was so much fun! It is very much in the vein of James Herriot and Miss Read, The best word to describe all three is goodhearted, There is something so delightfully humane and humorous about Herriot and Miss Read, and I found that in spades in Gervase's book as well, I laughed out loud many times, This book is essentially like sitting down with him in his Rotherham house with cups of tea and slices of cake and listening to his anecdotes of his childhood.
I feel that Gervase is a kindred spirit, He notes at the beginning of his memoir that misery memoirs are popular but that his memoir will be just the opposite he is unapologetic about the goodness of his childhood and how supportive and kind his parents and teachers were.
I was also surrounded by people who cared for me and encouraged me in my childhood, When I was taking a creative nonfiction writing class in college, I submitted a piece of writing about my childhood to the class for critique, and I remember one student, Elise, saying, "How can this be real These people are too good!" I still feel the shock of her comment and the lingering sadness that Elise's experience led her to doubt goodness when she read it.
Though no childhood is free from suffering and those stories are worth telling and reading, I do love Gervase's conviction that it's equally important to celebrate the good.
His own positive experience with adults led him to become a teacher, and I have a feeling he is beloved by many for his passionate commitment to the goodness and potential of each child.
I also enjoyed Gervase's story as a new perspective on British life, I'm not sure if Rotherham is considered the Midlands, but regardless this area of England is not well known to me and nor is the post WWII period as familiar.
I loved Gervase's stories of being thoroughly lower middle class and with Irish and Scottish Catholic lineage as well, I loved the stories about his dynamic and nononsense Catholic mother who worked as a nurse through his growing up years, The memoir is roughly linear, but there are many anecdotes sprinkled throughout that are very loosely organized, I probably prefer a more linear story if I had to choose, but the structure of the memoir works because of the effervescence of the storytelling.
I especially enjoyed reading about Gervases experiences in his secondary school and his teachers who encouraged him to consider teaching as a profession,
We only get little bits about Gervase's own wife and children understandable since this is his uptoagememoir, but his wife certainly gets the lastline laugh.
It was a perfect way to end the memoir as it captures Gervase's view of himself as a rather humble and ordinary chap but with a gift for telling a story.
I was quite looking forward to this having enjoyed Phinn's talks on the radio, but I found it rather meandering, repetitive and dull, Comparing it with other novels and biography's
from the same period was mildly interesting but the best I can really say was that it passed the time.
I confess, I looked at the cover at this book and I wasn't sure it would be a book for me but many people on GR have spoken highly about Gervase Phinn so I overlooked my first impression and I'm glad that I did.
I thought this was a charming memoir of childhood in the Yorkshire Dales Gervase Phinn writes fondly of his parents, siblings, friends and teachers.
He is eloquent on matters of education the unfairness of theand grammar school system, the problem of bullying within schools, the demise of the family meal! Often he is amusing, sometimes he is outright funny and on occasion he moved me to tears.
I love people's stories. I'm studying history and I particularly like social history, But this guy's stories are boring, I should have known when he compared himself to Frank McCourt and said they had nothing in common, I should have stopped there, Gervase tells of a life full of happiness, conversation, music and books shared with his three siblings, mother and father, This title is a snapshot of growing up in Yorkshire in thes reminisce with Gervase, and share in his personal journey of school days and holidays as well as his tentative steps into the adult world.
An earnest and whimsical retelling of a youth geared around strong upbringing and educational commitment from the part of the Phinn family and the teachers who helped mould him.
Gervase tells of a life full of happiness, conversation, music and books shared with his three siblings, mother and father, This book is a snapshot of growing up in Yorkshire in thes reminisce with Gervase, and share in his personal journey of school days and holidays as well as his tentative steps into the adult world.
You can devour numerous uproarious stories including the incident involving a broken greenhouse, crashing his brother's newly restored bike as well as secrets about his first dates, adventures at summer camp, family trips to Blackpool and many other captivating tales.
With a wicked ear for the comical, and a sharp eye for detail, this beautifully written book visits poignant moments, significant events and precious memories from a boy called Gervase.
I love Gervase Phinn's books, His writing is gentle, familyfriendly, with a sharp observational humour that gives his words a wry wit, As a consequence, I was thrilled to see that Phinn had written a new book dealing with his own life while growing up in Yorkshire.
My view of this book is extremely positive, in the main, In fact, the main factor of 'Road to the Dales' I didn't enjoy was the structure, Phinn's commentary darts all over the place, which does give the novel a gossipy feel this might have been the aim, to be fair! but doesn't help the reader really get too much of a grasp on what Phinn will be chatting about next.
It is far from linear, and, in the first part, deals more with Phinn's family than on his own story,
I did also recognise a few anecdotes from Phinn's novels about being a school inspector in Yorkshire, It strikes me that most people who would read this book would have read his prior novels, and so it seemed a little shortsighted to duplicate material.
Happily it was very infrequent,
These minor issues aside, 'Road to the Dales' is a wonderful book, The stories of Phinn's early life and his progress through school, the holidays he takes, the games he plays on the street outside his house all are related with warmth and a huge affection for the places and people that informed Phinn.
Having a father of a similar age as Phinn lent extra poignancy to my read, since I've heard my dad speak of many of the same sweets, food, games, experiences from when he was growing up.
The part of the novel that I enjoyed the best was the way Phinn spoke about his teachers and the learning that led him to pursuing the role that we see him taking on in his books about being a school inspector.
I also had goodhumoured, passionate and experienced teachers while going through primary and secondary school who definitely helped to instill in me a love of books and learning and appreciate Phinn's eulogising on how important a factor it is in a young person's life.
Quotes like the following fill the pages: "Like all great teachers he did not stick slavishly to a script but would deviate and tell stories to arouse our interest.
What I learnt from Ken Pike was the importance of young people having high expectations and selfbelief, "
I also loved the humour something that I'd already encountered in his books about being a school inspector, Little anecdotes such as the following are delightful:
"One trainee nurse, a permanently cheerful Jamaican woman with a beaming smile and sunny disposition, was assisting the anaesthetist in another operation.
'Arm board,' he said, meaning the device on which the patient's arm rests prior to the administering of the anaesthetic, The nurse nodded and smiled but made no move,
'I said arm board, nurse,' repeated the anaesthetist sharply,
'Ah'm bored too, doctor,' she replied pleasantly, 'but we'll soon be going home, '"
As a final point, I do 'Road to the Dales' is an effective study of life in thes ands in northern England.
Health and safety were unheard of, and life would have been unrecognisable to many of us brought up in a time where political correctness and safety for children are constantly spoken about: "Parents didn't worry about where you were, who you were with, what you were doing, and never imagined that predatory paedophiles were lurking around every corner and hiding behind every bush.
It wasn't as if they didn't care about us, . . : Amazingly, in all those early years, apart from a few scrapes and scratches, I never hurt myself and was never approached by the stereotypical 'dirty old man in a raincoat'.
"
Gervase Phinn admits candidly that, if you are looking for a memoir of a childhood filled with misery and difficult situations, then you need to go elsewhere.
Phinn writes with love about his wonderful childhood, his family and his experiences, He recognises that he was blessed compared to others, and that humble joy is very evident, I greatly enjoyed this diverting novel and would recommend it to those who have enjoyed Phinn's prior work and those who enjoy real life memoirs.
Gervase Phinn is a delightful author and I very much loved his series, I will most certainly be buying his children's books for my children, Having enjoyed his books reading about him on a more personal level was lovely, I read this delightful, interesting, and humorous autobiography of Gervase Phinn with my friend Elizabeth Laumas, And, true to his nature, it ends with a laugh, This was so enjoyable! I loved reading about his childhood and discussing with my friend! Gervase Phinn never fails to make me smile and laugh and nod my head knowingly.
I have read all his books, I have loved all his books, Teacher, School Inspector, Public Speaker, Author, Poet and Patron of many charities for children, turns the story on himself in this book and it's told with all the humour and honesty of his tales about the straight talking Yorkshire schoolchildren of his previous books.
Mr. Phinn is obviously one of those brilliant people who were BORN to teach, born to enlighten and encourage, born to tell stories, to write stories and to make people laugh and feel good about themselves.
I hope the next book isn't too far away, I absolutely loved reading this book, So much I could write about it but in brief it made me laugh out loud many many times, it was a joy to read, especially during the Lockdown.
It had brilliant insights much I can relate to as a failedperson myself where I too had amazing inspiring teachers at the Secondary Modern School I attended plus it was enlightening to learn of a way of life now all but gone in the UK.
I'm pleased Mr Phinn exposed the mean, religious and legalistic spirit of the priest Hammond, and glad he wrote with such honesty about that disappointing time in his mother's life but she was the victor in the end, and did I feel pleased when she went up for communion afteryears of being excluded!
I loved all the characters he describes, and his style of writing I personally found completely engaging.
One of the best autobiographies I've read in a long time, was sad when it ended, This is the story of Gervase Phinn and all about his childhood,
This is before he becomes a teacher and a school inspector but it's still in line with his other books which are a must read as there's some great anecdotes and oneliners.
Looking forward to seeing the man himself in a few weeks too, . . : Gervase Phinn bornDecember, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England is an English author and educator, After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector, He is now a freelance lecturer, broadcaster and writer, a consultant for the Open University, Honorary Fellow of St, Johns College, York, Doctor of Letters D, Litt of the University of Leicester, Doctor of Letters D, Litt of The University of Hull and the Fellow and Visiting Professor of Education at The University of Teesside, Inthe highest academic award of Sheffield Hallam University, Doctor of the University D, Univ. was conferred upon him by the Chancellor, Professor Lord Robert Winston, Inhe became President of The School Library Association, He has publ Gervase Phinn bornDecember, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England is an English author and educator, After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector, He is now a freelance lecturer, broadcaster and writer, a consultant for the Open University, Honorary Fellow of St, John's College, York, Doctor of Letters D, Litt of the University of Leicester, Doctor of Letters D, Litt of The University of Hull and the Fellow and Visiting Professor of Education at The University of Teesside, Inthe highest academic award of Sheffield Hallam University, Doctor of the University D, Univ. was conferred upon him by the Chancellor, Professor Lord Robert Winston, Inhe became President of The School Library Association, He has published five volumes of memoir, collections of poetry and a number of books about education, He has a particular interest in children's literature and literacy, He is married with four grown up children, sitelink.