Keith Arthur, TalkSPORT & Angling Times
'Without doubt the best book, not just
angling-related, that I have read in a long time. I promise that you will laugh
out loud MANY times during the book. There is some colourful language so it is
not a child's read, but it is blooming funny.'
Robert Twigger (winner of the Somerset
Maugham award for literature)
'Love fishing classic by Tony Baws - Fishing with Harry.'
Rachel Lichtenstein (author of Diamond Street: The Hidden World of Hatton Garden - published by Hamish Hamilton)
'A lovely story, very entertaining and well written - a fishing tale to
touch the heart and make us laugh at the same time.'
This was a marvelously
evocative yet also laugh-out-loud book for me -- full of surprises and a
delight to read, so much so that I slowed down to a snail's pace when got into
last 50 pages because I never wanted the voyage to stop.
Tony Baws elegantly yet light-heartedly takes us through a series of charming verbal pictures featuring two people central to his coming-of-age in Essex in the Sixties. There's Suzie, the wife he is courting and wins, and her step-father -- the ribald, life-affirming, often rollicking Harry whose capacity for mayhem and shared love of fishing gives Baws the erratic linchpin for his devotions.
Part of the secret of this book, aside from its careful, clear prose are the subtle embellishments provided to the pages every now and then by the sweetness of Suzie Baws's small, pin-sharp line-illustrations of fish and fishing kit. They provide a musical overtone to the laddish quality of Tony and Harry's usually outrageous adventures.
Make no mistake about it: this is a family book about love of life and those dearest to anyone traveling through it, even when they are no longer here. There is joy and then, too, there is an over-arching hopeful sadness that moves like a shining cloud throughout -- for this book is dedicated to Tony and Suzie's son Gideon, who died tragically young of SADS: Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
Because this heart condition is treatable, all the author's royalties will be donated to the UK charity CRY - Cardiac Risks in the Young. Like most of the fish that Tony and Harry catch and then are careful to replace into the waters from whence they came, so do all of us who read this book, thanks to its wise progenitor, have our chance to put something back into life as well.
Tony Baws elegantly yet light-heartedly takes us through a series of charming verbal pictures featuring two people central to his coming-of-age in Essex in the Sixties. There's Suzie, the wife he is courting and wins, and her step-father -- the ribald, life-affirming, often rollicking Harry whose capacity for mayhem and shared love of fishing gives Baws the erratic linchpin for his devotions.
Part of the secret of this book, aside from its careful, clear prose are the subtle embellishments provided to the pages every now and then by the sweetness of Suzie Baws's small, pin-sharp line-illustrations of fish and fishing kit. They provide a musical overtone to the laddish quality of Tony and Harry's usually outrageous adventures.
Make no mistake about it: this is a family book about love of life and those dearest to anyone traveling through it, even when they are no longer here. There is joy and then, too, there is an over-arching hopeful sadness that moves like a shining cloud throughout -- for this book is dedicated to Tony and Suzie's son Gideon, who died tragically young of SADS: Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
Because this heart condition is treatable, all the author's royalties will be donated to the UK charity CRY - Cardiac Risks in the Young. Like most of the fish that Tony and Harry catch and then are careful to replace into the waters from whence they came, so do all of us who read this book, thanks to its wise progenitor, have our chance to put something back into life as well.
A thoroughly enjoyable
read that I didn't want to end. No knowledge of fishing is necessary to enjoy
this well written romp through the waterways of Essex and beyond. More about
life, loves and laughs and a somewhat lost landscape that comes vividly back to
life and leaves you with a smile.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fishing With Harry
Madcap, hilarious,
poignant & profound - all in equal measure. A charming nostalgic romp
through recent times past. You need zero interest in fishing - I certainly have
none whatsoever, to enjoy this witty, clever and delightful series of mis-
adventures with the young amorous author and his truly eccentric Rabelaisian
father in law. A hilarious read, well crafted and thought provoking beyond the
chuckles. All profits being donated to a fine charity is an added bonus.
Follow the links to Amazon or Merlin Unwin to become the proud owner of your very own copy of the book.
You might also consider a visit to "Fishing With Harry - the musical". Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq7cFmAfupI