Customer Reviews

Beneath the Blue Sky: 40 Years of the Gypsy Traveller Life

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a wait of over 40 years the author has produced a book bringing the reader 'up to date' with the lifestyle of British Romany Travellers. A far cry from the 'Smoke in the Lanes' it never-the-less describes with punctilious accuracy the tremendous strides forward made by the author and his wife Beshlie and the majority of Travellers since the end of 'waggon time'. It describes that by sheer hard work, good luck and perseverence, in the face of almost constant harrassment and prejudice, the aquisition of affluence and ever increasing 'flash' material possessions by many Gypsy people. This is not a book written through 'rose tinted glasses' but neither is it a gloomy diatribe focusing on a 'victim minority' as so many would have us believe Travellers, or, as the often self proclaimed 'experts' or 'spokes-persons' will insist, the recently introduced term 'Roma' to be. Indeed, the self-sufficiency, independence and sheer enjoyment of life shines through in this book which is, I believe, a celebration of the lifestyle and culture of Romany Travellers whether they be 'poor' 'middle' or 'upper-class'...... living on sites, exclusive 'trailer parks' or in luxurious properties. At last a book about REAL Travellers thats worth reading.

This book is like many i have bought to try to understand the travelers i have really enjoyed it it must have been a wonderful life.

GOOD EASY READING. ENJOYED IT JUST AS MUCH AS SMOKE IN THE LANE AND OTHER GYPSY RELATED BOOKS. MORE LIKE THIS PLEASE.

i enjoyed all the other books and i waited excitedly for this thinking it would bring us with more stories of happenings today eg year 2012 and before. but it didnt have anything new. it just went over the same things id read in previous books. it covered going into wheels and covered the 1960s and touched the 70s. nice read but i had wanted a book covering his life up to present day. how is he living now, now 2012? but sadly this book doesnt cover anything this century. it just goes over old ground of the 60s and 70s. and id read all that in his other books. so if you think that hey this is a new book just written and just published this year 2012 and you are gonna get some really juicy up to date gypsy on the road tales, - then forget it. cos it goes on over old ground as in last old book, 1960s and touching 1970. some old pics at the end showing trailers bought in 60s and 70s. and so i was disappointed as i didnt get any new info and really didnt need to read what was in this book as its all covering the old days. what went wrong dominic? why didnt you write an up to date book? why didnt you get us up to date to 2012? i was excitedly waiting to hear what he's been doing up to today but no..you dont get it. you just get the 60s and 70s. so just a new book covering old times as the old books :-( i enjoyed the read but was disappointed that it was all the same old period time covered in previous books. i never got to know what he and behslie have done in the 90s and 2000 and 2012. he just did not write of their recent life. i felt really sad as id waited so long for this book and it just was old news, old times. what happened to you in last 30 years? why bring out a new book and not write of the last 30years? very odd and disappointing.