A book about reality (Man and Boy - Tony Parsons)

Member Name: Trishajs

Product:	Man and Boy - Tony Parsons
Date:	04/07/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Learning that real life is happening all around us- not just to us

Disadvantages: At times I felt very sad

Tony Parson's book Man and Boy was published in 1999 so I am somewhat late in discovering both the book and it's author in 2009.

I picked up the book in a charity shop one day when I had nothing on me to read, drawn to it by the fact that it had won British Book of the Year and the Irish Times review on the cover saying that it "says more about human relationships than a library of psychology manuals.........."

It starts of as a normal story about a man's relationship with work and his family. Well written, but hardly making the book stand out from the crowd. But then as you are in the story, the tale is no longer happy families and you find yourself caring about the central character-Harry Silver. You feel that you know him well and are understanding the world thru his eyes. I say that as a woman, but felt I saw his life as a man in his world, quite clearly. Which to my mind gives an indication as to how well written it is.

It is just a book about everyday life, loves, work, family and in the parts I found the hardest to read- death. No scary monsters or villains, no murder at the vicarage, or alien invasions- pure and simply about a period of one man's life.

I love books, and although it is lovely just to be entertained by the words on the page- the greatest joy for me is when those words make you "feel"-this book did. It made me at times laugh, at moments feel tearful and most importantly it made me think.

I shall be taking the book back to the charity shop next week for the next reader to be touched by this well written piece.

Summary: No wonder it was named book of the year