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It's Always Summer Somewhere
- A Matter of Life and Cricket
- Narrated by: Felix White
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
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Summary
A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and Sunday Times best seller
Felix White, for reasons often beyond him, has always been deeply in love with cricket. His passion for the game is at the fore on the BBC 's number one cricket podcast and 5Live show, Tailenders, which he co-presents with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson. It's Always Summer Somewhere is his funny, heartbreaking and endlessly engaging love letter to the game.
Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team. The exploits of Tufnell (another bowler of 'lovely loopy stuff'), Atherton, Hussain et al, are given extra import through the eyes of a cricket-obsessed youth. Felix meets them at each signposted moment to find out what was really behind those moments that gave cricket fans everywhere sporting memories that would last forever, sending the book into an exploration of grief, transgenerational displacement and how the people we've known and things we've loved culminate and take expression in our lives.
It's Always Summer Somewhere is an incredibly honest detail of a life lived with cricket. It offers a sense of genuine empathy and understanding not just with cricket fans, but sports and music fans across the world, in articulating our reasons for pouring so much meaning into something that we simply cannot control.
Culminating in the heart-stopping World Cup Final in 2019, the book finally answers that question fans have so often asked...what is it about this game?
Critic reviews
"Felix White's beautifully, elegantly and passionately written book reminds me why I love cricket so much. And reading, come to that." (Stephen Fry)
"The love of cricket is both communal and individual. Felix has a wonderful knack of evoking both in a book full of life, joy and resilience." (Gideon Haigh)
"Whether you love cricket or are still confused by the rules of the game, you'll love this. Felix's writing is warm and witty. A joy to read." (Cariad Lloyd)
What listeners say about It's Always Summer Somewhere
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- Аmazon Customer
- 20-09-23
Entertaining whilst startlingly moving
For a biography of a guitarist in the maccabees it hits the mark. But this book is so much more.
For cricket lovers it will take you back to all the moments that are "remember where you were" events with beautifully poetic desctiptions of these events.
And yet this still doesn't do justice to the book. The candid openness with which Felix's story describes loss and the aftermath throughout his young adult life really hits home. His relationships with both cricket, the band and friends and acquaintances are explored and recalled with such a lyrical finesse that it is hard to believe he is both the author and the subject. Especially given that he is capable of encapsulating the experiences so succinctly whilst conveying the strength og the subject matter so vividly.
Highly recommended
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- mr binns james
- 11-09-23
Fabulously honest and moving
What a great testimony to cricket , what a great testimony to his mother . Anyone who has lived through trauma would value how Felix ( unwittingly ) used an alternative interest / in this case cricket / to get through . Anyone who thinks sport is being devalued should listen to this eulogy to cricket and how it’s many dimensions can mean so much to all types of people . Even a non cricket speaker like Florence Welch could see it’s value . A marvellous book
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-09-23
Not just cricket
A brilliant book of a young man’s obsession with cricket as it interacts with his life story , a book about family, love , loss ,pain and how you can come out the other side of that and how the sport you love interweaves itself during all of that.
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- B. Halsall
- 14-07-23
Beautifully done.
I can't imagine even you would be reading the 253rd review of your memoir, Felix.....but just in case you are, I'd like to say a massive 'thank you' for this. I loved it. It's great to have you in the cricketing world. Go well!
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- Mikey
- 30-03-23
wow what an amazing book
I really enjoyed this book, being the same age as Felix a lot of the references to growing up resonated with me. I came for the cricket and Maccabees, but left with so much more. Thanks for sharing your story with us unfiltered and real
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- tremers
- 19-02-23
Interesting and touching
Great story about someone’s love of cricket. Personal tragedy and very truthful. No idea who the maccabis were though. Might have to Google them. Highly recommended. Thanks for sharing this Felix.
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- Daniel Johnson
- 13-01-23
Excellent listen told by an Excellent man
Very well put together book about the ins and outs of life, love, and the glue that keeps us together. Cricket.
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- Gordon
- 04-01-23
A brilliant story
Well worth listening to, a great insight to a musician and his love of everything cricket
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- FRN87
- 20-12-22
Wonderful book
Absolutely loved this book. Heartfelt and nostalgic stories of growing up and eventually making the big time with the Macs and his love / obsession of the England cricket team, (through thick and thin).
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- David McAdam
- 17-11-22
a real treat
an absolutely wonderful audiobook. I picked this up as a fan of his band and of cricket without particularly high expectations. it was funny, thought provoking and nostalgic.
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- Jon Shaw
- 12-10-21
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll go well
Very different from the Tailenders vibe, but no less enjoyable.
Couldn’t recommend this book more, it was sad, informative and uplifting.
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