Hello Goodbye Hello is "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," repeated more than a hundredfold--without Kevin Bacon. The book cycles through 101 meetings between well-known writers, artists and heads of state, each vignette connected to the next by at least one of its participants. Thus Adolf Hitler is nearly run over by John-Scott Ellis, who in his childhood knew Rudyard Kipling, who once dropped in on Mark Twain... and so on, until the Duchess of Windsor takes tea with Hitler and the circle is complete.
What makes Hello Goodbye Hello a joy to read is its fast pace combined with Craig Brown's impeccable comedic timing. Each chapter lasts no more than a few pages, yet Brown (host of BBC Radio 4's This Is Craig Brown) consistently catches the essence of the participants as well as the spirit of the age. Each is punctuated with humorous moments that are often a surprise. (One expects Madonna and Michael Jackson's disastrous dinner date to be funny, but Jackie Kennedy's first tête-a-tête with Queen Elizabeth II?) Brown provokes smiles as well as suppressed giggles--and the urge to read particularly good lines aloud to anyone nearby.
Hello Goodbye Hello is a quick and charming read, and it's great fun for anyone interested in the hidden connections between the great figures of the 20th century--and more than a few of their social gaffes. --Dani Alexis Ryskamp, blogger at The Book Cricket