Shirley Valentine; 42-year-old put-upon mother and housewife; leaves the drudgery of cooking dinner for her husband; packs her bags and heads for the sun. The note on the kitchen table reads "Gone to Greece back in two weeks." "It is a simple and brilliant idea...the profound and perennial point of the comedy is the problem we seem to have contemplating the idea of a woman alone - in a pub; on a beach; in a restaurant. This is what Shirley learns to combat as she unravels her own sexual and social identity. The play is not only funny; it is also moving." (Michael Coveney; Financial Times)One for the Road "starts...with the mid-life hero torn between the security of married life in a dormer bungalow on a northern housing estate and dreams of being a rucksacked super-tramp. Mr Russell writes with knowledgeable venom about a world where Beethoven Underpass leads to Wagner Walkway and where anyone who doesnt join Weight Watchers or the Ramblers Club is regarded as a social deviant." (Francis King; Sunday Telegraph)
#2656524 in eBooks 2014-01-08 2014-01-08File Name: B00H6JHS8A
Review
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful. Would we leave works by Picasso or Monet to rot like this?By R. MacThis really is a wonderful book.Why?Because it does something that so few books do.Each building has its own section. There is a lot of information. The early history of a building is detailed; as well as its great era; slow decline; and byzantine story about its ruination (I think each building has a byzantine ruination story).There are also lots-o-pictures. Again; showing each building in a pristine state - all the better to make you GASP at the current images.The book is VERY depressing but through no fault of the author. Its just simply tragic that we as a culture would allow the utter destruction of such architectural gems. This never fails to amaze me. Its heart-rending.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Treasures LostBy DanlAs a former Detroiter; I liked the depth of the histories and the stories about each building. I probably made a mistake in reading this on a Kindle because all of the photos were B&W and of reduced size so that much of their detail was lost. The book could have benefited from a more standardized set of recent photos of each building - by that I mean front; back; sides of each plus an overhead shot of the building and area to show the buildings layout on the property and proximity to other buildings and neighborhoods; a map of each area would also have helped. This would have made it easier to understand the narrative. Pictures of the original buildings are of course limited to whats available and those are excellent; but a detailed format for new pictures would have helped my understanding and enjoyment of the stories.19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. EXCELLENT history and photos!By CustomerAs a lifelong Detroiter; I found this book to be not only informative but depressing as well. I am excited to see interior photos of buildings that I may never have been afforded the chance to see but it saddens me that the demise of these great buildings has gotten so desperate. The books tells the great story of the building and adds many details and information about what the building once appeared to be. This will be a coffee table book addition in my house!
