1963
A Slice of Bread and Jam
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1963
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Hely
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By:
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Tommy Rhattigan
About this listen
Amid slum terraces of Manchester is one boy's year of adventure, abuse, crippling poverty, and an encounter with The Moors Murderers.
A raw and often funny 12-month snapshot of seven-year-old Tommy's brutal young life. Moving us through his daily struggle with poverty and neglect in 1960s Manchester like it's the most natural thing in the world, Tommy lives at the heart of a large Irish family in derelict Hulme, ruled by an abusive and alcoholic father and a drunk, negligent mother.
Alongside his siblings he begs for - or steals - a few pennies to bring home to his parents and avoid a belting, while looking for something to eat and a little adventure along the way. With an unlikely sense of fun and a huge dose of good humor, Tommy introduces us to his foul-mouthed and chaotic family members. Deeply flawed they may all be, but amongst the violence, grinding poverty, and distinct lack of hygiene and morality lies a strong sense of loyalty and, above all, survival.
During this single year - before his family implodes and his world changes forever - young Tommy falls foul of the school welfare officers, the nuns, the police - and Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.
An adventurous, fun, dark and moving story of the only life young Tommy knew.
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What listeners say about 1963
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-08-17
I loved this book. A truely poignant story
I've listened to this book several times and it still makes me laugh and brings a tear to my eye. Brilliant
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 20-01-23
Laugh out loud and heartfelt
Definitely one to listen too. Funny and sad. True to life antics. Really brought back memories of times gone by.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- anne billington
- 06-05-18
Great read
Loved it very funny and sad at times but a must read story hope he has some closure now
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-04-24
A MOMENT IN TIME
l enjoyed this book so much...it's a wonderful account of a horrific and joyful childhood 😢
l laughed and cried and was truly horrified by the recollections and experiences of the author.
Thank you for sharing your story ❤️
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 17-07-18
Fantastic, gripping and moving
Although it centres around a chance encounter with 2 of the most prolific killers in recent history; it also accurately portrays life as a poor child in the 60s. At times very sad, but also uplifting.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-07-17
A must read for anyone interested in social history, Manchester in the 1960s, or the Irish diasporah.
This has been a rather difficult review to write. So let's deal with the easy bit first. The narrator Kevin Hely, who I had not previously heard of, turns in an absolutely outstanding performance. Of course, with that wonderful Irish accent, it would be hard for me to dislike his narration. But Setting that aside, he manages to bring to life all the various characters which Tommy Rhattigan wrote about. Now to the hard part of this review. The story is a difficult one. Tommy, the narrator, is one of 13 children. His parents, both of them, would now be described as both neglectful and abusive. The "adventures" described are at times harrowing. Rhattigan's style means that he can describe events which are terrifying, all the more so when you recollect that this is a true story. In spite of that I found myself laughing throughout listening to this book. Although the book takes place in 1963, Manchester, I was left feeling that many of the events described wouldn't have been out of place in a Dickens novel set in the Victorian period. This is a book I will not forget in a hurry, a truly memorable read! Rhattigan should be encouraged to write more, especially as I'm dying to know what happened next.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 28-07-20
What a great book
Wonderfully narrated, it’s like Angela’s Ashes, poverty in the 60s where most were in the same boat, interesting story from start to end, loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 03-03-20
A must read
Some of the adventures the kids got up to were hilarious but is sad at times. So beautifully well written and told by far the best book I am listening to on Audible.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-06-17
Amazing book
By far the best I've ever listened too. Would highly recommend. It's extremely sad and yet it will have you laughing out loud.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mini Ward
- 25-06-23
1963 by Tommy Rattigan
This book 1963 by Tommy Rattigan brought back many memories of my 1040s through 1950s back. Although then in a midlands town i was well fed and cared for.
But we were FRREE children allowed to roam the streets and us WW2 babies made our own fun as there very few children had toys then. Most children didn’t even have watches but we went home when the sun went down to kind loving families. . . Only after reading this fantastic true story and recalling my childhood did I realise what poverty was still around in Northern England Manchester in the 1960s, whilst I was bringing my own family up in luxury compared to my life.
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