Our Kid , the best read ever.
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Ok so i might be a tad bias here as i am a Lancashire Lass myself and from Salford, Manchester but i can safely say this is the best book i have read in many many years. I first saw the book in a shop at Manchester Airport whilst seeing my only sister (who i call 'Our Kid') off home to Florida USA and i thought then that the book seemed Appropriate. Little did i know that a month later i would be recommending it to EVERYONE i know. This is the only book on here i have ever reviewed and i had such a roller coaster ride of emotians reading it that i just have to tell you.... READ IT... you will not regret it.
I of course had to read the follow up which i would only give a 4* rather than this 5* but i will be buying Kates Story in the morning and hopefully it will be just as good as 'Our Kid'.
Billy Hopkins, you are outstanding in your work and i can only imagine what kind of happy life you have now....fun and happiness i bet.
www.lepress.demon.co.uk for more info about his books and the author.
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a pleasure to read
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Our Kid by Billy Hopkins was the book that started my love for autobiographies set in Yorkshire and Ireland during the war years. It is a very easy book to read in a few hours and I have gone back to it time and time again. Very very funny and well worth a read.
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An enjoyable read, but nothing exceptional
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I enjoyed 'Our Kid' by Billy Hopkins, but could not help comparing it unfavourably with 'The Road To Nab End' by William Woodruff which I had read some months earlier. Both books are about Manchester / Lancashire childhoods in the pre-war years where both authors struggle to 'better themselves' despite straitened circumstances, although there are notable differences. I would agree with one of the other reviews which criticised this book for a lack of emotional depth, and for failing to fully build upon the material and characters. Hopkins is a good storyteller with an interesting story to tell (and a terrific memory for being able to remember so much of it), but he does not possess a natural flair for language as does the aforementioned Woodruff. To anyone who enjoyed this book, and who likes reading biographies of lives lived in the early part of the last century, I would recommend 'The Road to Nab End' far more than this book. (I would also recommend 'Lark Rise to Candleford' by Flora Thompson, and 'Cider With Rosie' by Laurie Lee, both wonderful biographies of rural life in the first half of the twentieth century.)
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Disappointing
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Having enjoyed Kate's Story, I thought this would be a good follow on. It started well and I really thought I was going to get drawn into the life of Billy Hopkins, but there was nothing to get drawn into. The childish manner in which it is written suited the character initially, but as he grew up I would have expected more insight and character development - sadly none. After 100 pages of ballroom dancing, I almost gave up, but did manage to finish it. It seems the only interest the story holds is that it describes a childhood in World War 2 - but disappointingly VE Day was skimmed over in a couple of sentences and most of the war was just a blur. There was little plot development and the storyline just seemed to hop from one thing to the next with no REAL story developing. Sadly, a disappointment.
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simply the best book i have ever read
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This story of a little boy growing up in the outskirts of Manchester is captures that sentimental value that every book should have. One minute you will laugh and laugh at the funny little boy and the next you will cry at the dreadful tragedy and misfortune Billy has gone through. The characters are brilliant and i will never ever forget this book for as long as i live.
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