Two Miles to Tynecastle
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Review
THE premise of this book is simple enough; the autobiography of an ordinary Hearts fan who grew up, as the title suggests, close to the ground. Its simplicity is its strength, and Bowie tells his tale with remarkable candour and a good deal of humour. A tough upbringing in Edinburgh's Saughton Mains Bank had a huge influence on the author but it was the calamities in his personal life that shaped him. His parents' acrimonious split saw him dividing his childhood years between his mum in Edinburgh and weekends at his dad's new home in Livingston. His relationship with his father is fraught and he never really forgives him for failing to take him to Dens Park on May 3, 1986, to see Hearts' title-defining match with Dundee. That the author escaped seeing Hearts lose the game (and the league) in such a gut-wrenching manner doesn't seem to get Bowie senior off the hook, and Albert Kidd's late double continues to haunt the author through his adolescence and early adult years until he finally finds closure with Hearts' Scottish Cup win 12 years later. It's a tale with which thousands of Jambos will identify and Bowie's powers of recall are mightily impressive as he gives highly personal accounts of matches that defined his early life. His memories of the pre-Hillsborough days on the terraces are particularly evocative as he recalls the bedlam in "The Shed" at Tynecastle during the 1980s when a gifted young Hearts side flirted with success but fell agonisingly short. Like many young men, football played a disproportionately important part in Bowie's life, with watching Hearts offering him an escape from the drudgery of his everyday existence working nightshifts in a filling station. His teenage years are strewn with crushing disappointments and he's forced to endure the disintegration of his relationship with his eldest brother whom he idolised as a kid. The older boy goes off the rails in a big way and is in and out of penal institutes, with the nadir coming when he returns to the family home and steals from the young Bowie. Amid the dark times there is plenty of humour as the author finds calamitous new ways of coming to grief in his job in the petrol station and a stint as a van driver. Salvation comes in the form of Lesley, who he meets in the local pub and marries. Also a Jambo, but you suspect she's broadminded enough to appreciate there is more to life than Hearts and is perhaps even able to convince Bowie of the same. This type of football confessional has become a well-worn genre, but Bowie's effort succeeds with its rough-hewn charm and the wit in his writing. --Scotland on Sunday
Product Description
Andrew-Henry Bowie is a passionate Heart of Midlothian Football Club supporter. He doggedly survived a tough childhood and found solace sort of in his overwhelming love of football. The author engages the reader with an energetic and animated account of his years as a Hearts fan and his early years growing up as an Edinburgh 'schemie'. Written with verve and a dry sense of humour Bowie entertains with recollections of a series of calamitous episodes; ironically these seemed to reflect the Hearts' ups and downs! The book is scattered with familiar references to the 80s and 90s; for anyone growing up during this period, this book will stir poignant memories.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I wasn't too sure about buying this at first if I'm honest, but reviews and raves by my fellow "Jambos" (Heart of Midlothian supporters) prompted me to order a couple of copies (one for my friend.......a truly mad Jambo, in the nicest sense!).
I wasn't disappointed. I am moderately critical of authors who really don't keep the reader captivated in a rather lame attempt to tell their life story and ram their ideals and beliefs down the throats of all who dare to pick up the pages. No chance of this happening within the covers of this little gem. Bowie's clever humour shines and his flowing style makes it one of these books you find hard to put down. But what is most refreshing for me is not the fact that we have a football mad (Heart of Midlothian FC) author who DOES allow his life to unfold within these covers, but the WAY in which he does it. It's gutsy, it's supremely honest and it's a must for those of us who would much rather listen to the small man than read the ramblings of the "greats". Of course Mr. Bowie has a "dig" at Hearts' great adversaries known as "Hibs FC" who are it is widely known, Edinburgh's "wee team". But suffice to say this is done with great humour and taste with not a hint of impetuosity.
Definitely one to watch........I understand he has another book out soon. If it's half as good, it's well worth buying.....I mean where else in English Literature would you find a chapter within a book (chapter 29)entitled "Beetroot and Creosote" !!! Brilliant!
I wasn't disappointed. I am moderately critical of authors who really don't keep the reader captivated in a rather lame attempt to tell their life story and ram their ideals and beliefs down the throats of all who dare to pick up the pages. No chance of this happening within the covers of this little gem. Bowie's clever humour shines and his flowing style makes it one of these books you find hard to put down. But what is most refreshing for me is not the fact that we have a football mad (Heart of Midlothian FC) author who DOES allow his life to unfold within these covers, but the WAY in which he does it. It's gutsy, it's supremely honest and it's a must for those of us who would much rather listen to the small man than read the ramblings of the "greats". Of course Mr. Bowie has a "dig" at Hearts' great adversaries known as "Hibs FC" who are it is widely known, Edinburgh's "wee team". But suffice to say this is done with great humour and taste with not a hint of impetuosity.
Definitely one to watch........I understand he has another book out soon. If it's half as good, it's well worth buying.....I mean where else in English Literature would you find a chapter within a book (chapter 29)entitled "Beetroot and Creosote" !!! Brilliant!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I would like to thank the author for writing this book. There are so many parallels to my own experience of growing up in Saughton Mains and following Hearts. Andrew is a wee bit younger than me but I do recognise many of the charachters and associate with the era revolving around this great book. I could not put it down and would ask anyone with a connection to Edinburgh suburbs or the JT's to read this. It will articulate for you feelings and evoke memories that sometimes oneself struggles to express. Thanks Andy!!
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