7 Miles Out

This book is a very moving ( true ) account of being a pre-pubescent & then teenage girl in Stockport from 1977 -1984 .It starts with the suicide of the main characters Ann’s father & proceeds to describe her growing up with this constant “ elephant in the room” , as she burgeons in to an adult, who embraces an unconventional lifestyle & culture.I could not put the book down – it was touching , poignant , acerbic & bittersweet . It was both funny & heart-rending which made me want to scoop the main character up & nurture her.It was written from the heart, although the subject is heavy the book is not maudlin , it is entertaining & is well worth a read.

And this reminded me just how bad the men were, how easy underage drinking was and how hard it is to be a teenager. This teens life is shaped by her dad's suicide.This is a brilliant book. Honest, funny, evocative. One of the best books I've read this year. I have such admiration for Carol after reading this book.Happy Biden day!

I really wanted to like this book because it's set in Stockport where I've lived almost my whole life and in a period when I was young, although not as young as the protagonist. Unfortunately it could have been set anywhere and there is very little of the town in it and could easily have been set in any town in the orbit of Manchester to allow the inclusion of The Hacienda. There is no real narrative thrust to the story and tends to ramble along randomly alighting on events on the way. a good memoir places you right in the middle of the protagonists life and allows you to feel what they feel and experience what they experience but it really does neither and functions more like a misery memoir than an evocation of the North in the 70's and 80s. I've assumed that her older brother Rob, the music journo and band manager is actually Paul Morley ex NME writer and the man who inflicted Frankie Goes To Hollywood on the world. All in all I found it disappointing waiting for something of importance to happen that never did. In case anyone is wondering about the title it was the name of a shop on the main road through the centre of Stockport, so called because it was 7 miles from the centre of Manchester.

Not normally "my kind of book", I heard Carol on the radio, bought the book on release and thought it was great. I've not seen her films or read her other books, and I don't how much is Ann and how much is Carol, but it all rang true for me. Whether writing from adversity, imagination, or a mix, this is a well written book about growing up in a sad, confusing, exciting world (and Stockport)

Great!

Unusual story but very enjoyable. I felt real empathy with the main character and her mother.

Very enjoyable read.

Awesome