong Kong," sums up his life: This book, though melancholic, is leavened by Gardam's mordant wit.
Source · May 2026
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