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Back in the Day

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Back in the Day

By: Melvyn Bragg
Narrated by: Melvyn Bragg
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About this listen

An Observer and Daily Mail "Books of 2022" Pick

Melvyn Bragg's first ever memoir - an elegiac, intimate account of growing up in post-war Cumbria, which lyrically evokes a vanished world.

In this captivating memoir, Melvyn Bragg recalls growing up in the Cumbrian market town of Wigton, from his early childhood during the war to the moment he had to decide between staying on or spreading his wings.

This is the tale of a boy who lived in a pub and expected to leave school at 15 yet won a scholarship to Oxford. Derailed by a severe breakdown when he was 13, he developed a passion for reading and study - though that didn't stop him playing in a skiffle band or falling in love.

It is equally the tale of the people and place that formed him. Bragg indelibly portrays his parents and local characters from pub regulars to vicars, teachers and hardmen, and vividly captures the community-spirited northern town - steeped in the old ways but on the cusp of post-war change. A poignant elegy to a vanished era as well as the glories of the Lake District, it illuminates what made him the writer, broadcaster and champion of the arts he is today.

©2022 Melvyn Bragg Limited (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Art & Literature Authors Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Heartfelt Inspiring Memoir War

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A Wonderful story of Melvyn Bragg early life, beautifully told and atmospheric. It was easy to imagine the scenes. I’m so glad he narrated it himself with his lovely voice full of emotion at times for the people and place that he loves. The only thing that I would have changed was the speed of the narration, It was very difficult to keep up with and I had to go back many times to catch his words.
It wasn’t spoiled by this though, I loved the book and was very sorry when it ended.

A great listen

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... and Melvyn Bragg is no exception. He is an old man and sounds it. His speech is rushed, mumbled and at times unintelligible as if he doesn't have full control of his lips and his tongue. It's a great pity as it ruins the book. I haven't read anything else by him; his style is interesting and the world he evokes both familiar and different - I am a decade younger and also a grammar school interloper. Like other listeners, I would recommend the book but not this reading of it. I persevered and persevered but abandoned it before the end.

Few authors should read their books

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Well the sound wasn’t great. But I thoroughly appreciated Melvin’s openness in the telling of his own story, & getting to know the more than ordinary people who probably never know their true value in peoples lives.

My review.

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Lovingly written and read, this absorbing memoir is an absolute delight. Melvyn Bragg’s deeply rewarding personal account of his journey from Cumbrian Fells to Oxford college is quietly magnificent. I loved it.

An Absolute Delight

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A look back at life lived in a rare time when anything seemed possible. Wonderful book.

A Different World

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I was really looking forward to this for nostalgia value. I gave it a good go but unfortunately had to give up due to the narrator.
I'm so sorry Melvyn, your writing is great but I just couldn't listen to the narration. it was far too fast and mumbling, it was all I could do not to fall asleep. It became a monotonous background noise and I found I wasn't listening to the words at all.
Real shame.

Really wanted to enjoy this

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Melvyn Bragg’s oh-so-familiar northern lilt brings tales of his childhood in the small Cumbrian town of Wigtown. Beautifully written and spoken, the listener is transported back into the ways of life of northern folk in the mid-twentieth century.

Stepping into Melvyn Bragg’s northern childhood in Wigtown

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This is a really good book and especially good that the author is narrating himself, there are times when he is clearly very emotional and this adds very much to the impact of the story. This is also particularly interesting for me being from Wigton myself, knowing the author and many of the characters mentioned, as well as all the backstreets and lanes of Wigton, and what it is to be from the town. I was particularly interested to hear about his parents, and their story.

Excellent book and a familiar landscape to me

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It’s always a pleasure to hear what Mr Bragg has written, and his descriptive prose has really bought his memories to life , but he does sound like he is talking with a stocking over his head whilst suffering from catarrh.

Detailed and Descriptive

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I enjoyed every minute and didn’t want it to end, it to me was as if I was having a personal chat with Melvyn himself. His descriptions of the people the places and the times were all so natural, he tells the story as it was this to me reflects his age and experiences.
Now I hope we can look forward to further instalments, a must read for all who like and have followed Bragg.

Back in the day: Excellent…..

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