An autobiographical memoir, set for the most part in London in the 1940s and 50s, by the author of "At the Jerusalem", "Trespasses" and "An English Madam: The Life and Work of Cynthia Payne". It is composed of fifty scenes or fragments of memory which describe Bailey's parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

'Unsentimental, touching...a funny, sad way to come to terms with the experience of childhood. If only more memoirs could be like An Immaculate Mistake' - The Sunday Times