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The Sadness of The King George
Welcome to The King George. You know it. Your old local. Back in the day. The stink of beer and piss, sticky carpets, nicotine stains on the ceiling, soggy bar towels, and the chance of a punch-up on a Saturday night – or anytime for that matter. And in amongst it all an awkward 20-year-old, trapped behind the bar, with nothing to do but pull pints and wait for the next fag break. Until he finds Amy. And life. And an escape – if he dares. From West Midlands writer Shaun Hand comes a comedy novel set in a Birmingham pub, well Sutton Coldfield to be precise. Funny, poignant and unflinchingly honest, The Sadness of The King George captures the moment when the easy idealism of youth collides with the hard realities of conservative suburbia.
- GenresFiction
392 pages, Paperback
Published January 6, 2021
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 4, 2021
Pubs.
Remember them? The pinnacle of any community, with locals who you love to banter with and loath their opinions of the world also.
And your 20s. What a decade. A time to be inspired and learn from those you meet.
This book is nostalgic, inspirational and also very melancholic.
The beginning of learning about oneself and your character.
A little bit of yourself and everyone youve met after work at your local.
Shaun - an amazing first piece of literature and I can't wait for the next!
Remember them? The pinnacle of any community, with locals who you love to banter with and loath their opinions of the world also.
And your 20s. What a decade. A time to be inspired and learn from those you meet.
This book is nostalgic, inspirational and also very melancholic.
The beginning of learning about oneself and your character.
A little bit of yourself and everyone youve met after work at your local.
Shaun - an amazing first piece of literature and I can't wait for the next!
February 14, 2021
This will not be everyone's preferred beverage but for me as a reader who likes to keep an open mind, (fresh air is always good for ridding the middle aged brain of too many cobwebs), this was an exciting debut about finding oneself, or not, in a pub-based coming of age tale.
It is funny, irreverent, littered with colourful language, and rather than cheese and onion flavoured, it is seasoned with a West Midlands dialect which only serves to add authenticity to the dialogue and characters' thoughts and actions.
Behind the bar of The King George is Unnamed Narrator, a 20 year old male in search of self confidence, a girlfriend and a Life. Trouble is, no matter how hard he searches, hangovers allowing, and not before lunchtime, he just cannot get his hands on those elusive attributes which will catch him a gorgeous girl and help him know what to say to the very eclectic mix of regulars that keep having their glasses topped up.
The novel explores the thinking process of a young man who lacks ambition and is incredibly aimless. He hasn't a clue how everyone knows more than he does and he is terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing. This makes the reader feel a mixture of part empathy and part frustration. As a mother I wanted to hug him and shake him in equal measure.
Not being a frequenter of pubs, it is a testament to the power of Mr Hand's writing that I could picture the hostelry, picture the customers and live alongside them as they discuss life and partake of all the pub has to offer, or not. It was as if I was skulking unseen, (I certainly would not have wanted to be actively involved!) somewhere in the depths of the slightly (but only just so) more civilised Lounge.
The characters are diverse and awful and funny and shameless and drunk, and yet Unnamed Young Man seems to look up to many of them for their money, their brawn and their effortless ability to tell stories, complain and keep a conversation going.
Ideal for anyone who is missing their regular due to pandemic enforced lockdowns or anyone who wishes to recall their misspent youth, this book is for you. I was always way too sensible, serious and determined to succeed to truly identify with a single character in this book, but this absolutely did not detract from my enjoyment of it and I did not need to call Time before I read the last word.
Thank you to Shaun Hand, the publisher and the people at Pigeonhole for an entertaining read.
It is funny, irreverent, littered with colourful language, and rather than cheese and onion flavoured, it is seasoned with a West Midlands dialect which only serves to add authenticity to the dialogue and characters' thoughts and actions.
Behind the bar of The King George is Unnamed Narrator, a 20 year old male in search of self confidence, a girlfriend and a Life. Trouble is, no matter how hard he searches, hangovers allowing, and not before lunchtime, he just cannot get his hands on those elusive attributes which will catch him a gorgeous girl and help him know what to say to the very eclectic mix of regulars that keep having their glasses topped up.
The novel explores the thinking process of a young man who lacks ambition and is incredibly aimless. He hasn't a clue how everyone knows more than he does and he is terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing. This makes the reader feel a mixture of part empathy and part frustration. As a mother I wanted to hug him and shake him in equal measure.
Not being a frequenter of pubs, it is a testament to the power of Mr Hand's writing that I could picture the hostelry, picture the customers and live alongside them as they discuss life and partake of all the pub has to offer, or not. It was as if I was skulking unseen, (I certainly would not have wanted to be actively involved!) somewhere in the depths of the slightly (but only just so) more civilised Lounge.
The characters are diverse and awful and funny and shameless and drunk, and yet Unnamed Young Man seems to look up to many of them for their money, their brawn and their effortless ability to tell stories, complain and keep a conversation going.
Ideal for anyone who is missing their regular due to pandemic enforced lockdowns or anyone who wishes to recall their misspent youth, this book is for you. I was always way too sensible, serious and determined to succeed to truly identify with a single character in this book, but this absolutely did not detract from my enjoyment of it and I did not need to call Time before I read the last word.
Thank you to Shaun Hand, the publisher and the people at Pigeonhole for an entertaining read.
February 14, 2021
I’m going to say this is nearly a 4* read for me, so I’ve rounded up. I liked the writing, and the character observations of the locals in the narrator’s pub, which is populated by old men and does not sound like a fun place for a night out. The Birmingham dialect is well written and the sense of malaise felt by the narrator is palpable - he has no career plans, he’s fallen into this job and he has an ex-girlfriend he calls for sex.
My issue with it is not the writing, I think it’s just not for me as a reader. I wanted to step inside and shake the narrator, whose apathy really frustrated me from the start. I wanted something better for him than a lot of drinking and masturbation, but I can also see that this was kind of the point of the book. I suppose it makes a nice change to read about people in their early 20s who don’t have a clue what they are doing, instead of being bright young things with a sense of opportunity and excitement. Thank goodness for the narrator’s girlfriend and her revelation!
Good writing, hence the rating, might be more your thing than mine! Read with The Pigeonhole.
My issue with it is not the writing, I think it’s just not for me as a reader. I wanted to step inside and shake the narrator, whose apathy really frustrated me from the start. I wanted something better for him than a lot of drinking and masturbation, but I can also see that this was kind of the point of the book. I suppose it makes a nice change to read about people in their early 20s who don’t have a clue what they are doing, instead of being bright young things with a sense of opportunity and excitement. Thank goodness for the narrator’s girlfriend and her revelation!
Good writing, hence the rating, might be more your thing than mine! Read with The Pigeonhole.
February 16, 2025
Viscerally real and makes the mundane seem interesting. Really enjoyed it but not quite sure why
February 16, 2021
A PigeonHole read to which I've signed up thinking it was going to be full of quirky characters and humor. And in a way it is, but let me explain.
Set in Birmingham, with the accompanying vernacular, the novel follows our narrator from leaving school to present day, working in The George. In the process we also get acquainted with the regulars of the George and a few others, mostly the co-workers. The problem, for me, is that The George is a shithole pub with the colourful array of regulars one would expect in such an 'establishment': a few decrepit old men, a few racists, some full of themselves, violent builders and so on. The owner and workers not being far from the regulars either. And then there's our narrator: a blob of a man, full of teenage angst despite approaching his 21st birthday, just drifting through life in his silly quest to not be a 9 to 5 type of person.
Shaun Hand has skillfully re-created the English pub atmosphere and the archetypal characters specific to this type of setting. The humor is satisfying too, I even laughed out loud a few time. But for me it was really hard to put up with the constant swearing and inane dialogues between the narrator and his girlfriend/co-workers. On top of that, the overall story has no purpose/finality. While this is in line with the harsh reality portrayed throughout the book, I cannot say it worked for me .... Therefore I am really struggling to rate this book. At an emotionally level I would give it 2 stars, but that doesn't do justice to Shaun's prowess as an author, so I've settled on 3 stars.
Set in Birmingham, with the accompanying vernacular, the novel follows our narrator from leaving school to present day, working in The George. In the process we also get acquainted with the regulars of the George and a few others, mostly the co-workers. The problem, for me, is that The George is a shithole pub with the colourful array of regulars one would expect in such an 'establishment': a few decrepit old men, a few racists, some full of themselves, violent builders and so on. The owner and workers not being far from the regulars either. And then there's our narrator: a blob of a man, full of teenage angst despite approaching his 21st birthday, just drifting through life in his silly quest to not be a 9 to 5 type of person.
Shaun Hand has skillfully re-created the English pub atmosphere and the archetypal characters specific to this type of setting. The humor is satisfying too, I even laughed out loud a few time. But for me it was really hard to put up with the constant swearing and inane dialogues between the narrator and his girlfriend/co-workers. On top of that, the overall story has no purpose/finality. While this is in line with the harsh reality portrayed throughout the book, I cannot say it worked for me .... Therefore I am really struggling to rate this book. At an emotionally level I would give it 2 stars, but that doesn't do justice to Shaun's prowess as an author, so I've settled on 3 stars.
June 17, 2021
I was drawn to read this because it is set in Sutton Coldfield, which is about a 5 minute drive away from where I live. I like reading books where I know the places and Tamworth gets a mention!
I really enjoyed reading this book, the story of a young man who has no aim in life. His life revolves around his dead end job and his some time girlfriend. He is trying to find a way out but nothing seems to pan out for him.
The range of characters found within the pub are very interesting, it is a good place to find a mix of eccentric and interesting people. He has used his knowledge well, to create a unique environment.
I look forward to reading more of Shaun’s work.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the story of a young man who has no aim in life. His life revolves around his dead end job and his some time girlfriend. He is trying to find a way out but nothing seems to pan out for him.
The range of characters found within the pub are very interesting, it is a good place to find a mix of eccentric and interesting people. He has used his knowledge well, to create a unique environment.
I look forward to reading more of Shaun’s work.
June 7, 2021
☆꧁🐝 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖🤩꧂☆
☆༒💭 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛 💭༒☆
You know it. Your old local. Back in the day. The stink of beer and piss, sticky carpets, nicotine stains on the ceiling, soggy bar towels, and the chance of a punch-up on a Saturday night – or anytime for that matter.
And in amongst it all an awkward 20-year-old, trapped behind the bar, with nothing to do but pull pints and wait for the next break.
Until he finds Amy. And life. And an escape – if he dares.
꧁☬𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑶𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝/5 ☬꧂
🐝✿☆𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰☆✿🐝
For me, The Sadness of The King George is a relatable, extremely colourful account of a familiar place long past it’s prime in time ! Alas, these rough looking boozers and the stereotypical people that represent them are a rarity, the last of something that is dying out. Stuck behind the bar, pulling pints is a young 20 year old “youngster” who has no idea what to do with his life but knows he must do something, with someone and longs for the company of a gorgeous girl. As much as he tries, he never amounts to anything more than pulling another endless pint whilst lending an ear to the next desperate punter in line at the bar! Without realising it I found myself empathising with and routing for the boy, willing him to have an occasional win!
This book is perfect for those who have missed their staunch drinking buddies in their reliable, local during the last year!!
Thank you @annecater14 for sending me is fab book in exchange for my honest review.
☆༒💭 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛 💭༒☆
You know it. Your old local. Back in the day. The stink of beer and piss, sticky carpets, nicotine stains on the ceiling, soggy bar towels, and the chance of a punch-up on a Saturday night – or anytime for that matter.
And in amongst it all an awkward 20-year-old, trapped behind the bar, with nothing to do but pull pints and wait for the next break.
Until he finds Amy. And life. And an escape – if he dares.
꧁☬𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑶𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝/5 ☬꧂
🐝✿☆𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰☆✿🐝
For me, The Sadness of The King George is a relatable, extremely colourful account of a familiar place long past it’s prime in time ! Alas, these rough looking boozers and the stereotypical people that represent them are a rarity, the last of something that is dying out. Stuck behind the bar, pulling pints is a young 20 year old “youngster” who has no idea what to do with his life but knows he must do something, with someone and longs for the company of a gorgeous girl. As much as he tries, he never amounts to anything more than pulling another endless pint whilst lending an ear to the next desperate punter in line at the bar! Without realising it I found myself empathising with and routing for the boy, willing him to have an occasional win!
This book is perfect for those who have missed their staunch drinking buddies in their reliable, local during the last year!!
Thank you @annecater14 for sending me is fab book in exchange for my honest review.
July 5, 2021
I loved this book. I loved the use of accent, and the wonderfully observed characters that frequented The King George. I felt like I knew the pub, and the people in it. There was dark humour, and the story engaged me. I wanted to read on and was rooting for the hapless 20 year old narrator to sort his shit out both in terms of his relationships and his would-be role models. If you like writers like John King (and I do) then this book might just be for you. Good stuff indeed.
January 11, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and I dare say for anybody coming of age in the UK, in the early 2000s, there's a lot here for them too. The Sadness of the King George is a vivid account of life in a dying breed of pub, set in a part of the UK that is seldom found in literature. In the well drawn characters and their hypocritical shortcomings we may have found a successor to Patrick Hamilton. It is touching, funny and nostalgic, in all the right ways, I'd definitely recommend.
February 14, 2021
This book perfectly captures that sense of place (the pub) and that moment of time in your life when you feel you should be doing more, but have no idea what that is.
Great cast of characters-Siobhan being my particular favourite-and some laugh out loud moments, plus some really emotional scenes.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the chance to read this.
Great cast of characters-Siobhan being my particular favourite-and some laugh out loud moments, plus some really emotional scenes.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the chance to read this.
February 14, 2021
A “pigeonhole” book, released a part each day for readers to comment on like a sort of book club.
Bittersweet slice-of-life about a diffident, directionless, naive young man working in a West Midlands pub. Really good on the community of circumstance, the grudging friendships and mutual dependence, of pub regulars.
Bittersweet slice-of-life about a diffident, directionless, naive young man working in a West Midlands pub. Really good on the community of circumstance, the grudging friendships and mutual dependence, of pub regulars.
February 14, 2021
3.5⭐
Pigeonhole
Pigeonhole
June 6, 2021
Call me shallow, but I'm a sucker for a book that starts with a bit of swearing. The opening scene, where our young narrator throws a man out of the pub, sets the tone for what is to come.
The King George is in Sutton Coldfield and, like all such pubs, it has its motley band of regulars from old boys supping their halves of mild to racist misogynist bullies swilling pints of lager. This crew of misfits form the supporting chorus to the main story - that of our hapless barman.
Aged only twenty, he's fast becoming the one thing he never wanted to be - someone who goes to work, comes home, gets drunk, wakes up with a hangover and starts the whole sorry cycle all over again. He's feckless, self-absorbed, obsessed with his ex Gemma and always late for work, but he's also endearingly naive, shy and self-conscious.
When Amy, an attractive student, comes to work at the King George during her summer break, he senses the possibility of a new start. And as his 21st birthday approaches, he tries to work out who he wants to be and what it is that he actually wants out of life.
It's a cracking story and well told, with a bunch of characters who could easily have walked out of your local. The post-teenage navel-gazing is lightened by some truly comic set pieces, as well as some real pathos courtesy of the dramas in the drinkers' lives. The novel flits between the present and the past as we look back over his year behind the bar and learn what happened to end his relationship with Gemma.
The King George is in Sutton Coldfield and, like all such pubs, it has its motley band of regulars from old boys supping their halves of mild to racist misogynist bullies swilling pints of lager. This crew of misfits form the supporting chorus to the main story - that of our hapless barman.
Aged only twenty, he's fast becoming the one thing he never wanted to be - someone who goes to work, comes home, gets drunk, wakes up with a hangover and starts the whole sorry cycle all over again. He's feckless, self-absorbed, obsessed with his ex Gemma and always late for work, but he's also endearingly naive, shy and self-conscious.
When Amy, an attractive student, comes to work at the King George during her summer break, he senses the possibility of a new start. And as his 21st birthday approaches, he tries to work out who he wants to be and what it is that he actually wants out of life.
It's a cracking story and well told, with a bunch of characters who could easily have walked out of your local. The post-teenage navel-gazing is lightened by some truly comic set pieces, as well as some real pathos courtesy of the dramas in the drinkers' lives. The novel flits between the present and the past as we look back over his year behind the bar and learn what happened to end his relationship with Gemma.
February 16, 2021
I wondered a few times through reading this book whether I should continue. I’m glad I did. This book certainly won’t fit all people. I think I felt my age while reading the book, and it was a good one for reflecting back on a life well lived.
My son read it with me, and he certainly saw more humour than I did. I didn’t like the bad language but my son told me to “get over yourself” as that is how people speak. He suggested it must have been difficult to write. The Mancunian dialect didn’t bother me at all.
I enjoyed getting to know the main character who was telling the story. He was shy at first, and this changed throughout the book, not quite getting to be an extrovert but definitely more able to cope in social situations. Being the mother of a young man, I was inclined to want to give him a hug and tell him that things would get better. However, there were times when I wanted to shake him and shout at him to wake up and smell the roses.
I was quickly able to visualise the pub and it’s regulars from my own experience. It was interesting to visit what was a rather large part of their lives. Everyone seemed to lack ambition, from the young man behind the bar to the regulars of the pub. They all seem to live their lives without any expectations that change may come. In fact, they absolutely detest change, whether it is through losing one of their own or trying a new music night. All change is deemed to be bad.
Only the young girls seem to have any life about them. One of them is at university and only working at the pub during her holidays. I had great hopes that she might encourage our narrator to enrol for some higher education. All the characters were well written and I felt as if I would know them if I met them at my local (highly unlikely due to the current lockdown).
As a debut, this book was extremely well written. I enjoyed the different writing style, it made it extremely easy to read. It wasn’t an exciting read, but it was an enlightening one and led to great conversations with my son. We seemed to read different books! I think this is definitely a book for the younger reader.
My son read it with me, and he certainly saw more humour than I did. I didn’t like the bad language but my son told me to “get over yourself” as that is how people speak. He suggested it must have been difficult to write. The Mancunian dialect didn’t bother me at all.
I enjoyed getting to know the main character who was telling the story. He was shy at first, and this changed throughout the book, not quite getting to be an extrovert but definitely more able to cope in social situations. Being the mother of a young man, I was inclined to want to give him a hug and tell him that things would get better. However, there were times when I wanted to shake him and shout at him to wake up and smell the roses.
I was quickly able to visualise the pub and it’s regulars from my own experience. It was interesting to visit what was a rather large part of their lives. Everyone seemed to lack ambition, from the young man behind the bar to the regulars of the pub. They all seem to live their lives without any expectations that change may come. In fact, they absolutely detest change, whether it is through losing one of their own or trying a new music night. All change is deemed to be bad.
Only the young girls seem to have any life about them. One of them is at university and only working at the pub during her holidays. I had great hopes that she might encourage our narrator to enrol for some higher education. All the characters were well written and I felt as if I would know them if I met them at my local (highly unlikely due to the current lockdown).
As a debut, this book was extremely well written. I enjoyed the different writing style, it made it extremely easy to read. It wasn’t an exciting read, but it was an enlightening one and led to great conversations with my son. We seemed to read different books! I think this is definitely a book for the younger reader.
May 19, 2021
🍻ℙ𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡 𝕒 𝕓𝕒𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕓 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗 𝕒 𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕥!🍻
Welcome to 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖆𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕲𝖊𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊
By Shaun Hand @shaunpatrickhand
Get stuck in to the brawl, the obscenities and drunken slur at the local.
Meet the punters, boisterous Val, moaning Cedric, loud mouth Gaz who's everyone's mate and Siobhan behind the bar who takes no messing!
Throw in to the mix a 20 year old lad who has just finished college, has 2 quid to rub together and has wasted most of his time smoking spliffs with his misses.
He stumbles in to a job at the Old King George and his life becomes being a part of the pub.
Will these colourful characters inspire him to take life with both hands, aspire to be something more or will his constant reassessment and self insecurities get in his way?
This book really made me feel like I was sitting amongst the locals, smelling the stale ale, muncing on pork scratchings while my feet stick to the carpets and I loved the atmosphere that was created through the characters.
I also found following the uncertainties and anxieties through a male perspective was also very intriguing!
I was hoping the ending would be a little different but that's reality I guess, not everyone has a fairytale ending!
🍺Colourful characters
🍷Realistic story
🍹Lots of obscenities 🤬
🍸Lots of dialogue
If you're missing the pub and your mates and need a realistic tale then this book is the one for you!
Thank you to @annecater14 at #RandomThingsTours for my gifted copy and allowing me to be a part of the #blogtour
Oh and I love the cover design! It's ace!👌🍺
Welcome to 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖆𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕲𝖊𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖊
By Shaun Hand @shaunpatrickhand
Get stuck in to the brawl, the obscenities and drunken slur at the local.
Meet the punters, boisterous Val, moaning Cedric, loud mouth Gaz who's everyone's mate and Siobhan behind the bar who takes no messing!
Throw in to the mix a 20 year old lad who has just finished college, has 2 quid to rub together and has wasted most of his time smoking spliffs with his misses.
He stumbles in to a job at the Old King George and his life becomes being a part of the pub.
Will these colourful characters inspire him to take life with both hands, aspire to be something more or will his constant reassessment and self insecurities get in his way?
This book really made me feel like I was sitting amongst the locals, smelling the stale ale, muncing on pork scratchings while my feet stick to the carpets and I loved the atmosphere that was created through the characters.
I also found following the uncertainties and anxieties through a male perspective was also very intriguing!
I was hoping the ending would be a little different but that's reality I guess, not everyone has a fairytale ending!
🍺Colourful characters
🍷Realistic story
🍹Lots of obscenities 🤬
🍸Lots of dialogue
If you're missing the pub and your mates and need a realistic tale then this book is the one for you!
Thank you to @annecater14 at #RandomThingsTours for my gifted copy and allowing me to be a part of the #blogtour
Oh and I love the cover design! It's ace!👌🍺
August 5, 2021
This was a bit of a strange one for me as I liked the premise but didn't find the actual reading experience lived up to the promise. For quite some time, I was toying with the idea of abandoning it altogether as I wasn't particularly enjoying it, but I stuck it out and it ended up growing on me.
This is a light-ish read with some colourful language which may put some people off. Our protagonist (who remains nameless) is really frustratingly stuck in a rut but finds his niche in a less than salubrious West Midlands pub. The characters are a bit cliched and the storyline somewhat absent; it's more observational than action!
Overall, on the lower side of middle of the road for me, which I've rounded up to 3 stars, but I can definitely see this being a hit with the right audience - I just don't think I'm it! (NB: I think "The Sadness of King George" would be a better pun than "The Sadness of THE King George"!)
This is a light-ish read with some colourful language which may put some people off. Our protagonist (who remains nameless) is really frustratingly stuck in a rut but finds his niche in a less than salubrious West Midlands pub. The characters are a bit cliched and the storyline somewhat absent; it's more observational than action!
Overall, on the lower side of middle of the road for me, which I've rounded up to 3 stars, but I can definitely see this being a hit with the right audience - I just don't think I'm it! (NB: I think "The Sadness of King George" would be a better pun than "The Sadness of THE King George"!)
February 14, 2021
I was lucky enough to read a copy of Shaun Hand’s brilliant debut via the Pigeonhole and absolutely loved it. This book is a cracking snapshot set around pub life in the early 2000’s and it’s depicted with amazing accuracy. There are some real laugh out loud bits but the writing cleverly manages to introduce a poignancy around our main character as well as some of the other characters who seem to have everything under control in life but in actuality don’t really. The writing is so believable it could be considered a sociology essay on how everyday people manage their everyday lives, but it’s told so skilfully it’s never boring. Some people won’t like the language but I found it leant to the authenticity and overall humour and am glad it was written the way it is. I think this has been nicely left for a sequel and I really hope Shaun Hand has plans to write one.
February 14, 2021
Well, I'm really not sure that now I've finished this one, I'm any further on with the story.
We follow an awkward young man who is trying to discover his journey through life after scraping his way through school and college and his relationships with his Dad, his girlfriend and his work colleagues.
Towards the end of the book we seem to be heading towards a revelation and finally that this confused and complicated young man is discovering what he wants from life and working out where he wants to go......for it all to fall aside and he back where he started at the start of the book.....maybe that's the point?
Still, nicely written and a nice little read - something a bit different to my usual genre.
We follow an awkward young man who is trying to discover his journey through life after scraping his way through school and college and his relationships with his Dad, his girlfriend and his work colleagues.
Towards the end of the book we seem to be heading towards a revelation and finally that this confused and complicated young man is discovering what he wants from life and working out where he wants to go......for it all to fall aside and he back where he started at the start of the book.....maybe that's the point?
Still, nicely written and a nice little read - something a bit different to my usual genre.
February 17, 2021
This a sort of "coming of age" type book, set in an old fashioned pub, The George, in Sutton (West Midlands) and tells the tale of the narrator as he ruminates about his time at college, his ex girlfriend, Gemma and what he wants to do in life. He also describes the clientele (very unique and interesting) and the goings on in the pub. The descriptions of the characters are well done and vivid as well as the aimlessness felt by the narrator.
Would recommend this to anyone who has worked or still works in the pub trade or in my case bookmakers as some of the characters are similar to those I came across there.
There is scope for a sequel due to the way the book ended.
Read and enjoyed via The Pigeonhole with thanks to them and the author for the opportunity.
Would recommend this to anyone who has worked or still works in the pub trade or in my case bookmakers as some of the characters are similar to those I came across there.
There is scope for a sequel due to the way the book ended.
Read and enjoyed via The Pigeonhole with thanks to them and the author for the opportunity.
February 14, 2021
The King George is a pub which many of us will have been familiar with at some point in our life. As a student I, like the main character, worked in a bar like this and reading this brought back so many memories. I felt I was right back in the bar with them.
All the characters were described in such great detail. All the different relationships and interactions are described as exactly as I experienced. The author manages to portray the main characters emotions, personality and relationships with great emotion. The story isn’t fast paced, it’s like life and ambles along. It’s a 5 star amble journey.
All the characters were described in such great detail. All the different relationships and interactions are described as exactly as I experienced. The author manages to portray the main characters emotions, personality and relationships with great emotion. The story isn’t fast paced, it’s like life and ambles along. It’s a 5 star amble journey.
February 15, 2021
A fantastic observational book about the life of a young member of bar staff working in a Midlands pub. If you like people watching, this book is for you. It is a melancholy book but has a wonderful thread of dry humour running through it. The main character is stuck in a rut of a dead end job, fearful of trying anything new. His inertia is frustrating at times, but the current lockdown we're living through made me more sympathetic to his situation. The book's dialogue is written in the local accent and brings the conversations alive. The language is pretty ripe, but I would imagine it to be authentic too.
February 15, 2021
A wonderful observation of life through the eyes of a young man trying to find his way into adulthood.
He falls into a job as a barman in a sleazy pub, where the locals and fellow bar staff make up a wonderfully colourful cast of characters. The dialogue and banter is so real that you could imagine yourself to be in the pub with them, and is very funny at times, but also very poignant. Whilst I was initially put off by the strong language, it adds authenticity to the atmosphere in the pub and the portrayal of the characters.
A fantastic debut, can’t wait for Shaun’s next book. Huge thanks to Pigeonhole and to the author for such an entertaining read.
He falls into a job as a barman in a sleazy pub, where the locals and fellow bar staff make up a wonderfully colourful cast of characters. The dialogue and banter is so real that you could imagine yourself to be in the pub with them, and is very funny at times, but also very poignant. Whilst I was initially put off by the strong language, it adds authenticity to the atmosphere in the pub and the portrayal of the characters.
A fantastic debut, can’t wait for Shaun’s next book. Huge thanks to Pigeonhole and to the author for such an entertaining read.
February 19, 2021
I enjoyed this book set in a shabby pub, this story follows the story of a young man who comes of age, but has no real direction or ‘oomph’. This captures the spirit of pub life and it’s drinkers very realistically. Amusing moments and realistic gritty language. I was able to read this via the Pigeonhole App.
February 20, 2021
The story is about a very young man straight out of school who works as a barman in a pub frequented by mostly older men and it relates his thoughts on life and relationships in an extremely humorous way (laugh out loud) written as if spoken with the local accent.
For those of us who can remember our teenage years the characters are very relatable. A joy to read and highly recommended
For those of us who can remember our teenage years the characters are very relatable. A joy to read and highly recommended
February 19, 2021
This is a narrative in first person of the daily life of a young aimless man, frittering his days and nights away working in a Midlands pub in the 80's. It comes across as mostly autobiographical. It describes the varied (predominantly male) punters who frequent the pub as well as other bar staff from this un-named narrator's point of view. I found the style quite tricky as there is no punctuation used to differentiate between the speech of the characters and much of the dialogue is regional and liberally sprinkled with epithets
I didn't really warm to the central character who did not develop or mature. As a snapshot of the pub culture of a few decades ago, it is well realised and comes across as mostly authentic and certainly brought back many memories for me.
I didn't really warm to the central character who did not develop or mature. As a snapshot of the pub culture of a few decades ago, it is well realised and comes across as mostly authentic and certainly brought back many memories for me.
February 14, 2021
If you've ever worked behind a bar you'll know the characters in this book. You can't help but like the hero even though you want to shake some sense into him. A drifter who is clinging to his teenage years because he doesn't want to sell out and grow up. Refreshing and funny.
February 14, 2021
4.5 stars. The angst of being a 20 year old lad with an on/off girlfriend working in an old man pub. It’s joyous, it’s sad and some of it is an embarrassingly familiar story that makes me glad there was no social media during my 20’s!
February 15, 2021
A wander through the mind of a twenty-something year old lad in the West Mids, with his accidental job in the pub and ex-girlfriend on his mind.
Light-hearted, descriptive, evocative of the era.
Read via 'staves' on Pigeonhole.
Light-hearted, descriptive, evocative of the era.
Read via 'staves' on Pigeonhole.
February 14, 2021
Really enjoyed this due to the great character descriptions and realism. Ending was the right one as fitted in perfectly with the whole story. Hoping for a follow up book
February 14, 2021
Thank you to pigeon hole for this book and to the writer Shaun Hand. Loved the characters, they were very real.
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