Lost for Words - Deric Longden

Advantages: It will have you giggling away as you read
Disadvantages: There are some very poignant moments in there

If you haven't read any of Deric Longden's books then you really are missing out on the opportunity to enjoy some lovely writing that will have you chuckling away as you read. He has a lovely style which I have to say appeals to my sense of humour. He can take the most mundane situations and relate them in a way that a good stand up comic will - emphasising the ridiculous things we do in every day life. This little booke entitled "Lost for Words" ...
...eventual decline into old age. You may have seen the film or DVD of this book which starred Thora Hird as his Mum and Peter Postlethwaite as Deric? Even if you have seen the film it is still well worth reading the book in order that you can enjoy Deric's style and humour first hand for, although the film is amusing and touching, it doesn't quite capture the full story in all its glory. I loved this book party because of his writing and partly because ... Read review

Advantages: Beautifully written book about a true character
Disadvantages: None

Most of us know one. A person who can take the rich threads of English language and, rather than weaving them into an exquisite tapestry, knit them into something that resembles an over used dishcloth. Deric Longden's delightful book "Lost for Words" is the story of the language mangler in his family - his mother. This is the second of Longden's autobiographical books and the story starts pretty much where the first ("Diana's Story") left off. For ...
...book, it is the moving tale of the illness and ultimate death of his first wife, Diana. However, reading "Diana's Story" is not a prerequisite for reading and enjoying "Lost for Words". The focus of the former is mainly on Diana, with the endearing Mrs Longden senior making cameo appearances - now this delightfully dotty character gets a book of her own. Mrs Longden senior marches to a decidedly different beat to the rest of civilisation, being ... Read review

Advantages: wonderfully drawn characters, relevant to many of us
Disadvantages: none

This is a wonderful book by a son writing of the physical and mental decline of a much loved mother. That sounds a very sombre premise for an entertaining read, but Deric manages to do this by describing his mother and her eccentric personality with tremendous warmth and an incredibly accurate depiction of many women of her generation who got through before the phrase "single mother" was coined. The book is funny, sad and searingly honest by turns ...
...of a character by describing a single phrase they may utter.He does tend to write of Northern characters in particular as this is the region I suppose he knows best. He is of the same ilk as Alan Bennett in that he writes of the minutae of life, albeit in a more "popular" style and makes it so interesting and when it is re-read you can find several other sub points he has made and recognise characters you may have met in your own childhood. It is ... Read review

Advantages: entertaining and humorous read that also makes you think and move you to tears
Disadvantages: none

I first read this book after reading others by Deric Longden and really enjoying them.Deric writes of little incidents in life and is an avid "people watcher" ; to try and describe the incidents he portrays would make them sound trivial, but he finds joy and pathos in these small moments and many incidents seem familiar. He can also be thought provoking in giving a new slant to old practices and manages to do this in a non preaching and humorous ...
...lot of fun at himself which is always enjoyable for the reader! In this particular book, he describes the physical and mental decline of his Mother,which at first sounds grim. However, in essence it is the story of the love between a mother and son and honest appraisal of the care needs of an elderly woman trying to preserve her dignity. It is clear that Deric and his Mum had a close relationship, but the story is far from sentimental ; it is funny, ... Read review