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The Boy with No Shoes
 
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The Boy with No Shoes (Hardcover)

by William Horwood (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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11 new from £2.28 22 used from £0.01 7 collectible from £5.38
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Paperback £6.99 £5.49 165 used & new from £0.01
Hardcover (Large Print) £18.99 £18.99 Order it used

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (2 Aug 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0755313178
  • ISBN-13: 978-0755313174
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 301,495 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
'A superb evocation of the English South Coast in the 1950s-60s' -- West Australian 20041124 "A beautifully written and deeply moving memoir" -- Sunday Times 20040801

Product Description
Five-year-old Jimmy Rova is the unwanted child of a mother who rejects him, growing up among half-siblings who bully him. The one thing he can call his own is a pair of shoes, a present from the only person he feels has ever loved him. Only the arrival of his grandmother, and their move to a dilapidated house in the old fishing quarter of an east Kent coastal town -- where the warm-hearted community befriends Jimmy and shows him how to love and be loved -- reveals a way out. Based on his own remarkable childhood in south-east England after the Second World War and using all the skills that went into the creation of his modern classics Duncton Wood, Skallagrigg and The Willows in Winter, Horwood has created an inspiring story of childhood loss, personal survival and self-affirmation.

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fantastic, 3 Dec 2005
This review is from: The Boy with No Shoes: A Memoir (Paperback)
By the time I got to read this book it had been passed around numerous members of my family. I took it on holiday and had to share it with my husband. We both read this book which is quite thick, in relay!!!!! This was very frustrating as it was very difficult to put down.

It was very well written, and I could almost picture the seaside setting and the characters within.

It is hard to imagine having a mother that can be so unfeeling towards a child, even if the child was a little odd when he was younger! In fact having a cold unfeeling mother is probably what made him seem a withdrawn "odd" child. The tormenting he suffered from his own siblings was also cruel, with no parent that intervened to stop it!

I actually cried throughout the book, with tears spilling down my cheeks. To know that this is a true story, made me realise how lucky I have been to grow up in a normal loving family. Jimmy is the same age as my mother, so when comparing to tales of my mothers upbringing it really highlights the dreadful childhood he had, but the book also explains the real warmth that he received from other characters.

Even my husaband had to wipe a couple of tears away!!

EXCELLENT BOOK!

Hope they make it into a film!

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, 27 Jun 2005
This review is from: The Boy with No Shoes: A Memoir (Paperback)
Difficult childhoods often make compulsive reading, but rarely, if ever, can an author have drawn out such vivid, compelling and moving episodes from an often wretched life with poetic sensitivity. William Horwood, or Jimmy as he calls himself here, is buffeted by cruel tides and cold, dark currents from pre-school days, as if cast out on the treacherous coastal waters which form the backdrop to the story. Yet, although he is imprisoned by a cast of brutal characters there are just enough compassionate people who reach out to him at each turn.
What sets this book apart is the quality of the writing and the quiet, powerful exploration of themes which affect us all. It is, quite simply, exceptional, and builds towards a chapter which is one of the most intensely gripping I have ever read.
Not to be missed.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 13 May 2005
This review is from: The Boy with No Shoes: A Memoir (Paperback)
Just finished reading this book. Once opened you cannot put it down. It was a very moving book and the characters were so real you thought you knew them all personally. Wanted to finish the book to see what happened at the end but when it was finished was disappointed as the story had come to an end felt it could go on and on and felt as though I was missing my friends. Gave the book to some friends of mine and they thoroughly enjoyed it as well. A few tears were in the making. Reading Skallagrigg now and love this one also. Mr Horwood is a brilliant writer and I would love to read more in this style of writing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Boy with no Shoes
Beautiful book which made me cry

Excellent condition book as promised plus it was delivered earlier than expected.
Published 20 days ago by D. J. Higgs

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favourite writer
William Horwood has been a world class writer since the publication of Duncton Wood...almost 30 years ago. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. B. Kay

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling memoir
I enjoy reading memoirs and this book had good reviews in the Sunday Times. It is a story of an unhappy childhood growing up in Deal in Kent. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr. David A. Stopher

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!
I don't normally review books as more often than not there are frustrating weaknesses or you sense the narrow appeal of what you've read. Neither can be said of this book. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mark J. Whiting

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice reading
Very well written and a good story, the author is a very skilled writer taking you back and forth in a very orderly fashion, you don't find yourself skipping back or trying to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Rocknrollmommy

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
The most important book I've ever read. The bravery in writing it is incredible. The boy's heart is laid out across the pages of this book. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Malachie

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly narrated
Reading my way through this book was like walking through a hall of mirrors at a fairground. Every turn revealed a new reflection of an aspect of my own childhood. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Lance Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent ..Boy with no shoes
My Daughter loaned me this book,thinking I would enjoy it. She was right, I have not read such a moving book for a long time, could not stop thinking about it and wanted to finish... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. M. Ludford

5.0 out of 5 stars deal in kent
what a good read
i dont read books but a freind loaned me a copy
and said its about my home town
i could not put it down
it brings tears and smiles all... Read more
Published 20 months ago by R. E. Young

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant!
What a story! Probably one of the best I've ever read. When I was reading it I couldn't put it down and now I've finished it I can't stop thinking about it. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2006 by Drifter

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