His nanny said-and his life has reflected an appetite for life, enlivened by a sense of theater. John Julius Norwich's equally famous parents frequently entertained everyone of note in Britain, France, or the United States, including their good friend Winston Churchill, H.G. Wells, and Hilaire Belloc, who sang ancient French songs in an old, cracked voice. Trying to Please is an engaging and often amusing memoir that breathes fresh life into the worlds he describes. From a walking tour of the monasteries on Mt. Athos to a camel trek across the Sahara, the book shows how his passions-for history, for travel, for music-have combined with simpler pleasures like friendship and a close family. His recollections evoke a world now extinct, such as a Beirut of cloudless sunshine and moonlit dinners where eleven different religions peacefully coexisted. Book jacket.