Beschreibung
COULD THIS BE THE MOST BORING BOOK EVER?
The minutes of the meetings of the Liphook Amateur Dramatic Society (LADS) from 1957 to 1968 were in a box of rubbish that was about to be recycled.
When I picked up this book, which was begun 56 years ago, and started reading I wondered: could this be the most boring book ever? After all, it seemed to be just a dry account of the intricacies of running an amateur dramatic society in a small village in post-war rural England.
As I became accustomed to the main characters, though, I started to wonder about them – their lives, what they looked like, their relationships with each other, their reasons for joining such a group in the first place. Then I started reading between the lines.
What I read, though formal and dry on the outside, was actually a fascinating insight into village life in the 1950s and 60s. Even the language was subtly different, and sometimes I was forced to smile at the formality, frown at the blatant power-seeking and raise an eyebrow at the incongruities.
When I got to the end, I asked myself again: is this the most boring book ever? No, I decided. Not only was it far too interesting to throw away; in fact, it was interesting enough to publish.
Not only does it give a glimpse of post-war English village life, but it is also a treasure-trove of family and social history - a mine of information for family historians worldwide who have relatives or ancestors in Liphook, Hampshire and surrounding areas and who would like an insight into their daily lives to illustrate their family trees.
The minutes of the meetings of the Liphook Amateur Dramatic Society (LADS) from 1957 to 1968 were in a box of rubbish that was about to be recycled.
When I picked up this book, which was begun 56 years ago, and started reading I wondered: could this be the most boring book ever? After all, it seemed to be just a dry account of the intricacies of running an amateur dramatic society in a small village in post-war rural England.
As I became accustomed to the main characters, though, I started to wonder about them – their lives, what they looked like, their relationships with each other, their reasons for joining such a group in the first place. Then I started reading between the lines.
What I read, though formal and dry on the outside, was actually a fascinating insight into village life in the 1950s and 60s. Even the language was subtly different, and sometimes I was forced to smile at the formality, frown at the blatant power-seeking and raise an eyebrow at the incongruities.
When I got to the end, I asked myself again: is this the most boring book ever? No, I decided. Not only was it far too interesting to throw away; in fact, it was interesting enough to publish.
Not only does it give a glimpse of post-war English village life, but it is also a treasure-trove of family and social history - a mine of information for family historians worldwide who have relatives or ancestors in Liphook, Hampshire and surrounding areas and who would like an insight into their daily lives to illustrate their family trees.
Buchdetails
Format
Kindle
Seiten
149 Seiten
Sprache
Englisch
Veröffentlicht
Aug 5, 2013