Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North
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Product Description
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"A lyrical, passionate, humorous and argumentative tour du force . . . the perfect blend of humorously incisive northern-travel writing. An early contender for best travel book of the year." "--Big Issue North"
Book Description
A hilarious journey in search of the real North, northerners and northernness, from the bestselling author of Cider With Roadies
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well, it's interesting to see the different responses to Stuart Maconie's paen to his region of the country. As someone who was born in South Africa to British parents (one from Preston and one from Middlesex), and was raised on the South Coast in East Sussex for 16 years; I feel that my roots are not that clear-cut. However, I was schooled in Kent and found the attitudes of many in that area of the world to be blinkered towards regional identity; despite my Mother being a dyed-in-the-wool Lancastrian from a working-class family, I can't claim to be anything other than middle-class, and at the earliest opportunity I shifted to live in Sheffield. I have now been in South Yorkshire for nearly 15 years, and I have to say that my personal experiences are that I would far rather be identified as a 'Northener' than a 'Southerner'. The old cliche that 'People up North are friendlier' is definitely true - in my experience - the pace of life is slower and more relaxed, and attitudes more open and less commerce oriented.
Anyway, that doesn't help prospective buyers of this book; Maconie's gentle humour and likeable persona shine through the book, and his musical knowledge is superb and of great interest to any music lover; whether they be from Watford or The Wirral. Yes he has an innate distaste for The South of England - but I for one don't blame him. I still have plenty of relatives and some friends who live south of Birmingham, and I often head south to visit them; however I'm always happy when I return home and see the bright steel lights of my city appearing over the horizon.
Anyway, that doesn't help prospective buyers of this book; Maconie's gentle humour and likeable persona shine through the book, and his musical knowledge is superb and of great interest to any music lover; whether they be from Watford or The Wirral. Yes he has an innate distaste for The South of England - but I for one don't blame him. I still have plenty of relatives and some friends who live south of Birmingham, and I often head south to visit them; however I'm always happy when I return home and see the bright steel lights of my city appearing over the horizon.
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I happened to buy Stuart Maconie's excellent guide to the North - part Bill Brysonesque comic travel guide, part a genuinely heartfelt portrait of everything he loves about the area - just before going on an extensive driving tour for my work, incorporating many of the cities described. Not only was it an excellent companion on my travels, but I found out so much I didn't know, even though I have spent a great deal of time in the North over the years.
What is so engaging about Maconie's prose is that he is fully aware of the prejudices that exist about the North and about specific cities and nods to them jokily while leaving no one in any doubt that stereotypes and oversimplifications are just that.
His passion for music and history come out on almost every page but it is the humour that sells it - showing once again how a light touch can make some very serious social and political observations. I challenge anyone - Southerners included - not to enjoy this and learn from it.
Even when Maconie makes little mistakes (it's LOUIS Tussaud's in Blackpool and he seems to have merged two separate Viz characters into one) he's easily forgiven because he passes on such a wealth of fascinating and frequently laugh-out-loud material (a passing reference to how people mispronounce 'Clitheroe' being a case in point!)
I guarantee it'll change your perception of Wigan at the very least.
What is so engaging about Maconie's prose is that he is fully aware of the prejudices that exist about the North and about specific cities and nods to them jokily while leaving no one in any doubt that stereotypes and oversimplifications are just that.
His passion for music and history come out on almost every page but it is the humour that sells it - showing once again how a light touch can make some very serious social and political observations. I challenge anyone - Southerners included - not to enjoy this and learn from it.
Even when Maconie makes little mistakes (it's LOUIS Tussaud's in Blackpool and he seems to have merged two separate Viz characters into one) he's easily forgiven because he passes on such a wealth of fascinating and frequently laugh-out-loud material (a passing reference to how people mispronounce 'Clitheroe' being a case in point!)
I guarantee it'll change your perception of Wigan at the very least.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an urbane, witty and clever book that explores "Northerness" means ... or rather what "Northern Englishness" means.
I found it fascinating but wished Maconie had hopped north of the border to juxtapose the view of Scots to "oop norf" with those "dan sarf". ( I did at times say "being patronised by the Londoncentric media ... try living in Scotland, pal!" while reading it.)
(I was studying in Glasgow a few years ago and I overheard a middle-class southern girl ask a friend "do THEY like dogs". I resisted the urge to butt in and say "only when there is an "r" in the month." To this girl everything north of Oxford is a suburb of Mordor.)
Maconie's thesis is simple :- regionalism is rife in the worlds of media, politics and business; this leads to a small-minded southern mind-set and a reactionary northern response.
Maconie's most accurate and deservedly cruel lunge is at the media's obsession with London and the Home Counties. He is also commendably and unfashionably unafraid to bring in social class into his discussion.
(Notice how "Q.I." is always at pains not to patronise the developing world but Stephen Fry can label Scots as drunken yobs and Northerners as provincial.)
Some may be dissapointed by its middlebrow muddle:- is this a funny serious book or a serious funny book ? But that is to overlook the book's strength that you learn a lot without feeling you are being lectured at.
It does have its flaws though, primarily a feel of a sense of resentment towards the South rather than a real anger at the North's neglect by Northerners. In addition, while I sung "Ding dong, the Witch is Dead" when Thatcher resigned, I think Maconie's left-wing political views are as carefully though out as and, as predictable, as a reactionary, right-wing retired stockbroker's from Surrey.( Oops, that was a regional stereotype.) Yes, Maconie savages Militant ruled Liverpool but, all too often, north of the Watford gap self-interested, self serving rogues are voted in precisely because they wear a red rosette just as blue rosette wearing clowns like Boris Johnson are in the south. Yes, the Thatcherite era did lead to a savage and deliberate decimation of the British working class but the left showed an unforgivable lack of vision and leadership that made them vulnerable to old "milksnatcher".
But Maconie isn't a sentimentalist:- the North isn't porttrayed as perfect ... just as a neglected part of the UK with its own charm.
But overall, ecky thump! It' s reet champion, ower kid.I'm off to walk my whippet.
(Sorry, lads & lasses!)
I found it fascinating but wished Maconie had hopped north of the border to juxtapose the view of Scots to "oop norf" with those "dan sarf". ( I did at times say "being patronised by the Londoncentric media ... try living in Scotland, pal!" while reading it.)
(I was studying in Glasgow a few years ago and I overheard a middle-class southern girl ask a friend "do THEY like dogs". I resisted the urge to butt in and say "only when there is an "r" in the month." To this girl everything north of Oxford is a suburb of Mordor.)
Maconie's thesis is simple :- regionalism is rife in the worlds of media, politics and business; this leads to a small-minded southern mind-set and a reactionary northern response.
Maconie's most accurate and deservedly cruel lunge is at the media's obsession with London and the Home Counties. He is also commendably and unfashionably unafraid to bring in social class into his discussion.
(Notice how "Q.I." is always at pains not to patronise the developing world but Stephen Fry can label Scots as drunken yobs and Northerners as provincial.)
Some may be dissapointed by its middlebrow muddle:- is this a funny serious book or a serious funny book ? But that is to overlook the book's strength that you learn a lot without feeling you are being lectured at.
It does have its flaws though, primarily a feel of a sense of resentment towards the South rather than a real anger at the North's neglect by Northerners. In addition, while I sung "Ding dong, the Witch is Dead" when Thatcher resigned, I think Maconie's left-wing political views are as carefully though out as and, as predictable, as a reactionary, right-wing retired stockbroker's from Surrey.( Oops, that was a regional stereotype.) Yes, Maconie savages Militant ruled Liverpool but, all too often, north of the Watford gap self-interested, self serving rogues are voted in precisely because they wear a red rosette just as blue rosette wearing clowns like Boris Johnson are in the south. Yes, the Thatcherite era did lead to a savage and deliberate decimation of the British working class but the left showed an unforgivable lack of vision and leadership that made them vulnerable to old "milksnatcher".
But Maconie isn't a sentimentalist:- the North isn't porttrayed as perfect ... just as a neglected part of the UK with its own charm.
But overall, ecky thump! It' s reet champion, ower kid.I'm off to walk my whippet.
(Sorry, lads & lasses!)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Tripe
Writing review of books you haven't read in their entirety is never a good thing ... but I couldn't bring myself to get beyond the first, utterly awful, first chapter so I... Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Hunt
Disappointing
The reason I bought this book was because I'd read some decent reviews on it and the author had been likened in style to Bill Bryson (I'm a big fan of Bill). Read more
Published 5 months ago by Emma
Lies and Prejudice
I have to admit that after the first few chapters I gave up on this. So if it suddenly improved later on and turned into a five star read I apologise, but life's too short and this... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bookwoman
A huge let down
Being a big fan of the Radio 2 show presented by Stuart and Mark Radcliff I came to this book with a bias in favour of the writer, however I came away rather under whelmed. Read more
Published 14 months ago by venerablejohn
Love Stuart Maconie
As a "blow in" ( only been in Manchester 21 years!) I loved the insight this gave in to the North. Little snippets of history mixed with cultural references old and new, made it a... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lynnem
At least the title is not misleading
The title "Pies and Prejudice" tells you all you need to know about this, dreary, heavy going tome.
If like me you read the Amazon "Product Description" and think you... Read more
If like me you read the Amazon "Product Description" and think you... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr
Nearly classic
What a lovely book.
A few admissions: I'd never heard of Maconie before; and I know almost nothing about football or pop; and though I live in the North, and my children... Read more
A few admissions: I'd never heard of Maconie before; and I know almost nothing about football or pop; and though I live in the North, and my children... Read more
Published 18 months ago by NickR
Brilliant
This is an insightful journey to establish where the true North is. It starts from the train station in Crewe and then travels around northern towns and Counties givin a synopsis... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Grainne
Reet Gradely!
I really enjoyed this examination of Northerness. I've always like Maconie's radio and music journalism work and this didnt dissapoint me. Read more
Published 18 months ago by pureunited
Pies please
Superb wandering in the north with great humour, insight and accuracy.
McConie relates well on the radio and even better in this book, a must-read for all exiled Northerners.
McConie relates well on the radio and even better in this book, a must-read for all exiled Northerners.
Published 18 months ago by AndyW
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