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The Last Weekend in Wonderland
FESTIVALS, FRIENDSHIP AND MURDER!!
After much plotting and planning, fourteen-year-old pals, Sid and Jimmy,
deceive their parents into thinking they have gone to a scout camp, when in
fact they are on their way to the infamous ‘Weeley’ rock festival to see their
favourite band. Their adventure ends in disaster and they are grounded for
life on their return home!
Now, middle aged and still affected by the consequences of their teenage
shenanigans, they decide to have one last fling, a reunion trip to
Glastonbury. Once again, things don’t go to plan and they are about
to be grounded again, this time by their wives!
Sex, drugs, rock ‘I’ roll, festival toilets, mayhem and murder all transpire
to make Sid and Jimmy’s last hurrah one that no one is going to forget!!
After much plotting and planning, fourteen-year-old pals, Sid and Jimmy,
deceive their parents into thinking they have gone to a scout camp, when in
fact they are on their way to the infamous ‘Weeley’ rock festival to see their
favourite band. Their adventure ends in disaster and they are grounded for
life on their return home!
Now, middle aged and still affected by the consequences of their teenage
shenanigans, they decide to have one last fling, a reunion trip to
Glastonbury. Once again, things don’t go to plan and they are about
to be grounded again, this time by their wives!
Sex, drugs, rock ‘I’ roll, festival toilets, mayhem and murder all transpire
to make Sid and Jimmy’s last hurrah one that no one is going to forget!!
Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
About the author
Simon Lyons
5 books3 followersHaving left his North London ‘sink’ comprehensive at the age of fifteen with few qualifications, Simon travelled extensively before settling down to family life and ‘blagging’ a living. A ferocious gig and festival goer, he always felt he had a story to tell and How to Kidnap a String Quartet is the combination of his varied experiences of life and wild and whacky imagination.
He is currently near to completing his follow up The Good Poison Club, a thriller set in an NHS hospital.
He is currently near to completing his follow up The Good Poison Club, a thriller set in an NHS hospital.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 29, 2022
A few day's ago, like the ghost of Christmas yet to come The Last Weekend in Wonderland, Simon Lyons most recent novel fell through my letter box. I have had my tradional Chrismas shitty cold thing again so a new book was just what was needed to keep the ruined holiday resentment to a minimum. The book follows some suburban friends on their lives journey using a clever arc device linking two festivals in two centuries -the first being the legendary horror show that was Weeley the subsequent contemporanious . The story is a first person narrative from our 'hero', Sid who, despite the often difficult and dark subject matter tells the story in a light anecdotal ''down the pub' voice - its an interesting device and creates an inimate relationship between reader and story teller. The suburbs described could be those of my 70's childhood - the places and characters described all known to me - in a way, just as in JC Carrolls epic 'Sounds of the Suburbs' single the familiraty surprises and comforts in equal measure. Throughly entertaining and a guaranteed pancea to any seasonal sniffle. Buy it.
December 29, 2022
My short review first :
This is a great book and read. Not just a good one, mind you, but a truly unique journey through one character's life and adventures. And what makes this book truly different is its use of the language, even if it is sometimes colourful. The words herein are all descriptive, and flow in a steady wave from memory to memory, anecdote to anecdote.
I have read through this volume twice, and may well do so again. I apologise if what I am about to write may sound like so much smoke and hyperbole, but the language used in the writing is on a par with the local languages used by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Scottish), Dylan Thomas (Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Dog, Welsh) and James Joyce (Finnegan's Wake, Irish)
This is an important book. I would hope everyone who has read and enjoyed this book tells a friend, who then tells a friend, and so on.
This is a great book and read. Not just a good one, mind you, but a truly unique journey through one character's life and adventures. And what makes this book truly different is its use of the language, even if it is sometimes colourful. The words herein are all descriptive, and flow in a steady wave from memory to memory, anecdote to anecdote.
I have read through this volume twice, and may well do so again. I apologise if what I am about to write may sound like so much smoke and hyperbole, but the language used in the writing is on a par with the local languages used by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Scottish), Dylan Thomas (Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Dog, Welsh) and James Joyce (Finnegan's Wake, Irish)
This is an important book. I would hope everyone who has read and enjoyed this book tells a friend, who then tells a friend, and so on.
January 18, 2023
A must for anyone for whom music is the thread through their life. Richly-painted characters inhabit an urban hinterland of mediocre achievement, juvenile mishap and adult idiocy... culminating in a ridiculous festival adventure. Funny, touching and at times straying into the thriller genre, this believable, poignant, menacing fictional memoir pulls you through the 70s/80s/90s and on to the present with vivid recollections of youthful misdeeds and the power of loyalty, underpinned by fickle morality.
December 29, 2022
An absolute must read, could not put it down the trials and tribulations of teenagers through to adults. Their adventures through life , relationships good and bad mixed with nostalgic music references certainly takes you back.Loed every word.
January 18, 2023
Simon Lyons goes from strength to strength and, whilst this is his third novel, it almost signals the beginning of a journey to much bigger things.
This is a tale of two friends, bonded by a love of music, who, as teenagers, decide to defy their parents and take a trip to a music festival. This ends in both disaster and revelation and shapes the boys lives, as we find out from the rest of the book.
We are treated to a picaresque tale told in a bold and down to earth style which will resonate with every music fan from a certain era. Ultimately this is a quest to try and relive the past but the twists and turns that the book takes will have you laughing one minute and gasping in disbelief the next.
We are treated to references to 88 different musical acts, some more broadly detailed than others, as the story weaves its magic. This novel is guaranteed to resonate with any music fan of a certain age and is informed throughout by musical references from the 60s to the modern day.
As others have said, this is a page turner without doubt, and once you become immersed in Sid and Jimmy’s world you’ll have trouble escaping it until after the last page is turned.
This is a tale of two friends, bonded by a love of music, who, as teenagers, decide to defy their parents and take a trip to a music festival. This ends in both disaster and revelation and shapes the boys lives, as we find out from the rest of the book.
We are treated to a picaresque tale told in a bold and down to earth style which will resonate with every music fan from a certain era. Ultimately this is a quest to try and relive the past but the twists and turns that the book takes will have you laughing one minute and gasping in disbelief the next.
We are treated to references to 88 different musical acts, some more broadly detailed than others, as the story weaves its magic. This novel is guaranteed to resonate with any music fan of a certain age and is informed throughout by musical references from the 60s to the modern day.
As others have said, this is a page turner without doubt, and once you become immersed in Sid and Jimmy’s world you’ll have trouble escaping it until after the last page is turned.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews