http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Just_a_Liverpool_Lad_by_Peter_McArdle 2026-04-09T13:25:08Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.34.2 http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/w/index.php?title=Just_a_Liverpool_Lad_by_Peter_McArdle&diff=173026&oldid=prev 2025-08-15T10:54:55Z

<p>Created page with &quot;{{infobox1 |title=Just a Liverpool Lad |author=Peter McArdle |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Autobiography |summary=Memories of a life in and around Liverpool. A delight for those...&quot;</p> <p><b>New review</b></p><div>{{infobox1<br /> |title=Just a Liverpool Lad<br /> |author=Peter McArdle<br /> |reviewer=Sue Magee<br /> |genre=Autobiography<br /> |summary=Memories of a life in and around Liverpool. A delight for those of us who remember when times seemed so much simpler and more satisfying.<br /> |rating=4<br /> |buy=Yes<br /> |borrow=Yes<br /> |pages=145<br /> |publisher=Maria McArdle<br /> |date=June 2025<br /> |isbn=978-1036916374<br /> |cover=1036916375<br /> |aznuk=1036916375<br /> |aznus=1036916375<br /> }}<br /> &#039;&#039;Just a Liverpool Lad &#039;&#039; is a collection of memories and reflections from the years Peter McArdle spent growing up in and around Liverpool. Some are factual, such as the family history of a sea-going family, with the docks dominating lives. Other stories blend seamlessly into the what-might-have-been. It&#039;s a book to settle into and allow your mind to roam across your childhood memories, to think of simpler times when life seemed less constrained, despite the blitz that was a constant factor in McArdle&#039;s early years. I&#039;d never heard of parachute mines before - but they were almost soundless and could appear after the all-clear was sounded. <br /> <br /> It didn&#039;t stop boys paddling in the sea, though. The writing is poetic, and brought back such a strong sense of feet sinking in wet sand and water lapping around ankles that I had to check I was still on dry land. I was most touched, though, by the story of Covey Thomas, who was admitted to a rest home at the age of ninety-four. He was persuaded into the home by the promise of a room which would allow him to watch the ships and his beloved docks. Life improved even more when he found a young friend who played sea-going games with Thomas. The room was renamed &#039;&#039;The Fairview Adventurer&#039;&#039; and the pair went on their voyages far and wide.<br /> <br /> Bureaucracy intervened, though - the room and its access weren&#039;t safe for Covey - and he was moved to a room without a view of the sea. Childish ingenuity and his young friend found a way around the problem - in fact, they made the problem into something positive. It&#039;s a delightful story. Is it true? In my heart, it is, and that&#039;s what matters.<br /> <br /> I remembered my own terror (no - that&#039;s not too strong a word) when I had to go &#039;out of my depth&#039; at the swimming baths to swim my first full length. It wasn&#039;t just the depth of the water; it was the jeers of the swimmers who&#039;d completed this rite of passage when I showed my nerves. Many decades later, it&#039;s a relief to know that I was not alone. There were other memories I hadn&#039;t thought about in a while - such as the bottles of milk at school break time. They were disgusting in summer and delightful in winter!<br /> <br /> Initially, I thought that this would be a book for the McArdle family, but it proved to be so much more than that. The writing is a treat to read, and it&#039;s supplemented by the pencil drawings of Peter&#039;s wife, Maria. It&#039;s a slim book, but it was not a quick read; I spent far too much time on my own memories!<br /> <br /> We have an autobiography of another scouser: [[Hungry: A Memoir of Wanting More by Grace Dent]].<br /> You can read more about Peter McArdle [[:Category:Peter McArdle|here]].<br /> <br /> {{amazontext|amazon=1036916375}}<br /> <br /> {{amazonUStext|amazon=1036916375}}<br /> <br /> {{commenthead}}</div>

Sue