Road to Nab End: A Lancashire Childhood

Forget ANGELA'S ASHES. THE ROAD TO NAB END is less bleak, it is witty and relieved by warmth and humor. The story of a city boy, born in the mill and growing up in grinding poverty is relieved by an unsentimental irreverence for conventional piety, enlivened by his forays into the gentle Lancashire countryside, the love of family and an impossible teenage romance.Bill Woodruff tells it as it was. I know because I was there. Although we both found our way to America, Blackburn of the 20's and 30's is indelibly printed on our souls.

It's a cliche to say "I couldn't put it down", but this time it's true. I found the book utterly enthralling and deeply moving, and not only because I grew up in Blackburn myself. It was written with passion, humour, commitment, and a wonderful eye and ear for remembered detail. This was no mere plodding blow-by-blow account of the author's childhood and youth; the memories were organised into thematic chapters, many of which could stand alone as sensitively crafted short stories in their own right - I think for instance of the intensely moving chapter about his visits to his maiden aunts in Bamber Bridge.At the same time, the book conveys with extraordinary immediacy the human, social and political reality of a crucial moment in our national history. Above all, like any work which concentrates on being intensely specific, it achieves the status of universality in its implications.The book was given to me as a Christmas present. Next Christmas, my friends and relations will be getting it - if I can wait till then to tell them about it.

William Woodruff, like one of the Old Master artists, has marvelously painted a story with a wordbrush filled with many colors. His descriptions of his experiences as a young lad draws perspectives that lead direct to the heart. One cannot read this book without coming away with a greater appreciation of the good and the bad of life's offerings. It is inspiring to learn that from such stressful challenges a warm, sensitive and perceptive being can and did survive with such an encompassing and compassionate view of humankind. Woodruff exposes many of life's experiences, that in many ways, we all share.

This story had a special significance for me as the author's hometown, Blackburn, is also my hometown. He was 7 years younger than my father although they attended the same school. However, I am certain the book will be enjoyed by many people who do not have that same personal connection.It is beautifully written, with the historical content merging skillfully into the story of family life.The book will be of particular interest to anyone who grew up in an industrial area, not just in Britain; to Americans and Canadians who can trace their families back to the mill-towns of Lancashire or Yorkshire; to anyone who finds the 1900-1930 period fascinating; to anyone who remembers their own family's struggles against adversity, and to anyone who enjoyed Angela's Ashes - but would prefer a more down-to earth story with fewer funerals!

The Road to Nab End describes the life of a boy growing up in an English mill town in the early years of the 20th century. Here comes to life a proud working-class family that struggles against unemployment and poverty. As they face hunger and eviction, they become resourceful: when they are freezing in bed, they add layers of newspaper, as well as all their clothes! A case of appendicitis is cured with hot bread poultices. The book preserves unforgettable vignettes of a life that might have been forgotten, and it does so with a great sense of humor.(...)