Much-loved chronicler of Britain, Ian Marchant presents the ‘book of his career’.
Reviewed as being ‘the most immersive piece of family history’ One Fine Day is an amateur genealogist’s adventure which packs a real emotional punch as well as delivering a visceral, detailed sense of daily life in the rural Eighteenth-century. As you would expect from Ian it is also very funny and relevant to the UK today
One day Ian, acclaimed author of books on music, railways and pubs decided – as all men of a certain age must – to have a dig around his family history.
Luckily for Ian he soon came across a diary written by his seven-times great great-grandfather, Thomas Marchant who had left a detailed diary from 1714 to 1728. Life-loving Thomas, much like his descendant, liked a drink and a game of cards. With fascinating, immersive detail we learn about Thom’s family farm and fishponds; about dung, horses and mud; about beer, the wife’s nights out, his own job troubles and their shared worries for their children. There is a subtext, of course, which throws interesting parallels with today’s society and its concerns: life in 1720s England soon becomes reminiscent of life in Britain today.
“Bloody marvellous.’ Nicholas Lezard, New Statesman
“Ian Marchant is one of England’s most original writers. One Fine Day is a masterwork, a rich plum pudding of a story…He has written a book everyone should read, a complex, joyful, polyglot of a book for our troubled times.” Monique Roffey, Costa Book of the Year award-winning author.
TICKETS
This is a seated event so tickets are very limited. Tickets are £5 (to include a refreshment). There will be an opportunity to buy One Fine Day on the night at a discount. Please email Jules on jules@northbooks.co.uk or pop into the shop to reserve your space.
At North Books, 4 Castle Street, Hay-on-Wye on Saturday 05 August, 4-5pm.
THE AUTHOR
Ian Marchant has worked for 25 years as a writer, broadcaster and performer. His non-fiction books include Parallel Lines and The Longest Crawl, which were both chosen as Paperback of the week in The Guardian. He is a familiar voice on R4, a regular diarist for Church Times and contributor to several national newspapers.