Description
Book Synopsis''Paling''s deftly drawn vignettes are frequently funny, sometimes sad and occasionally troubling . . . Borrow a copy from your local library, if you still have one. Better yet, buy it'' Neil Armstrong, Mail on Sunday
''Not only was I captivated by Paling''s lovingly wrought series of pen portraits, I was amused, moved and - perhaps most surprising of all - uplifted'' John Preston, Daily Mail
''There are many detractors who question whether libraries are still relevant in the digital age. Paling''s keenly and kindly observed account of his encounters offers a gentle insight as to why they still are'' Helen Davies, Sunday Times
Chris works as a librarian in a small-town library in the south of England. This is the story of the library, its staff, and the fascinating group of people who use the library on a regular basis.
We''ll meet characters like the street-sleepers Brewer, Wolf and Spencer, who are always the f
Trade Review
Paling's deftly drawn vignettes are frequently funny, sometimes sad and occasionally troubling . . . Borrow a copy from your local library, if you still have one. Better yet, buy it -- Neil Armstrong * Mail on Sunday *
Not only was I captivated by Paling's lovingly wrought series of pen portraits, I was amused, moved and - perhaps most surprising of all - uplifted -- John Preston * Daily Mail *
There are many detractors who question whether libraries are still relevant in the digital age. Paling's keenly and kindly observed account of his encounters offers a gentle insight as to why they still are -- Helen Davies * Sunday Times *
Restorative, gently British feel of these pages . . . It's fun, it's breezy . . . and it's full of Great British Quirk. It made me feel at home, and I recommend it strongly * The Book Bag *
Much of the dialogue is worthy of Alan Bennett -- Mark Mason * Spectator *
Paling's unflashy, plain-speaking and observant style is engaging -- Rosemary Goring * Sunday Herald *
Paling is an observant writer, with a brilliant ear for dialogue, and he sketches the eccentric cast of employees and customers perfectly. Although there is humour here, there is also pathos, as the library dwindles to become the haunt of the elderly and the homeless - a snapshot of people and institutions on the margins of the digital age, a poignant record of the unconnected life -- Chris Nancollas * Tablet *
Minutely observed cast . . . It is pinpoint-specific, as personal as a fingerprint or a reading record . . . The characters here lift these interlinked vignettes into something altogether richer -- Imogen Russell Williams * Times Literary Supplement *
Reading Allowed is a must for bibliophiles and those with a curiosity to understand exactly what goes on in that building that you might visit, or indeed that building that you walk past everyday * Rebel Voice *
