I picked up Miles Gone By for a light read. However, wading through William Buckley's lexicon is never a light read. I don't read Buckley because I am a die hard conservative. I read Buckley because he writes well. My first introduction to his writing was his Blackford Oakes spy novel series. So, I thought I would take a run through a life fairly interesting.
Mr. Buckley grew up at the highest level of affluence. His father was highly placed in foreign affairs and in U.S. business. Most of his youth stories are framed in instances of three household staff members for each child. William benefits from a solid set of parents and takes full advantage of a first rate education. His surfacing as a professional was his writing of God and Man and Yale.
It becomes apparent early that Buckley is a gifted journalist/writer. The book is split up into writings he did for journals through his career. I have not thought of the value of the writer at events until I read through this book. Much as I am challenged to share my thoughts on books in this journal, Buckley takes events and brings them to magnificent life. He tells of sailing, time with dignitaries and time going down to the Titanic, riding the Orient Express. The trip down to the Titanic and his trip on the Orient Express were the most riveting example of the value of someone who can write memorializing special events/scenes.
Buckley received an invite to go down in a exploration submarine to pick up some artifacts from the Titanic wreckage. He does a tremendous job describing the scene, the history, etc. He brings the entire episode to an interesting light.
Buckley is also a sailor so there are lots of stories on sailing. I want to sail, some day, so hearing his stories are of great interest to me. The more I read about sailing the less it is romanticized - sailing is a lot of hard work followed by periods of grandeur. Buckley crosses the Atlantic and Pacific multiple times. As noted he is wealthy, so most of his boats are crewed. The navigation at the time of his crossings were still pretty basic, unlike today's. If you like to sail, the parts of the books would be interesting.
Virtually everyone that is a who's who is a close friend of Buckley. He tells great stories of social gaffes (interrupting Queen Elizabeth to introduce a friend to the person she is talking to), his close friends, David Niven, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, Tom Wolf, Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Moore, Alistair Cook, Princess Grace and John Kenneth Galbraith. He also talks of times with Whittaker Chambers.
Would I recommend this read? Only if you enjoy a little of the high brow life. It was dry in spots, especially the discussions of God and Yale and Man. Overall, an interesting insight to a life fully lived.
