Nell Dunn’s Up The Junction Part Two

Nell Dunn’s UP THE JUNCTION Part 2: drill rap, sweets and trains on the Winstanley Estate, Battersea – The Curiously Specific Book Club

We’re using Nell Dunn’s ‘Up The Junction’ to guide us through the notorious York & Winstanley estate in Battersea. We’re hoping to locate an old sweet factory and Nell Dunn’s house – and then make it safely out to the train station. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re using Nell Dunn’s ‘Up The Junction’ to guide us through the notorious York & Winstanley estate in Battersea. We’re hoping to locate an old sweet factory and Nell Dunn’s house – and then make it safely out to the train station.

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Nell Dunn’s Up The Junction Part One

Nell Dunn’s UP THE JUNCTION Part 1: from glamorous Chelsea to industrial Battersea – The Curiously Specific Book Club

In 1959, Nell Dunn gave up her privileged lifestyle to live in smelly, poverty-stricken North Battersea. We use her book ‘Up The Junction’ to navigate our way into her world and through the Battersea of today. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1959, Nell Dunn gave up her privileged lifestyle to live in smelly, poverty-stricken North Battersea. We use her book ‘Up The Junction’ to navigate our way into her world and through the Battersea of today.

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia Part Two

Hanif Kureishi’s THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA Part Two: Go West, Young Man – The Curiously Specific Book Club

For part two of our adventure with Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 masterpiece THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA we leave South London behind us and head for more exotic climes – viz, West Kensington and Hammersmith in the west of the city. We find the flat where Karim, his father the Buddha, and Eva move into a flat above Thin Lizzy’s tour manager, just round the corner from where Karim sees a certain punk band with a red-haired singer in 1976. Following Karim’s career in experimental theatre we take ourself to Riverside Studios, haunt of Daleks and challenging dramatists. We find the autobiographical isn’t far from Kureishi’s novel, and we discuss 1990, the year of the book’s publication and the fall of Thatcher. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For part two of our adventure with Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 masterpiece THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA we leave South London behind us and head for more exotic climes – viz, West Kensington and Hammersmith in the west of the city. We find the flat where Karim, his father the Buddha, and Eva move into a flat above Thin Lizzy’s tour manager, just round the corner from where Karim sees a certain punk band with a red-haired singer in 1976. Following Karim’s career in experimental theatre we take ourself to Riverside Studios, haunt of Daleks and challenging dramatists. We find the autobiographical isn’t far from Kureishi’s novel, and we discuss 1990, the year of the book’s publication and the fall of Thatcher.

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia Part One

Hanif Kureishi’s THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA Part One: From Bromley to Penge – The Curiously Specific Book Club

For the second of our trilogy of episodes featuring books that came up from the depths of South London, we’re taking a walk with Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 masterpiece THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA. We begin in Bromley, birthplace and home of the book’s hero Karim (aka Creamy) and his father, the eponymous Buddha – and also the childhood home of none other than David Bowie, whose life weaves in and out of the plot as we head north to Beckenham, where Karim has his first sexual encounter and Bowie played his first festival. Then it’s north again, to Penge, where Karim’s ‘uncle’ keeps a store next to a library. Along the way we discuss Karim, Kureishi and Bowie’s school, how Bowie discovered music opposite where Karim discovered tea, and the South Asian experience of living in South London in the 1970s. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the second of our trilogy of episodes featuring books that came up from the depths of South London, we’re taking a walk with Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 masterpiece THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA. We begin in Bromley, birthplace and home of the book’s hero Karim (aka Creamy) and his father, the eponymous Buddha – and also the childhood home of none other than David Bowie, whose life weaves in and out of the plot as we head north to Beckenham, where Karim has his first sexual encounter and Bowie played his first festival. Then it’s north again, to Penge, where Karim’s ‘uncle’ keeps a store next to a library. Along the way we discuss Karim, Kureishi and Bowie’s school, how Bowie discovered music opposite where Karim discovered tea, and the South Asian experience of living in South London in the 1970s.

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Angela Carter’s Wise Children Part Two

Angela Carter’s WISE CHILDREN Part 2: drinking, dancing & writing in Clapham, London – The Curiously Specific Book Club

In Part Two, we continue to map out the South London world of ‘Wise Children’’s fictional characters. We find a haberdashers on Clapham High Street, above which Dora and Nora might have learned to dance. We stop in at the Coach and Horses pub on Acre Lane – Dora’s local. And we visit Angela Carter’s house in Clapham where this magnificent tale of 20th century show business folk was dreamed up.  Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part Two, we continue to map out the South London world of ‘Wise Children’’s fictional characters. We find a haberdashers on Clapham High Street, above which Dora and Nora might have learned to dance. 

We stop in at the Coach and Horses pub on Acre Lane – Dora’s local. And we visit Angela Carter’s house in Clapham where this magnificent tale of 20th century show business folk was dreamed up. 

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Angela Carter’s Wise Children Part One

Angela Carter’s WISE CHILDREN Part 1: the lost theatres, music halls & cinemas of South London – The Curiously Specific Book Club

This magical novel about two ageing ‘hoofers’ of London SW2 is a great excuse to get out into Lambeth, South London and hunt down the location of amazing old theatres like the massive Kennington Theatre and the Brixton Empress.We start at one of the great homes of Shakespeare performance in South London – The Old Vic. And end up in a terraced street off Brixton Hill, where dozens of actors, entertainers, comedians and acrobats would have lived back in the day.  Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This magical novel about two ageing ‘hoofers’ of London SW2 is a great excuse to get out into Lambeth, South London and hunt down the location of amazing old theatres like the massive Kennington Theatre and the Brixton Empress.

We start at one of the great homes of Shakespeare performance in South London – The Old Vic. And end up in a terraced street off Brixton Hill, where dozens of actors, entertainers, comedians and acrobats would have lived back in the day. 

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Ruth Rendell’s From Doon With Death Part Two

Ruth Rendell’s FROM DOON WITH DEATH Part Two: The body in the woods – The Curiously Specific Book Club

In part two, we persist in our search for Midhurst locations that match the events in Ruth Rendell’s first novel, FROM DOON WITH DEATH. We become increasingly bogged down, unable to make the book match the real world. So we try another approach. Could Kingsmarkham actually be somewhere else? Is Rendell playing games with us? Could she actually be thinking about somewhere a lot closer to home?But having almost given up hope of finding any authentic locations, we go hunting for the wood in which the body of Mrs Parsons is dumped. Here, things are much more promising – and what is more, we manage to find a Royal connection. A cheeky one, no doubt, but a connection is a connection.  Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two, we persist in our search for Midhurst locations that match the events in Ruth Rendell’s first novel, FROM DOON WITH DEATH. We become increasingly bogged down, unable to make the book match the real world. So we try another approach. Could Kingsmarkham actually be somewhere else? Is Rendell playing games with us? Could she actually be thinking about somewhere a lot closer to home?

But having almost given up hope of finding any authentic locations, we go hunting for the wood in which the body of Mrs Parsons is dumped. Here, things are much more promising – and what is more, we manage to find a Royal connection. A cheeky one, no doubt, but a connection is a connection. 

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Ruth Rendell’s From Doon With Death Part One

Ruth Rendell’s FROM DOON WITH DEATH Part One: Searching for Kingsmarkham – The Curiously Specific Book Club

We’re off on our next adventure, and this time our guide is Ruth Rendell, the grandest of literary detective dames and inventor of the town of Kingsmarkham, and its watchful Chief Inspector Wexford. We start where Rendell started – with her very first book, FROM DOON WITH DEATH, published in 1964. We’re introduced to Wexford and a cast of local characters in the Sussex town of Kingsmarkham. And we take Rendell’s word on trust because she herself tells us, in the afterword to the book, that Kingsmarkham is ‘based on’ Midhurst. But when we get to Midhurst, we are troubled by the lack of similarities with this pleasant little town nestled in the South Downs National Park, and Rendell’s creation. Could she be having us on? To what extent could Midhurst possibly be Kingsmarkham? For instance – where is the train station? We begin to worry….. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re off on our next adventure, and this time our guide is Ruth Rendell, the grandest of literary detective dames and inventor of the town of Kingsmarkham, and its watchful Chief Inspector Wexford. We start where Rendell started – with her very first book, FROM DOON WITH DEATH, published in 1964. We’re introduced to Wexford and a cast of local characters in the Sussex town of Kingsmarkham. And we take Rendell’s word on trust because she herself tells us, in the afterword to the book, that Kingsmarkham is ‘based on’ Midhurst. 

But when we get to Midhurst, we are troubled by the lack of similarities with this pleasant little town nestled in the South Downs National Park, and Rendell’s creation. Could she be having us on? To what extent could Midhurst possibly be Kingsmarkham? For instance – where is the train station? We begin to worry…..

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Dorothy L Sayers’s The Nine Tailors Part Two

Dorothy L Sayers’s THE NINE TAILORS Part 2: inspecting drains and viewing sluices in the soggy Fens – The Curiously Specific Book Club

In Part Two of our adventure in the Fens, we’re using a classic Lord Peter Wimsey novel to navigate our way around the fiendishly complex network of drains and sluices that prevent this part of the UK from being permanently underwater.We visit the town of Ramsey – once an island – and take in the ancient Forty Foot Drain. We admire the great wonder of engineering that is the Denver Sluice, but fail to understand how it works. Instead, we repair to March for one final church visit. Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part Two of our adventure in the Fens, we’re using a classic Lord Peter Wimsey novel to navigate our way around the fiendishly complex network of drains and sluices that prevent this part of the UK from being permanently underwater.

We visit the town of Ramsey – once an island – and take in the ancient Forty Foot Drain. We admire the great wonder of engineering that is the Denver Sluice, but fail to understand how it works. Instead, we repair to March for one final church visit.

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.

Dorothy L Sayers’s The Nine Tailors Part One

Dorothy L Sayers’s THE NINE TAILORS Part 1: motoring across the Fens in search of bellringers – The Curiously Specific Book Club

We’re taking a classic Lord Peter Wimsey murder mystery novel for a drive out onto the Great Level. We’re looking for the fictional village of Fenchurch St Paul, with its enormous church tower and gang of dedicated bell-ringers. You’ll find us at Bluntisham, Upwell and Christchurch in Cambridgeshire, seeking out a suitable church, preferably with a host of wooden angels in the ceiling (as in the book). All this plus a potted history of bell-ringing – and a car crash too. Hell’s bells! Get early access to new episodes and bonus content Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re taking a classic Lord Peter Wimsey murder mystery novel for a drive out onto the Great Level. We’re looking for the fictional village of Fenchurch St Paul, with its enormous church tower and gang of dedicated bell-ringers. 

You’ll find us at Bluntisham, Upwell and Christchurch in Cambridgeshire, seeking out a suitable church, preferably with a host of wooden angels in the ceiling (as in the book). All this plus a potted history of bell-ringing – and a car crash too. Hell’s bells!

If you want to hear our episodes without ads, as soon as they’re available, subscribe to our Patreon page.