London Belongs to Me (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Review
'A magic evocation of a vanished world, a Dickensian page-turner that keeps one gripped to the very end'
--OLDIE
--OLDIE
Review
'One of the great city novels: a sprawling celebration of the comedy, savagery, eccentricity and heroism ... of ordinary London life' Sarah Waters
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic read full of ordinary (but vivid) characters who bring pre-WWII London incredibly to life. I got totally lost in this book and wanted to savour it, relishing the prospect of a few chapters before bed every night. The book is set in a multi-occupancy house in Kennington and follows the day to day life of all of its inhabitants - most of them very respectable, some less so! It's very funny in places and also very poignant. I found that I got totally caught up with all the characters. Like the last reviewer I particularly liked Connie (the Soho nightclub attendant who comes home every night at 4am on the late tram!) but also had a soft spot for Percy Boon despite all his misdemeanours. All in all this is a book to get swept away in and not to be missed. Anyone who is a fan of pre/post-war London literature - eg Patrick Hamilton, James Curtis, Gerald Kersh, Julian Maclaren Ross, etc will welcome the opportunity to live for a while in the less frantic lives (but not without their surprising twists) of the tenants of Dulcimer Street, Kennington, South London.
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Norman Collins' `London Belongs to Me' starts in 1938 and chronicles the lives of a group of `ordinary' Londoners, set against a background of impending war, then WW2 itself - although this is not a novel specifically about the horrors of war. This is a novel about the lives, with all their trials and tribulations, and successes and failures, of a diverse group of people, struggling to cope with everyday life, in most cases on a very meagre budget. We are introduced to the lonely landlady, in whose house the main characters live, the ageing glamour girl with an eye to the main chance, and my favourite characters, Mr. & Mrs. Josser, adjusting to life with Mr.Josser newly retired, and other characters, too numerous to mention but all fascinating. Norman Collins really brings his characters to life - I felt as if I knew them all intimately and really cared about their lives and various predicaments. This is a big book - some 734 pages - but it wasn't long enough for me. I was really sorry to finish it and feel sure I'll read it again some day. On the basis of this book, I would compare Norman Collins favourably with Charles Dickens in his ability to observe and comment on characters and situations, with subtle underlying humour (although I would rate Collins far more readable than Dickens). There were many occasions when I laughed out loud and many, many more when I smiled to myself - I would rate this book an absolute masterpiece.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Norman Collins is probably someone you have never heard of, but from being deputy chairman at Gollancz he went on to join the BBC. He created the Dick Barton radio series and also initiated Woman's Hour, before moving over to the television side of the business. He eventually left the BBC and was a prime force in helping to create an independent television network in this country. Whilst doing all this he found time to write a number of novels, this one being his most famous. It is good to see that the clever chaps at Penguin have now placed this novel in their Modern Classics series, hopefully giving this cult classic a much wider audience. This book has been filmed before, but really this needs to be made into a proper series on the tv, it is well past time that it should have been.
I was glad when I stumbled across this amazing book back in print as being a South Londoner born and bred from generations of such this book carries a certain resonance. Indeed when I was little my grandparents lived in similar conditions. The story revolves around the tenants of number 10 Dulcimer Street, Kennington. The story opens with Mr Josser forced into early retirement. This book has never been considered high literature and indeed it isn't, so don't be worried about the length. If you like Delderfield's Avenue books you will love this. At the beginning with Mr Josser retiring you may start to think that this is a kitchen sink drama, but don't be put off, when Mr Josser drops his retirement clock on the pavement you will realise that this story is most definitely a comedy drama.
Despite the Phony War leading into the main war, car theft and murder this book doesn't dwell on the bleakness of life, indeed whatever happens Collins finds comedy in the situation. With a host of characters that you soon come to know and feel like you have met this novel has something Dickensian about it. Indeed a lot of the characters made me think of people that I have or do still know, which always helps when reading something quite lengthy. The story itself isn't complex, it is just the trials and tribulations of people trying to get on with their lives, so don't expect to find some deep meaning in it.
On the whole this is a comic masterpiece that you will want to read again and again, and like me will recommend to others, so buy this book and see what you have been missing all these years.
I was glad when I stumbled across this amazing book back in print as being a South Londoner born and bred from generations of such this book carries a certain resonance. Indeed when I was little my grandparents lived in similar conditions. The story revolves around the tenants of number 10 Dulcimer Street, Kennington. The story opens with Mr Josser forced into early retirement. This book has never been considered high literature and indeed it isn't, so don't be worried about the length. If you like Delderfield's Avenue books you will love this. At the beginning with Mr Josser retiring you may start to think that this is a kitchen sink drama, but don't be put off, when Mr Josser drops his retirement clock on the pavement you will realise that this story is most definitely a comedy drama.
Despite the Phony War leading into the main war, car theft and murder this book doesn't dwell on the bleakness of life, indeed whatever happens Collins finds comedy in the situation. With a host of characters that you soon come to know and feel like you have met this novel has something Dickensian about it. Indeed a lot of the characters made me think of people that I have or do still know, which always helps when reading something quite lengthy. The story itself isn't complex, it is just the trials and tribulations of people trying to get on with their lives, so don't expect to find some deep meaning in it.
On the whole this is a comic masterpiece that you will want to read again and again, and like me will recommend to others, so buy this book and see what you have been missing all these years.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Splendid
Anyone who loves Dickens will love this evocative tale of London at the start of the Blitz. Warm hearted without being sentimental and peopled with wonderfully memorable... Read more
Published 1 day ago by CMickell
London belongs to me
Not a good novel - A GREAT novel - on a par with "A wolf among wolves". I Was sorry when I had finished it, and need a sequel!
Published 1 month ago by David Straker
london belongs to me Norman Collins.
Anyone who has any interest in London social history will i'm sure love this book.Set in South London it is a wonderful soap opera type of yarn whith fabulous characters and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by fred
A thoroughly readable tale of ordinary Londoners
This is a lovely book, I enjoyed it very much. It is a story about the intertwining lives of Londoners lodging in the same large house in Dulcimer Street, Kennington in the late... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lilith
Totally wonderful story
My earliest memories of this book are hearing the play on the radio when i was a small girl ill in bed - Im 60 now - at this time I was fascinated with all things London as my aunt... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Linda Mitchell
An intersting addition to my London colllection.
I purchased this because I collect books whether fictional or non-fictional about London.
I'd heard about this author and while I knew it wasn't in the so-called canon... Read more
I'd heard about this author and while I knew it wasn't in the so-called canon... Read more
Published 9 months ago by H. M. Kingston
One of my favourite books
I first bought a copy of this book from a second hand book shop in 1972 when I was expecting my first child. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Janetell
what a read
Absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. Stumbled upon it in hard copy on a book exchange shelf at work. Being a lover of London, I picked it up and delved in. Read more
Published 14 months ago by julia
A London classic
It starts in 1938 as war clouds are gathering and ends in 1940 with the start of the Blitz. It was published in 1945, so Collins - who was the BBC's director of overseas... Read more
Published 19 months ago by booksetc
A period piece
The occupants of 10 Dulcimer Street are neighbours, in a way unique to the class-ridden London of 1938. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Honest Accountant
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