Everyone talks about ‘Middle England’. Sometimes they mean something bad, like a lynch mob of tabloid readers, and sometimes they mean something good, like a pint of ale in a sleepy Cotswold village. But just where and what is Middle England? Stuart Maconie didn’t know either, so he packed his Thermos and sandwiches and set off to find out… Is Middle England about tradition and decency or closed minds and bigotry? Is it maypoles and evensong, or flooded market towns and binge drinkers? Does it hark back to the myth of Merrie England or is it a modern concept borne of Top Gear and Princess Diana? Stuart Maconie leads an expedition by rail and road – via Carnforth and Adelstrop, Scratchwood and Tebay – in search of Jane Austen’s Bath, Disgusted’s Tunbridge Wells, Tom & Barbara Good’s Surbiton, Betjeman and Brent’s Slough, Elgar’s Malverns, Inspector Barnaby’s Midsomer and Thatcher’s Grantham – with plenty of stop-offs for tea and pastries along the way.
Adventures on the High Teas: In Search of Middle England
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'It is these juxtapositions of the high and the low, the hip and the furiously unfashionable, or, if you like, the sublime and the ridiculous, that make Maconie such an entertaining tour guide.' -- Mail on Sunday, 8 March, 2009
'Maconie's gift is finding beauty in the most unexpected places and after reading this you'll want to call up Google maps and plan your own journey. It's a wonderfully enriching read.' -- News of the World, 8 March, 2009
'Stuart Maconie discovers whether Middle England is a place or a feeling... all described with his usual charm and wit.'
-- Lonely Planet, 1 March, 2009
'Taken as a whole, the book amounts to a time capsule of England as it is now; it is, in its quirky offbeat way, a celebration of this country's extra-ordinary capacity to accomodate change while remaining essentially the same.' -- Mail on Sunday, 8 March, 2009
'Maconie's gift is finding beauty in the most unexpected places and after reading this you'll want to call up Google maps and plan your own journey. It's a wonderfully enriching read.' -- News of the World, 8 March, 2009
'Stuart Maconie discovers whether Middle England is a place or a feeling... all described with his usual charm and wit.'
-- Lonely Planet, 1 March, 2009
'Taken as a whole, the book amounts to a time capsule of England as it is now; it is, in its quirky offbeat way, a celebration of this country's extra-ordinary capacity to accomodate change while remaining essentially the same.' -- Mail on Sunday, 8 March, 2009
Review
'It is these juxtapositions of the high and the low, the hip and the furiously unfashionable, or, if you like, the sublime and the ridiculous, that make Maconie such an entertaining tour guide.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I absolutely adored Pies & Prejudice and Cider With Roadies, and while I was eagerly awaiting Stuart Maconie's latest book, I didn't think I was going to identify with it in quite the same way. I needn't have worried, I loved it.
As well as exploring quaint villages and historic towns, he celebrates English humour, food and music, and stops off in places which have been influential in England's literary and cinematic heritage, including Jane Austin's old stomping ground of Bath and Knutsford in Cheshire (the real-life setting for Cranford), as well as a Brief Encounter with Carnforth Railway Station.
Anyone expecting Maconie to sneer at Middle England with a huge Northern chip on his shoulder will be disappointed. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy (`The English Bill Bryson' according to the cover) and the book is infused with warmth and affection for English traditions and heritage, with only a hint of gentle mockery at the most bizarre. As usual with his books, I was chuckling and nodding with recognition all the way through.
As well as exploring quaint villages and historic towns, he celebrates English humour, food and music, and stops off in places which have been influential in England's literary and cinematic heritage, including Jane Austin's old stomping ground of Bath and Knutsford in Cheshire (the real-life setting for Cranford), as well as a Brief Encounter with Carnforth Railway Station.
Anyone expecting Maconie to sneer at Middle England with a huge Northern chip on his shoulder will be disappointed. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy (`The English Bill Bryson' according to the cover) and the book is infused with warmth and affection for English traditions and heritage, with only a hint of gentle mockery at the most bizarre. As usual with his books, I was chuckling and nodding with recognition all the way through.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By T. Evans
Format:Paperback
I found this even better than Pies and Prejudice with Maconie coming across as a thoroughly decent, thoughtful cove. This is categorically not the breast-beating, self-proclaimed "honest-to-good British bulldog" beloved of Fleet Street. It's a world of quiet gestures and a celebration of the workaday pleasures of living in Britain. Most Brits don't like alcopops...they like tea. The phrase "Daily Mail readers" is a hackneyed device to lump those of a braying bent into a worn-out cliche. To his credit, Maconie never really uses it, preferring instead to actually judge his subjects - from trainspotters to tea shop staff - on their own merits. It's not a book of lazy generalisations...but it's a damn fine book.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Claire Evans
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A rather brittle version of a Bill Bryson travel tale - interesting detail now and then, but an awareness of his own cleverness makes for tiresome reading and the chip on his shoulder is more in evidence than his sense of humour.
I had difficulty in getting to the end.
I had difficulty in getting to the end.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really good read.
Stuart Maconie really is a national treasure. This book is an incisive, interesting read as much for his humurous observations as the information interweaved with trivia. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mr. Bernard Woollard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Makes me want to read more
Absolutely excellent! I've always enjoyed Stuart on radio but I'd never come across his books before. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Philip Whiteland
5.0 out of 5 stars
adventure on the high teas
a very descriptive book by an excellent writer. He always holds ones attention and I find his works most enjoyable
Published 3 months ago by Colin J Cafferty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb read
This is the third of his books I have read . Superb observations of the British character. I look forward to the next one, that I am about to read. More new places I need to visit. Read more
Published 4 months ago by colin hope
4.0 out of 5 stars
Adventures on the High Teas
A really interesting account with plenty of humour, well up to Stuart Maconie's high standard. There is always plenty to read between the lines
Published 8 months ago by TomW
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just be careful what you say in Maconie's presence, as whatever you...
This is surprisingly, quite a pleasant travelogue by Stuart Maconie, and reveals him to be far more than just a typical radio presenter steeped predominantly in music. Read more
Published 17 months ago by SMc
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing: A Travelogue of southern England not a search for...
I enjoyed 'Pies and Prejudice' which was a tour of the North. When I bought this book I expected more to be made of the concept of 'Middle England' which is after all a concept... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Jay
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Comment on Middle England.
On the face of it this book is a bit formulistic. Get an advance for expenses, roam around the country visiting different towns based on a theme (in this case "Middle England") and... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Bob from Beds
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb
As a Scot who has lived in England I thought this wee ramble around middle England was both accurate and hilarious. More please!
Published on 22 April 2011 by Stella Bridger
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable and insightful
I enjoyed this book very much. It is partly a Bryson-like trip to various places which might in some way be linked to "Middle England" and partly an attempt to analyse what... Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2011 by Sid Nuncius
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