About a quarter of this bio is a really good, super interesting read. Unfortunately once Bill Tarmey’s life catches up to when he takes the role of JaAbout a quarter of this bio is a really good, super interesting read. Unfortunately once Bill Tarmey’s life catches up to when he takes the role of Jack Duckworth on Coronation Street it becomes Jack’s biography and hardly includes anything else from the rest of Bill’s life.
Instead we get a complete breakdown of Jack’s adventures and follies on The Street. How many episodes he was in per year based on appearance charts, which cast members, left the show or died or were added. How he and Vera’s volatile on screen marriage was holding out. Basically it’s a rundown of Coronation Street for the past 31 years. I will admit that these behind the scenes moments and story synopsis became way more interesting once it got to the point that I started watching the show and knew the characters and storylines. But still, I wanted to read more about Bill Tarmey not the character Jack. I guess I should have surmised from the title “JACK DUCKWORTH and me (the “and me” is written in tiny letters) that this was going to be a bio about a fictional character. Shouldn’t I? Anyways.
Born in 1941 in a rented terrace house in Manchester England, Bill’s early life was one of poverty, food rationing, tragedy and a close knit family that all lived a stone’s throw from each other. His biological father was killed in 1944 while serving as an ambulance driver in the Second World War and Bill has no memories of him. What I found interesting here is that despite the adversity of his childhood, he only has happy memories of the time. Everyone was in the same boat. Young widowed mothers, air raid sirens and playing in bombed out buildings were the norm. You were often hungry and there was no time to be idle, everyone worked at what they could which often included factories. He admits to being hopeless in the classroom but gifted when it came to music. This entire early section really took me into postwar England and the struggles the country faced.
“There was never a turkey for Christmas lunch. It would be a chicken and most of the breast would go to my dad because he was a working man and needed to keep up his strength. For me, whose only experience of meat was corned beef or Prem (a cheap version of Spam) a chicken wing was a real treat.”
Bill met Alice, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with at the age of 14 and married her at 18. At the time of their marriage in 1962 he was working as an asphalter and had .37p in his pocket. There is very little insight into his marriage or personal life, except for his children being born, but it seems to me like theirs is a real love story.
Bill talks a lot about his singing career which started in the church, and continued into the pubs and club scene. It’s my opinion that this is the career path he would have preferred and his true passion. His real life eerily mirrored that of his alter ego he played on screen, with lurches into fortune and fame and just plain luck. “I feared that some new producer would recognise my failings and wonder what Bill Tarmey was doing pretending to be an actor. I could never relax because I always thought the bubble was going to burst at any moment. I’ve had a wonderful time playing him it’s just that for a long time I felt a bit of a fraud.”
Sadly The Cobbles lost Bill Tarmey (Nov 10/12) and with his passing Coronation Street loses a true legend. I will miss Jack Duckworth; his last Corrie episode still brings tears to my eyes, as he dances with his Vera. Cheers Jack! 374jb3. ...more
Opening Line: “When two gentlemen are related by blood, they do not usually address each other with formality.”
Based on all the glowing reviews and acOpening Line: “When two gentlemen are related by blood, they do not usually address each other with formality.”
Based on all the glowing reviews and accolades THE RAKE has received I was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this regency romance. And I guess because I’d heard so many good things I was a little surprised at well, frankly how dull this was. Even with Putney’s great writing, attention to detail and a reprobate bad boy as our hero this was a bit of a grind to get through.
My main issue was the tedious and repetitive descriptions of the day to day activities taking place at the estate. Sure I appreciate the research that must have gone into the time period and it was interesting to a degree but it was also too much. I kept waiting for something, anything to happen but it was just endless talk and dinners and details of farm life. The steam factor was also very low and even at the end I still felt like Reggie and Alys were more friends than lovers and don’t even get me started on the “letting you go because you’re too good for me” trope.
This really should have been titled “The Alcoholic” because Reggie is a very successful one, as a rake however he fails. We are told (continuously) about his rakish behaviour but he doesn’t often exhibit any. He’s basically just a drunk who makes questionable decisions while drunk. All his other choices are ethical and kinda heroic. He just allows people to think the worst of him, adding to his disgraced reputation which for whatever reason he seems to covet.
I will say though that it was refreshing to have an alcoholic as the leading man and I found the sections where he’s craving a drink and bargaining with himself (just one, I can stop any time) very well done. It does get a little preachy but Bill W would be proud.
Ayls Weston is running from her past, masquerading as a man in order to maintain her position as the (successful) estate manager of Strickland manor. All that’s about to change however when Reginald Davenport comes home, taking his place as the rightful master of his family estate. After extensive (see tedious) exploration of the grounds, Reggie decides to keep Alys on as steward and over time the pair realize they have much in common. Reggie is also on the run, trying to escape several decades’ worth of drink and debauchery in London which as of late has been causing him to experience blackouts. He just needs a rest, and Strickland will be perfect. When a fire destroys the steward house Alys and her wards move into the big house and a romance that could save them both takes hold.
First published in 1989 (THE RAKE AND THE REFORMER) stands up well by todays romance standards and I would consider it a must read for the genre, especially since I seem to be in the minority with my feelings. Cheers 360jb35...more
"I would not make a good husband. I do, however, make an excellent lover"
This was a great read that kind of snuck up on me, especially once I started "I would not make a good husband. I do, however, make an excellent lover"
This was a great read that kind of snuck up on me, especially once I started picturing Johnny Depp as our roguish hero. Yes indeed, he would make a fine British cowboy, ala Jack Sparrow on a cattle drive, attempting to woo the heroine into bed with his clever, wicked tongue and laughing eyes. Anyways that’s what gets me through the day.
Harrison Bainbridge is a scoundrel and I absolutely adored him. The second son of an English earl “Harry” has been banished by his father for his substantial gambling debts and womanizing and sent to the wilds of 1865 Texas to clean up his act. Partnering up in a cattle muster isn’t really his idea of a good time, (it is actual work after all) however Harry can’t resist the opportunity to spend time with the saloon keepers outspoken daughter. Her daring business venture is a gamble and that is of course what Harry lives for.
Jessye Kane has dreams of wealth and independence after having her heart and reputation destroyed by her first love. She doesn’t trust men, doesn’t want or need a husband and certainly isn’t going to fall for the smooth talking Harry. He’s just heartache waiting to happen. However during the long months on the dusty trail the two get to know each other and Jessye realizes that there’s more to Harry then the devil-may-care attitude he portrays to the world. In fact Harry may just have a conscience and he might also be just as damaged and vulnerable as she is. Isn’t that a scary thought, because that’s a man she could love…
The flirty back and forth banter between our couple here as they try not to fall for each other is really fun; in fact I enjoyed most of the dialogue and definitely chuckled through Harry’s one liners. I also loved how we never really knew for sure if he was cheating at cards or not. I swear that man would wager his very soul.
It was towards the end of the book though that Lorraine Heath managed to capture my heart with this story too. After Harry is horribly injured, Jessye attempts to nurse the now stubborn, bitter man back to health. He can’t stand her pity or the way she looks at him these days and may just break her heart to recapture the outspoken sassy girl he used to know.
This is part 2 from the Rogues in Texas trilogy. And while I read this as a stand alone I wouldn’t recommend it as there were holes in the story that were never completely filled in and the beginning chapters were a bit confusing. Besides from what I can tell Harry’s brother's story (A Rogue in Texas) which continues on here, looks super good. ...more
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