"Simon’s life doesn’t start brilliantly, with bombers flying low over
the family farm in Italy and his father’s belated homecoming
after the ill-fated Greek campaign. Then there is the roachridden
fl at in war-fl attened Bologna and a thankless job turning our
widgets on a lathe.
But a trip to England opens new horizons for Simon. He discovers the
wonders of the English language and the marvels of young women.
Alice is an Irish nurse working in London, where Simon is a
hospitalorderly. They meet – and his life takes a big turn for the better.
Marriage and children follow, and Simon’s natural Italian charm,
plus Alice’s easy vivacity, creates success for him as an international
salesman, with business trips to Japan and China and a family holiday
in America via the QE2.
Then disaster strikes. Who can look at a deadly disease – no, three lifethreatening
conditions – and remain calm? Simon’s journey is indeed
one from paradise to hell. But his survival, in this fascinating biography,
is a tribute to his inner strength and a refl ective yet optimistic approach
to the life he loves."