Jarrow – Maconie – Book Review 18
By: snowgood
Tags: BREXIT, Long Road from Jarrow, Stuart Maconie
Category: books, Politics, Walking
| Aperture: | f/2.2 |
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| Focal Length: | 4.15mm |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | iPhone 6s |
Let’s get first things first. I simply love Stuart as a radio broadcaster. He’s a witty music buff, and the better half of 6 Music’s RadMac show. “The Long Road” traces the events of the original walk, from street level. It starts well, and I enjoyed his digressions and “sketches” of the eclectic folk along the way.
The story starts to unfold with countless suitable flashbacks to the 1930’s political scene both here, across the pond, and for that matter the Bay of Biscay. Beyond the half way point the intensity of anti-Brexit rhetoric takes over.
Stuart’s socialist tendencies seems to cloud the facts. Even though it seems that the Labour movement scorned the Jarrow marchers, when Tory councils (according to Stuart’s notes) gave the lads a great reception.
I flew through the first few chapters then laboured away for two weeks before reaching the end.
One last thought. Why did Maconie need to keep buying painkillers? Or should I ask, does beer maketh the head ache?
RATING: 6 out of 10 tops!
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