Before even penning his first novel, William Wharton had left his home in Los Angeles to live with his family in Paris. On a romantic whim, he makes an offer for houseboat that is, in reality, barely more than a broken wooden hulk. To his surprise, the bid is accepted. Thus begins the story of his family’s work to return the boat to its former glory and build a home for themselves from scratch.
William Wharton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1925. During the Second World War, Wharton served in the US army, until an injury led to his discharge. In 1978, Wharton’s first novel, ‘Birdy’, was published to critical acclaim. Before his death in 2008, Wharton penned 8 further novels, and 3 memoirs. The most recent memoir, ‘Shrapnel’, was published for the first time in English in 2012.