Books that mention your home town

[Deleted]

I'm reading a really interesting book at the moment called 'Go Boy' by Roger Caron. He is a Canadian man who has spent most of his life (ever since he was 17) in prison. He was an armed bank robber at one time. It's a real eye opener for me in many ways. Anyway, today I read a part of the book where he writes about Fredericton, this is in his own words, written back in 1960: (he was on the run at the time):

''Keeping my father's wishes in mind during the following weeks I made my way as far as Fredericton N.B. A wonderfully scenic little town with tree-lined streets, parks, a massive steel bridge, and a colorful river flowing through the center of the business district...''

''The Fredericton country jail is situated on a quiet tree-lined street not far from the heart of town. Painted white and constructed of wood, it was two stories high. The first floor contained offices, kitchen, and gallows; the second floor had three large cells facing the back....''

He also talks about a ferry that went across on the St. John river and it was tugged by a machine of some kind fitted with strong ropes.

It all sounds so primitive. I wonder if the steel bridge he talks about is the one I posted a picture of the other day, where only the concrete blocks remain? The police station is still located on the street by the river...

[spindrift]

That is riveting, Deyana. Do you have a local museum? perhaps you could enquire whether the bridge is the same one mentioned in the book.

[Deleted]

That's a good idea. My bf might know something about this too. I'm really curious about it all now..

Awful to think they had got hanged in those days.

[onlymark]

For many years I lived in a town called Eastwood. Made 'famous' by DH Lawrence and described by him in many of his novels. It seemed when I lived there very little had changed, still a poor, rough mining town and I went to the same school as he did, even the fireplaces and open coal fires in the classrooms that kept me either too hot or not warm enough throughout the winter months sitting at a wooden desk that was also probably the same as in his day.

Also Alan Sillitoe who wrote Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, gritty accounts of my area.

[Deleted]

I'll make a note of those books, Mark. I'd be interested to read them. I've read quite a bit about the North of England in the past, various autobiographies from people who lived in that area especially during and just after WW2. Yes, some areas were very poor and it was tough living there for sure.

I lived in the South, but we never had a fire-place, well we did, but it was never used. Instead I do remember my folks using portable paraffin heaters to warm up the place. Dangerous in some ways, and I know of at least one poor old disabled man, a neighbour who was burned to death when he fell on one.

I don't think we had open fire-places in school either, I do remember having central heating. Maybe this was because we lived in the South? And in some ways it was not as improvised as the North. I do remember the miners strike during the time that Margaret Thatcher was in power, it was a hard time for many people...