-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
The Guv'nor
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Lenny McLean: the Guv'nor, Dirty Len, a human timebomb waiting to go off, one of the old school--however he was known, Len McLean was--until his high-profile death through cancer in 1998-a living legend and the truth behind a dozen urban myths (all of them extremely violent no doubt); as well as a byword for toughness and street smarts. You didn't mess with Len. Stories of his exploits abound, his name being known far beyond his native manor of Hoxton, with a fearsome reputation built on the back of being a gentleman and one of the best fighters I have ever seen, according to the late Ron Kray. The turn out of minor celebrities and gangland notables at his funeral is a testimony to the (for him) all-important respect this larger- than-life character earned in his chequered life. But who was the great pugilist-turned-actor (see his impressive performance playing, not surprisingly, an East End enforcer in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), and what does it take to be the so-called Guv'nor?
In The Guv'nor, Len takes us, in what largely seems to be his own words (those offended by coarse language beware, he is no honey-tongued rhetorician), through his reminiscences. He evokes a compelling picture of times past, of a tough childhood growing up in the impoverished East End under the auspices of a brutally violent and unforgiving stepfather. He lived his early life in violence, and from that point, through a career of petty crime, minding, bouncing and unlicensed prize fighting (in fact anything that required muscle--his weapons were his fists, and he never used a shooter) it never ended. Because violence came so naturally to Len, his blasé attitude to hospitalising several slags ("no good bastards", so the helpful glossary of colourful terms informs us) can be bluntly shocking. But although violence was a feature of his life, this is not what the man (nor the book) was about. Len was essentially a man of simple values, but with a temper and the tools to make those who crossed or challenged him regret it--badly. A man of strong principles, (by his own account but also by the account of many others), a loving husband and father, not to mention brother, uncle, friend and, perhaps most poignantly, son of a cherished mother. Like many other hard men, he had a particular soft spot for his mother, who herself lived a cruelly tough life of sacrifice and subjugation.
When I met Len, he was courteous and charming, but the air of menace was unmistakable when he had to straighten a fellow bouncer for disrespecting a lady (I cannot remember what the guy actually did, but he definitely wouldn't do it again in Len's presence). Once the message was received, he happily returned to chatting, enlightening me with his words of wisdom. And what wisdom, you may ask, did I take from him? Son, treat kindness with kindness, he pronounced in that gravelly, stentorian tone--an admirable sentiment I thought--and violence with EXTREME violence! he trumpeted. Thankfully, few, if any, can do it quite like Lenny.--Alisdair Bowles --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'He was a man amongst men. His life was extraordinary.' Vinnie Jones
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ok, so maybe Lenny stretched the truth here and there with some of his facts - who doesn't?? At the end of the day, he was just an ordinary bloke trying to do right by his family by any means, and if it meant that some of the things he did weren't exactly legal "so what"?
I never knew the man, only what I've read and seen from archive footage - I certainly wouldnt have wanted to cross him thats for sure, but on the other hand, would loved to have met him in other circumstances and had a pint (not that Lenny touched booze) with him and just chatted with the fella, as he did have a story to tell thats for sure.
All in all, a very enjoyable read, if you take it at face value - an autobiography/biography of a working class, minor criminal/ hard man - with a heart of glod as far as family values were concerned.
A great read.
I never knew the man, only what I've read and seen from archive footage - I certainly wouldnt have wanted to cross him thats for sure, but on the other hand, would loved to have met him in other circumstances and had a pint (not that Lenny touched booze) with him and just chatted with the fella, as he did have a story to tell thats for sure.
All in all, a very enjoyable read, if you take it at face value - an autobiography/biography of a working class, minor criminal/ hard man - with a heart of glod as far as family values were concerned.
A great read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"The Guv'nor" opens with the protagonist Lenny McLean relating fond memories of his parents, despite the materially tough times they lived in back then. Unfortunately for him, however, they would become much tougher with the sad death of his beloved father, and the arrival of a violent step-father who regularly beat Len, his brothers and even the widow.
Len tells of the petty crime he engaged in as a young lad and of some of the time he was put away for it. But it's the brutal beatings he suffered at home that would become the catalyst for Len to lead a violent and difficult adult life, in which he became the world's meanest bare-knuckle fighter, worked the doors, collected debts, mixed with characters from the underworld, was stabbed, and was shot at twice.
The violence is horrific, as Len recounts some of the opponents he came up against as a prize fighter, some of them cold-blooded men who would have thought nothing about beating him to the point of paralysis. He recalls as well how drunks who tried to assault him on the doors, and people who shot at him or stabbed him, ended up on the receiving end of some brutal punishment, as did anyone else who tried to take a pot shot or pull a fast one on him.
The great thing about "The Guv'nor", though, is that it's not all savage beatings and violence. It's the story of a man who would have walked to the ends of the earth for his parents, wife and kids; and of a big-hearted man and loyal friend who others could always depend on when it counted. There are genuinely touching moments in the book, such as the death of his mum, and the meeting with his future wife for the first time ("The door opened and in walked this little angel, and Lenny took a knockout."), not to mention the ending, with Lenny expressing his feelings about events and people with an honesty and openness that gives a refreshing edge to the book.
Some of the events in the book are also accompanied with a dose of humour, really allowing Len's voice to shine through as if he's actually telling the story right in front of you. It all makes for a book which makes you wince one moment, laugh the next and maybe even cry the following. "The Guv'nor" is well worth a read and once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down again.
Len tells of the petty crime he engaged in as a young lad and of some of the time he was put away for it. But it's the brutal beatings he suffered at home that would become the catalyst for Len to lead a violent and difficult adult life, in which he became the world's meanest bare-knuckle fighter, worked the doors, collected debts, mixed with characters from the underworld, was stabbed, and was shot at twice.
The violence is horrific, as Len recounts some of the opponents he came up against as a prize fighter, some of them cold-blooded men who would have thought nothing about beating him to the point of paralysis. He recalls as well how drunks who tried to assault him on the doors, and people who shot at him or stabbed him, ended up on the receiving end of some brutal punishment, as did anyone else who tried to take a pot shot or pull a fast one on him.
The great thing about "The Guv'nor", though, is that it's not all savage beatings and violence. It's the story of a man who would have walked to the ends of the earth for his parents, wife and kids; and of a big-hearted man and loyal friend who others could always depend on when it counted. There are genuinely touching moments in the book, such as the death of his mum, and the meeting with his future wife for the first time ("The door opened and in walked this little angel, and Lenny took a knockout."), not to mention the ending, with Lenny expressing his feelings about events and people with an honesty and openness that gives a refreshing edge to the book.
Some of the events in the book are also accompanied with a dose of humour, really allowing Len's voice to shine through as if he's actually telling the story right in front of you. It all makes for a book which makes you wince one moment, laugh the next and maybe even cry the following. "The Guv'nor" is well worth a read and once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down again.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good read but a little far-fetched. Lenny didn't have 3000 fights. He had 15 and lost 5. Cliff Fields knocked him sparko in one round and Johnny Waldroun put his lights out in under one round TWICE. Lenny said at the time that Cliff Fields "looked like he came out of the mountains".
Bearing these facts in mind this is a good read and probably the best of the "hardman" genre.
Roy shaw once remarked it was the ginseng that had lost him his third fight with Lenny. Lenny said "It could have been the ginseng, or it might have been the righthand that put him in the third row".
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Guv'nor
This was a real insight into Lenny's world, what a man. I read it while on holiday and excellent book to take away with you
Published 1 month ago by K. C. Major
the guvnor
a brilliant read of a man,brought up on the streets of london,early days in london,he knew life was going to be an uphill struggle,and fought it well..rip lenny.
Published 1 month ago by daveb
Good, but...
I really enjoyed this, although due to it being very self promotional I can accept that many won't.
I read this with a fairly open mind and accepted that there was going... Read more
I read this with a fairly open mind and accepted that there was going... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Londoner 333
Not as good as others!
I've read quite a few of these type of books as I really enjoy them, however I wanted to give up on this book and I never quit in the middle of a book! Read more
Published 4 months ago by H. White
guvnor
i brought this book as a Christmas present for my son and he has not put it down, according to him it is a good read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by clarkenwit
Couldn't put it down!
Ok, depends what you like but I could not put this book down. |Saddened to read Lenny is no longer with us. Read more
Published 9 months ago by tim
THE GUV'NOR
GOOD READ, THIS GENTLEMAN LEAD A COLOURFUL LIFE WITH HIS FAIR SHARE OF UPS AND DOWNS. SHAME HE PASSED AWAY BEFORE HE REAPED THE BENEFITS OF OLD AGE AND SEEING HIS CHILDREN MATURE. Read more
Published 15 months ago by RAY777
GUV'NOR
A Little disapointed with the book Lenny tries to make out he is a good guy where he comes across to me has a bit of a bully
Published 18 months ago by tell it like it is
the guv'nor
Read this book 10 years ago - had to read it again but not going to pay full wack. Book was for a penny and in excelllent condition - just cannot go wrong and came within a couple... Read more
Published 18 months ago by glenn
who's the daddy?
very good - very hard but towards the end of the book you get the feeling he belives his own hype to much. Read more
Published on 4 May 2010 by R. Lax
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
