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‘Fascinating and hugely entertaining’
Daily Telegraph
‘It’s not like other comedians’ memoirs. It’s funny’
Guardian
The Sayles might not have been the only Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool, but Alexei knew from an early age that they were one of the more eccentric.
Born on the day egg rationing came to an end, Alexei was the only child of Joe, an affable trade unionist who led the family on railway expeditions across eastern Europe, and Molly, a hot-tempered red-head who terrified teachers and insisted Alexei see the Red Army Choir instead of the Beatles.
Perceptive and hilarious, this is a portrait of a family, a city, a country and a continent going through enormous changes.
‘Sayle’s book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history’
Times Literary Supplement
Daily Telegraph
‘It’s not like other comedians’ memoirs. It’s funny’
Guardian
The Sayles might not have been the only Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool, but Alexei knew from an early age that they were one of the more eccentric.
Born on the day egg rationing came to an end, Alexei was the only child of Joe, an affable trade unionist who led the family on railway expeditions across eastern Europe, and Molly, a hot-tempered red-head who terrified teachers and insisted Alexei see the Red Army Choir instead of the Beatles.
Perceptive and hilarious, this is a portrait of a family, a city, a country and a continent going through enormous changes.
‘Sayle’s book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history’
Times Literary Supplement
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Reviews
It's not like other comedians' memoirs. It's funny.
As strange and fascinating as any fiction . . . This would be excellent even if it weren't by someone famous
'Fascinating and hugely entertaining'
Sayle's book has charm and substance, both as memoir and history.
'A great memoir of a strange childhood. "Just let me read you this bit" funny.'
'The brilliant satires on modern life of Alexei Sayle (the only comedian worth his salt as a novelist) are contemporary gems.'
'This touching, elegantly written memoir stands out... He looks back on his unconventional youth with comic bewilderment'
'A fascinating and entertaining memoir about growing up with parents who were staunch communists'