A Yorkshire Boyhood

by Roy Hattersley

"It was not until he was dead and I was forty that I realised my father was once in Holy Orders," Roy Hattersley tells us in the opening pages of 'A YORKSHIRE BOYHOOD'; so setting the tone for an elegant, continually surprising book.


A somewhat precocious only child, Roy grew up surrounded by protective, ever-anxious adults, equally determined to expose him to books and to shield him from germs -- second-hand books were decontaminated by a sharp session in the oven. Uncle Ernest, a timber merchant's clerk celebrated for his skill at 'fretwork and the manipulation of Indian clubs'; a ten-year feud with the next-door neighbours; unwavering devotion to Sheffield Wednesday - all the pleasures and pangs of northern working-class childhood are magnificently evoked as Roy Hattersley takes us through the hardships of the Thirties and the Blitz; and into the 1940s, the 11-plus examination and Grammar School.

Completely updated, 'A YORKSHIRE BOYHOOD' is an autobiographical essay of unusual wit, eloquence and candour.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Roy Sydney George Hattersley, British Politian and author.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s difficult to reconcile the precocious little boy growing up in Sheffield in the 1930’s, with the highly respected Labour politician that Roy Hattersley became.

This wasn’t a little boy who played outdoors with his mates, on the contrary, he spent most of his time surrounded by adults. His was a household that was determined to educate Roy, mainly with the help of second hand books , but those very books were the source of contamination, a vessel for harbouring germs, and for that reason the books had to spend a carefully timed session in the oven to ensure the death of said germs!

I really enjoyed this memoir, it was an engaging read that takes one back to another time and place, not only that, but it was rather amusing to boot!

[Shirley Revill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book ages ago and i really enjoyed reading this story. Recommended.

[Bobbie Darbyshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author’s autobiography from cradle to acceptance at university. Passed on to me a friend who gave it no particular recommendation. I found it so dull I was rarely able to clock up my usual 20 pages minimum at a sitting. It’s detailed and informative, and there are some interesting anecdotes, moments of humour, and evocative images, but Hattersley’s relentlessly clever phrase-making and circumlocution keep the book’s feet in the mud. I skimmed the bits about football, cricket and the local Labour party. Also, though I didn’t dislike him exactly, his account of himself as an often ailing, cosseted, and in many ways mediocre, only child wasn’t altogether endearing.

[Andy P · Rating 3 out of 5]

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