Where Shall We Run To?: A Memoir cover art

Where Shall We Run To?: A Memoir

A Memoir

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Where Shall We Run To?: A Memoir

By: Alan Garner
Narrated by: Robert Powell
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About this listen

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

From one of our greatest living writers, comes a remarkable memoir of a forgotten England.

'The war went. We sang in the playground, "Bikini lagoon, an atom bomb’s boom, and two big explosions." David’s father came back from Burma and didn’t eat rice. Twiggy taught by reciting “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” and the thirteen times table. Twiggy was fat and short and he shouted, and his neck was as wide as his head. He was a bully, though he didn’t take any notice of me.’

In Where Shall We Run To?, Alan Garner remembers his early childhood in the Cheshire village of Alderley Edge: life at the village school as ‘a sissy and a mardy-arse'; pushing his friend Harold into a clump of nettles to test the truth of dock leaves; his father joining the army to guard the family against Hitler; the coming of the Yanks, with their comics and sweets and chewing gum. From one of our greatest living writers, it is a remarkable and evocative memoir of a vanished England.

Art & Literature Authors Military Military & War Military Families Parenting & Families Relationships World War II Memoir Scary War

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Critic reviews

Praise for Where Shall We Run To:

‘In old age childhood memories become vivid again and it’s the present that disappears behind a confusion of vivid fragments. In this book, Garner, now old, has faced that pattern and in place of the bewildering, wonky memory of old age, produced something precise and fresh as flowers. He has become – as we’re told we must – as a little child. He’s also produced one of the best things he’s ever written.’ Frank Cotterell-Boyce, New Statesman

Its encounters are vivid and immediate, but it is also an examination of class and change in the England of those years.’ Erica Wagner, Financial Times

‘Every street, every house, every carved stone, mysterious well, dark pond and perilously steep cliff-edge is remembered and described, as Garner roams through it, with a succession of companions…. Garner’s detailed recall of so many characters and events is extraordinary’ Sue Gaisford, The Tablet

‘In this slight but charming memoir about his wartime childhood in Alderley Edge, Garner has pulled off the same trick – making the Cheshire landscape feel fresh, while bringing a new perspective to a tried and tested literary form..and Oh, what language’ Ben Lawrence, Sunday Telegraph

‘This is a book very much about reading and writing, about the marks that we use to give life meaning, whether they are a tramp’s chalk-mark on a wall or the comics and Arthur Mee’s The Children’s Encyclopaedia that allow young Alan to get past block capitals and closer to Real Writing. It is also a book written without a single scrap of hindsight, or rationalisation of the past. This, then, is a writer’s memoir’ Brian Morton, Herald

Praise for Alan Garner:

I salute him with the most heartfelt respect and admiration’ Philip Pullman

All stars
Most relevant
Wonderful writing, poignant and funny, with absolutely pitch-perfect narration. The author, an archeologist, shines a light on a vanished world. Get it now!

Charming memoir of an English country childhood

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As I love Alan Garner's amazing books, having read them as a child and rediscovering them recently... I thought it would be nice to hear about his childhood. Hearing about the things that influenced and shaped his life and ultimately his amazing stories!
It didn't disappoint. I found it fascinating and charming, especially when referring to his escapades with friends, the school teachers who influenced him, the bullies he and his pals tried to avoid and the evacuees with their shaved heads patched with gentian violet! The wonderful family characters, some who had obviously lived in the area for generations and had literally helped shape the landscape... must've given him an absolute wealth of descriptions to work on! Best of all...for me.. is where he describes the area , mentioning places where he spent his childhood and where my favourite book is set! Lovely account of a childhood from times gone by.

enchanting tale of an old fashioned childhood

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Very much enjoyed a walk in the
Past.beautifully written, wonderfully read
Would definitely recommend a read of listen

Living history

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Would recomend this especially if you have heard his books. Both touching and funny. Great!

Stunning and beutiful. A must listen.

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