- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown & Company (2 Jan 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0316725307
- ISBN-13: 978-0316725309
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 508,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Beyond Nab End
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The second volume of Woodruff's memoirs starts with him having arrived in Poplar in the early 1930s. On spec, he turns up at a steel foundry and luckily gets a job. His digs are with an old couple in Bow where he has to share a single bed (head to toe) with their mentally retarded son. Life in the foundry is grim but William is indomitable. For recreation one day he cycles (then in the days before inflatable tyres) to Berkhamstead to try and track down an old girlfriend. She's not there and he has to return in a snowstorm - it takes him eight hours to get back to Poplar and then he has to get up three hours later to work at the foundry. Eventually he decides to "get some leernin" and his first white-collar job starts for the Water Board. Continuing to pursue his studies, he finally wins a place at Ruskin College, Oxford. How the ex-steel worker became an Oxford academic - and William's description of returning from the war to meet the son he's never seen - concludes this second volume.
About the Author
From his birth in 1916 until he ran away to London, William Woodruff lived in the heart of Blackburn's weaving community. He eventually went to Oxford University, is now 85 and lives in Florida.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
'Tha's started to shave, I 'ope,' Mr Bundle shouted, as the lorry ground its way up the hill that led from Lancashire to Cheshire. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
'Tha's started to shave, I 'ope,' Mr Bundle shouted, as the lorry ground its way up the hill that led from Lancashire to Cheshire. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first heard excerpts from this on Radio 4's 'book of the week' and was so captivated I had to read the whole book. I was not disappointed. It's enjoyable, educational, and inspirational, a real delight.
This is history as it should be, from the perspective of those that lived it. I found this book topical in light of events in the Middle East and the legions of armchair generals comparing the folly of appeasement in the late 1930s with the current situation. William Woodruff's account of what was actually happening in Britain at that time makes clear that while the mistakes of history may seem simple in retrospect, at the time things happen for a good reason. The highs and lows of the 'good old days' are bought to life in exciting fashion.
Even for those with no interest in history this book is a wonderful read about a remarkable man who has lived a very full life. There is no superfluous waffle or self-pity, but a joie de vivre that comes across clearly despite the intervening years. A pleasure from beginning to end.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The combination of vivid description of the socio-political climate in the years and days leading to the second world war with the evocation of Billie's amazing lust for life is inspiring. I was left feeling that, with enough energy and industry, the world really does open itself up to you.
The description of his time at Oxford perfectly captures the mix of non-stop activity and timeless calm that make it such a magical place.
My grandparents were at the university at the same time as the author and I'm grateful to him for bringing their world to life. If the purpose of history is to help us learn the lessons of the past and apply them to the present, this book is the best piece of history I've read in a long time.
The description of his time at Oxford perfectly captures the mix of non-stop activity and timeless calm that make it such a magical place.
My grandparents were at the university at the same time as the author and I'm grateful to him for bringing their world to life. If the purpose of history is to help us learn the lessons of the past and apply them to the present, this book is the best piece of history I've read in a long time.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having only recently read William Woodruff's 'The Road to Nab End' - and having thoroughly enjoyed it - I was delighted to find the true life tale continuing in 'Beyond Nab End'. As an escapee from Lancashire to London myself, albeit in the 1990s as opposed to the period covered by these two books, I found them resonating with me. Powerful and well-written, to call this book a sequel is to convey a false sense of it being in some way more dilute. In fact, the book covers the period from Woodruff arriving in London's East End through his getting an education in Oxford against the odds and then travelling to war against Hitler and the consequences of that. Sharing Woodruff's life journey through these pages makes for an incredibly moving experience and one I wholeheartedly recommend.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
really good
really good read never got bored and want to read more like this so would most definitely recommend to all looking at this book
Published 3 months ago by sherls
An excellent read
I had read this book before and loved it. I let a friend borrow it and did not get it back. It reminded me of the stories that my mother used to tell me when she worked in a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by maureen4999
I love this book
I am not one for rags to riches stories, or autobiographies but I truly love this book. William Woodruff captures the imagination and draws you into his life. A must read.
Published 19 months ago by Zoe J. Moore
beyond nab end
A classic. Well written and a genuine insight into life in a cotton towns rise and decline and the effects on ordinary working class people. Read more
Published 19 months ago by andywhite
Childhood Memories
Excellent read, took me back as I was born in Lancashire. Very descriptive without being morbid. Recommended to anyone.
Published 22 months ago by Mrs. P. I. Ashby
beyond nab end
Beyond Nab End: The Sequel to "The Road to Nab End" once you start reading it you dont want to put it down .it is interesting to read about how people used to live . Read more
Published on 20 July 2009 by A. Nisbet
beyond nab end.
this is a spell binding story of a rags to riches and a nobody to a some body, life story, a book i found hard to put down and was sorry to finish, the book before it was equally... Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by Mrs. J. M. Taylor
The second part
This book is essential reading for anyone who has read part one, However it does miss some appeal of the former novel. Read more
Published on 15 May 2009 by Mr. D. Graham
follow up to road to nab end
If you have read Road to Nab End, maybe you will be like me and want to know more.It didn't disappoint at all. What an interesting life he had. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2009 by S. Wilkinson
We have been there
Beyond Nab End: The Sequel to "The Road to Nab End"
I found this book a "Must" for those having read "The Road to Nab End" a vivid word picture of life in the thirties. Read more
I found this book a "Must" for those having read "The Road to Nab End" a vivid word picture of life in the thirties. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2009 by Mrs. S. Gerrard
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