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Richard Cunliffe
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Red Leicester Blues Paperback – December 14, 2021

by Richard Cunliffe (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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It's the 1970s in Leicester, and New Parks kid Billy Prendergast is, at face value, a pretty regular five-year-old. He has a bullying elder brother, a pesky younger sister, and an interest in Doctor Who bordering on the obsessive. But other aspects of Billy's life aren't so commonplace. His keen and precocious interest in politics is totally unexpected from one so young, and his enthusiasm for Margaret Thatcher, in particular, appears very unlikely in a Labour-voting household.

Forty years later, Billy remains both a fan of Doctor Who and an advocate of right-wing politics. He also happens to have made a small fortune building a successful, Leicester-based advertising business. But cleverness and money aren't getting him a date with the woman he adores, and nor are they likely to help when Billy's brother Keith is released from prison with vengeance on his mind.
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  1. Print length
    349 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 14, 2021
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.79 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-13
    979-8784369963
  6. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09NHZR8JZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (December 14, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 349 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8784369963
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.32 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.79 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

About the author

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Richard Cunliffe

Richard Cunliffe

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Richard Cunliffe was born in Whitworth, Lancashire, in January 1968. Exiled from the north west at the age of two, he grew up and went to school in Leamington Spa, and has since lived in various locations throughout the UK and Ireland, moving home many times due to work commitments. Nowadays, however, he is pretty settled in north-east Derbyshire.

An avid reader and keen writer, one of Richard's earliest (and favourite) writing memories is of winning a national competition for creating a Doctor Who adventure. He was around eight years old at the time (Richard, not the Doctor), and although it took another four decades for him to publish his debut novel, "All These Nearly Fights", he then published its sequel, "Fault on Both Sides", within the following few months. Both books have received widespread acclaim.

Richard's third book of fiction was published in November 2019, and was similarly well received. "They're Closing the Lamb and Musket" is a comedic drama concerning the impending closure of a much-loved pub, and the struggles of its customers to keep The Lamb open even as their personal lives descend into chaos. This novel was followed in December 2021 by another contemporary drama, "Red Leicester Blues", which is already picking up very favourable reviews.

Meanwhile, Richard's non-fiction work, "How to Buy a Car", is exactly that. It's a book about how to buy a car, and draws on his several years of experience as a car salesman, enabling readers not only to choose the right car for them, but also to negotiate a great deal.

Richard looks forward to you reading his work.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Dylan Kinloch
5.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted and Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
Author Richard Cunliffe does a tremendous job of highlighting the social and political issues that have been at the forefront for the past several decades. Using witty humor and a lighthearted undertone, Cunliffe makes "Red Leicester Blues" an extremely seamless and enjoyable read. The characters are charming in their own unique way, and instantly likable for varying reasons. I found Billy to be the most relatable personally, but all of the characters add substance to a book rich with complex social issues. The authors decision to employ humor takes the darkness out of these social and political issues. Using a timeline throughout, the novel succeeds in keeping the reader aware of the time period in discussion for each chapter. All in all, "Red Leicester Blues" puts a lighthearted spin on a rather important discussion.
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Top reviews from other countries

Thanagma (book-reader)
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and great story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a really good read, but particularly for anyone who takes an interest in politics.

The plot is great, really kept me interested and turning the pages. Told in dual time, we hear about Billy Prendegast’s childhood and onto Will Prendegast’s adulthood. Will’s life isn’t “extraordinary” (ie it felt realistic), but it had plenty to keep me guessing and engaged, and wondering what would happen. I especially enjoyed the bits where his later childhood starts to overlap with his younger adulthood, so we get a great sense of the overlap of how his earlier experiences lead onto his later ones.

Will is a fantastic character – really rounded and likeable, and the type of person you feel you want to spend time with. We hear about his life and the events which are important to him: his formative influences (including the objectively ‘big’ things like bereavement but also the things which are big to little Billy, such as watching Doctor Who from behind the sofa).

Will is thoughtful and very much takes an interest in discussions and differing opinions, and this development of opinion and ‘two sides’ is a key part of the book. In a society that currently feels quite polarised, it’s quite refreshing to have that good-natured debate and discussion.

Most of the other characters are great too – and I particularly enjoyed (if not liked!) Gordon (aka the voice of the stubbornly opinionated, die-hard, right-wing, Brexit-backing business owner). I also really liked Will’s mum (and her inveterate opinions). The only slight criticism would be of Will’s ex, Ursula, who at times seemed a bit of a cartoon-baddie.

The book spans the period from May 1975 to December 2020. In some ways, I was quite disappointed when it ended there. Given their frequent discussions over political happenings, I would love to know Gordon’s take on the current (Jan 2022) storm over revelations of Downing Street Parties.

Overall a really great read, highly recommended.
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Purnima Khanna
4.0 out of 5 stars A heart warming read
Reviewed in India on January 8, 2022
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This book by Richard Cunliffe spreads across 18 chapters. It's a heart warming journey of life events of the main character Billy Prendergast. The story moves in present as well as in flashback of past of Billy from 1970s in Leicester. The events throw light on his childhood and teenage years... Including his interest in Dr. Who's adventure series on BBC, his books.... Billy's successful partnership business... Just grab a cup of cofee and indulge yourself in the story.
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Chrissy Frost
5.0 out of 5 stars Rags to Riches in Leicester
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2022
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Leicester-born Billy Prendergast is a bookish, sensitive boy, with a passion for words, politics and Dr Who. Richard Cunliffe's novel follows the story of Billy from childhood in a moderately dysfunctional family to his success as partner in a flashy advertising company. A child in the 1970s, Billy grew up in the Thatcher era and developed an admiration for right-wing politics, in spite of his Labour-voting family. As a divorced adult with two grown children, he's now wrestling with his company's challenges in the dual face of Brexit and the Covid pandemic. There's a difficult older brother in the mix, about to be released from a lengthy prison term. What's more, Will has a long-term stalled romantic life that he's trying to remedy - if only he can summon the nerve to approach the woman he secretly fancies. Cunliffe weaves his tale by switching back and forth from Billy's childhood to his adult life. Cunliffe manages this construction very well and the book zips along nicely. Funny, sad and laced with a lot of politics beginning with the election of Mrs Thatcher through to Brexit and Covid-19, this is an engaging novel about families, class, politics and the ups and downs of a Leicester boy's life. Cunliffe's ear for dialogue and his skill at creating memorable characters makes it hard to put down - highly recommended.
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Rebecca
4.0 out of 5 stars A must read if you grew up in the '70s
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2022
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Having grown up during the 1970's this book resonated with me perfectly and took me right back in time. The author has chosen a great era to set the story amidst, a time where there was such political upheaval and division throughout the country in the '70s through until 2020. The character of Billy was so aligned with my own memories, right down to hiding behind the sofa to watch Doctor Who. We diverge in that I took on the socialist views against my family of Conservative voters in contrast to Billy who did the opposite.

The book carries through, what could be heavy themes, using humour and a very likable protagonist. As a teacher of young children I loved the voice of Billy, with the author cleverly using the stream of consciousness to record his thoughts in a way you could feel right inside a child's head. Sometimes, I did find the flashbacks a little irritating but then that is my problem as I am not such a fan of that style of writing, preferring to read on along a progressive timeline. But it did not detract too much.

All in all a great book and I have recommended it to my adult children to get a real feel of a little of my history and the politics that engulfed us then, and still echo through to today.
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Kayleigh
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and relatable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2022
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An absolutely delightful book. It is full of real-time, down to earth, and relatable issues. Including political clashes with family and a job caring for others. Billy is a wonderful protagonist, extremely likable, and although has political views against my own, faces many of the same day to day challenges. Working with children, he has a lovely demeanour, and set at a time that has many relatable issues, this book was just like reading a story about one of my peers. As a 'northerner' myself, a little but more north than Leicester, there were many notable references to very British and regional elements that made this tale extremely enjoyable and heart-warming. Highly recommended. I loved it.
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