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Bill Paterson
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Media
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Book
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Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton | ||
ISBN | 9780340936818 | ||
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Reviewer
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Jayne
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Synopsis
The much loved Scots actor Bill Paterson was brought up in those halcyon days of post-war Britain when a child could still play happily and safely in his own back green and the streets beyond. Now, in TALES FROM THE BACK GREEN he evokes his boyhood and youth in Glasgow's East End during the 1950s, full of intriguing characters and extraordinary events. Always eager to push the boundaries of what they were allowed to do, Bill and his mates construct a giant dust atomic bomb, try to hold their own World Cup tournament and play endlessly on wasteland thats now unrecognizable from the exciting jungle of his childhood. TALES FROM THE BACK GREEN is not only a brilliant realisation of a time and a place, but a classic memoir of childhood that will strike a chord with everyone who's ever played and dreamed with little thought of life when I grow up.
Review
Bill Paterson, oh how wonderful to relive the wonderful halcyon days of 50's Glasgow. I had heard so many stories from a great family friend and your book took me back to those wonderful stories.
I can visualise the close you lived in and the green out the back of your homes along Alexandra Parade.The streets are still there but the closes have improved, with new windows and brightly coloured paint but they don't seem the same as they used to.
The stories of the tram lines being removed must have seemed horrendous to the folks living along the road, but at least people can see what the trams were like at the Transport Museum in Glasgow, up by the the Art Galleries. It took me quite a few visits to realise how much more there was besides the groundfloor where so many of the special exhibitions were held!
This is a brilliant book, so great to hear of the antics that you youngsters got up to. I bet it was fun planning your own footie match! The tales of going down the water to stay at Millport! The places you talk about, the old A8 and the A74, that people would not recognise now, these old roads you talk about that are so dear to all the old Glasweigens.
I love the writing, the tales and the stories thank you for bringing back so many memories.
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