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Knifing the Famous!: John Watson Frcs 1914-2009 Paperback – January 1, 2010

by Carolyn Ann Allen (Author)
3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
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John Watson was a pioneer British cosmetic surgeon, operating originally on 'The Guineapigs' - pilots who had been shot down in flames during WW2 and grossly disfigured - who rose to the top of his field with clients ranging from Lord Lucan and a wife of the Kray Brothers, to Lady Churchill and members of the Royal Household.This is an intimate, emotionally complex, portrait of an archetypal man of his generation who was proud, ambitious, dutiful and enquiring, and yet ultimately private and even secretive, as recorded from the inside in his own words, and from the outside as he was observed by his daughter Carolyn Ann Allen, full of sharp, funny and extraordinary anecdotes as he lived under the shadow of one immense tragedy and one equally towering question - did he operate on Lord Lucan a second time immediately before he disappeared after the murder of his children's nanny Sandra Rivett?
Previous page
  1. Print length
    206 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Createspace Independent Pub
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1453632123
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1453632123
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Createspace Independent Pub (January 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 206 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1453632123
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1453632123
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

Customer reviews

3.1 out of 5 stars
3.1 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cathy Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting look at our near History
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Loved looking into the lives of modern people from 70 years ago.
Writer is extremely talented with word use and allowing readers to experience the pages with her
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Roger Woodgate
4.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Story of an Extraordinary Family
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
I read this book for a research. It was a surprise to me to find it a pleasure. Easy reading and interesting. The father of this out of the ordinary family is a talented man who was dropped into extraordinary circumstances. That is the second world war. Most people would find that to be the highlight of their life, if unwanted. Some would talk about it for the rest of their lives because of that. For John Watson that was just the begining. He was not only a surgeon but would do things like biuld his own television set.

The last few chapters where the author Carolyn Ann Alan visited her long estranged handicapped brother in an institution is a must read. Details of feelings honestly portrayed are some of the best writings I have read.

This is a book I would suggest to be a pleasant surprise to any reader.
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G. Polley
4.0 out of 5 stars John Watson, surgeon, husband, father and raconteur
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2010
"Raconteur" is probably the best word to describe John Watson as he recounts his story to his daughter, Carolyn Allen. There are many fine, interesting tales here: experience in India, Burma and Malaysia during World War II, experiences as a physician, inventor and electrical "Mister Fixit", family man and, finally, famous plastic surgeon. Toward the end of the book there is also a mystery: Did he or didn't he perform plastic surgery a second time on an infamous Peer who disappeared after being suspected of murdering his children's nanny? Some of the most interesting stories, at least for me, were of his experiences during World War 2.

My only disappointment is that Doctor Watson's career as a plastic surgeon comes so late in the book. From the title, I had expected it to come early on. For me that makes it appear a minor theme, instead of the major theme that the title suggests.
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Top reviews from other countries

philip hancock
2.0 out of 5 stars No doubt a very good surgeon much revered by his family but the book ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
Disappointing.No doubt a very good surgeon much revered by his family but the book is rather flimsy.
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