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All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry

A Life Less Blurry

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All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry

By: Alex James
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About this listen

This is the story of Alex James’s transition from a leading light of the Britpop movement in the 1990s, to gentleman farmer, artisan cheese-maker and father of five.

All Cheeses Great and Small is the follow-up memoir to Alex James's first book, Bit of a Blur, the story of his excessive pop star lifestyle during the nineties. But now Alex has grown up, fallen in love and got married. He has also fallen passionately for his new home, an enormous rambling farmhouse in the Cotswolds, set in two hundred acres of beautiful British countryside.

The farm represents not just a new house for Alex, but also a new career. As he breathes new life into the old farm he chances across an unexpected calling: making cheese. His cheeses, Blue Monday, Farleigh Wallop and Little Wallop have received widespread media interest and are now sold through many outlets.

The story culminates with an account of the triumphant reformation of Blur for Glastonbury 2009. It will also include illustrations by Graham Coxon.

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Critic reviews

Praise for Bit of a Blur:

'Alex James is a witty, engaging guide to the mad goings-on behind the scenes of Britpop. Blur's bassist famously estimates that he blew around £1m on champagne and cocaine during the nineties. Here's how.' Independent

'Bright, passionate … James writes with wit and flair.' Time Out

'The definitive guide to Britpop … this effervescent memoir emerges as the most fascinating, as well as hilarious, document to date of those times.' Observer

'Guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye – in a good way.' Elle

'A mischievous romp through nineties excess from the eye of that peaceful decade's most inventive pop band.' Evening Standard

'For anyone seeking confirmation that being a pop star is the best job going, dive in.' Q

'A dreamy, witty spin on his life as a supremely debauched rock star … James's inquisitive nature makes him eminently and continuously likeable.' Guardian

'James is more than happy to reveal the nitty-gritty in a surprisingly honest and almost humble way … you get a really good sense of what it was like being him, of finally being in the right place at the right time and hell-bent on having a blast.' Daily Mirror
All stars
Most relevant
I would recommend it to fans but it didn't set me on fire 1st book was better

really enjoyed this book

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Strangley I've put off listening to this for a while. "Bit of a Blur" was such a important book for me in my 20s, it had that sense of adventure and longing to "Make it" and for some reason it's taken me almost 10 years to hear the second part of Alex's journey.

I don't know if it's because I'm settled with a family, a mortgage and a solid career but this book was a delight and may actually be better that the book before. I long for the chaotic/relaxing life on the farm but makes you appreciate what you have around you. I'd love to hear a follow up of the 13 years since (irony I finish the book on the 13th anniversary of the Hyde Park gig, my favourite gig I've been to).

thanks Alex, I bought some Blue Monday to celebrate the end of the book.

We long for the wrong life

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An everyday tale of country folk, and a middle-aged pop star adapting to the rural life. James' narration is sometime difficult to follow, often taking no account of punctuation - but that does not detract from his obvious passion for his farm and all things rural. A charming, gentle tale - well worth a listen!

Lives in a house, a very big house in the country!

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I've listened to many, many audio books but never felt compelled to write a reviw - until now. Beautifully written and narrated - the words flow, the images are conjured & life is good ! This could become a blueprint for living the dream..........

from bass player to (accidental) life style guru

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A really good listen. It's interesting to learn about the totally different life Alex now leads and his obvious passion of his rural life. The real life country house.

Really enjoyed this book

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