Out of the Woods but not Over the Hill

By: Gervase Phinn

Narrated by: Gervase Phinn

For Gervase Phinn growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favourite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be ‘out of the woods’ but he is certainly not ‘over the hill’.

Looking back over more than sixty years of family life, teaching, inspecting schools, writing and public speaking, Gervase never fails to unearth humour, character, warmth and wisdom from the most diverse of experiences, whether they be growing up in Rotherham with the most un-Yorkshire like of names or describing why loud mobile phone users get his goat.

Brimming with nostalgia, gently mocking life’s absurdities, never shy of an opinion, this is Gervase Phinn at his wittiest, twinkly-eyed best.

©2010 Gervase Phinn (P)2010 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks

Not as good as expected

I love the Dales series. This memoir doesn’t live up to those. The biggest difference for me was the lack of a narrative arc. The Dale books have a beginning, middle, and end. This feels like random stories collected under loose headings.

Also, not all of the stories felt like they were original to him. I have heard/read them elsewhere. I was surprised at that from him. What were his editors thinking?

Wonderful!

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Gervase Phinn narrate this wonderful book. I will certainly buy many, many more by this author.

A Full Burst Nostalgia Moment

I used to live in the area that his books are set in and I first read them there, now I am on the other side of the world - and it's nice to take a walk down memory lane. I missed seeing Gervase in person (though I was at a conference he spoke at) too, so this is the first opportunity I've had to listen to him speak his stories. This is a charming collection of Yorkshire anecdotes. It's not quite his fictional series in that it's a wander down memory lane rather than something with a beginning, middle and an end. It's still a genuinely lovely experience. I thoroughly recommend it if you want a slice of English life outside of London and hints of a bygone era. I will be picking up his other Audible title soon.

Ann excellent book.

An excellent book with Gervase Phinn's gentle sense of humor running through each chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be returning for a re-hearing in future.