Lost for Words - Deric Longden > Reviews

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" ... 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. ... 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 ... 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 way, ... Read review