Sydney Carr - Author
Available as an EBook/Kindle from amazon.co.uk
The Fourth Lad
A Geordie Lad, the memoirs of his first twenty years provide an insight into North-East Post-War life in hilarious and painful detail. Born at the end of the World War 2, the Fourth Lad of eleven children with a chauvinistic father and a self-obsessed, vindictive mother, he was raised initially in Pont Street, considered at the time to be one of the toughest but friendliest streets in Ashington. Badly burnt, almost drowned, battered and bruised, he has to learn quickly how to survive his environment and parents. After seven eventful years, the family move to the Fifth Row – another wild but friendly street where his growing pains continue….
‘It is a fast moving, funny, sad and occasionally harrowing tale of a young boy growing up in a large and at times dysfunctional family, his struggle to survive and ultimately escape his restrictive and disparaging environment – Ideal, if you want to learn about the social climate of that time and place, or if you lived there and then and wish to reminisce...but also a read if you come from neither that time or place and want a book that is laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming, shocking and uplifting all at the same time.’
‘A witty story with well observed and amusing descriptions of place, characters and events... readers will find themselves laughing even when they know they really shouldn't, as the author approaches every struggle, disaster and wickedness with humour that should make readers urge the young lad on through the awkwardness and agonies of growing up in an environment that is ready to attack if you let your guard down.’
From his selfish, fag-smoking, pinny-wearing, swearing, rabbit skinning mother who installs terror as a first response in all her offspring...his wild, impervious to signs of danger, brothers who somehow manage to survive the many diabolical situations they find themselves in with a few scars for proof...the highly immaculate, suited, fedora wearing, handlebar mustachioed, completely out of place Uncle Alex who pops in and never leaves... the pig in the pram, to his encounter with a dead man and stint in hell as a young pit lad followed by his misdemeanours and misadventures as a naïve soldier and the many varied and colourful characters between – he uses them all in an effort to exasperate, make you gasp in shock, move you to tears or burst into unexpected fits of laughter!
Will he ever meet the little blue-eyed girl who filled his dreams for 14 years? Hopefully my memoirs are, insightful, hilarious, painful and sad but ultimately uplifting.
Reviews
I have enjoyed reading Sydney Carr's story more than I can remember enjoying a book for many a year - and I am an avid reader.
Syd grew up in the tough streets of Ashington, in Northumberland, and his young life was a daily battle in very tough and often cruel times, both within the walls of his Pont Street home and beyond. Nonetheless, I found myself laughing out loud at the many anecdotes he writes so well about. Many of these tales are hilarious!
Having seen the sad demise of pit communities, it's also going to be a lasting record of those very tough times, of the humour, the daily punishing graft in conditions that were always bad, and often dangerous. We may never see such communities again, comprised of individuals, families and communities that bonded together to mine the coal that kept the nation going.
Syd epitomises the spirit of the best of these 'pit lads,' and you will read about his indefatigable spirit from home to school to pit to Army life; how he remained upbeat when up against it, how he had the strength and spirit to get back up one more time than life knocked him down, and how he always maintained a ready sense of humour along with a kind and compassionate nature, when he has had to go through so many trials and tribulations.
Whether you come from Ashington - or the North East, whether you are or were a miner, or a squaddie - or whether you just want to enjoy a fantastic book, this is a truly great story, and I would recommend that you read it.
​5.0 out of 5 stars A modern masterpiece of comical human endeavour, 14 April 2013 .
by Mr Michael Baker.
​
This review is from: The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition)
​Loved this book couldn't put it down. Only problem not everyone has a kindle and think this book needs to be in a paperback as well so more people can read about the local history. Can't wait for book number 2 from this author.
​
​This review is from: The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition)
This is a must read and as it took me back many years to a similar era, I can relate to a lot of his book. It has everything from laughter, sadness and downright frankness that you sometimes don't get in most books. The only thing I have to say against it is that it finished too soon as I sense he has a lot more escapades to write about and if he has I hope I am round long enough to read them.
​
The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition) Every so often a book comes along that becomes impossible to put down ... this is one of those. Written in such a way that it is easy to absorb but you have to know ... what happens next? It contains a humour bred from everyday life, firstly in the authors home background and then in his early military life. It is also of great interest into the lifestyles of miners and their families in the 1950`s ... see how the other half live. I have enjoyed every word of this book and hope the author follows it up with more tales of his military life to make me laugh again and again. Would make a great TV series or film???? If you want something to compare it too ... try The Virgin Soldiers by Leslie Thomas .... but this has the early school life as an added bonus. A great read.
​
​
This review is from: The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition)
A great read. Took me back to my own childhood.I hope there will be a second book out soon.A must buy if you have a kindle
This review is from: The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition)
From the moment I began to read this book I was pulled right in and found myself unable and rather unwilling to climb back out in case I missed whatever the claustraphobic malevolent environment threw at the highly colourful - if not dysfunctional - characters next! It is a fast moving, relentlessly funny tale of a young boy growing up in a post world war 2 mining town in the North East and his struggle to survive it and ultimately escape - which makes it a great read if you want to learn about the social climate of that time and place, a great read if you lived there and then and wish to reminisce...but also a fantastic read if you come from neither that time or place and want a book that is laugh-out-loud funny, heart warming, shocking and uplifting all at the same time. The author's writing is witty, his descriptions of place, characters and events extremely well observed and funny...you will find yourself laughing even when you know you really shouldn't, because he approaches every struggle, disaster and wickedness with an endearing humour that makes you urge the young lad on through the awkwardness and agonies of growing up in an environment ready to attack if you let your guard down... "Ashington Hospital had a seperate page for recording accidents and emergencies to kids from Pont Street. You did not live in Pont Street, you survived it."
From the selfish, fagsmoking, pinny wearing, swearing, rabbit skinning mother who installs terror as a first response to her in all her offspring...the wild, impervious to signs of danger( unless they emit from their mother )brothers who somehow manage to survive the many diabolical situations they find themselves in, with a few scars for proof...the highly immaculate, suited, fedora wearing, handlebar moustached, completely out of place Uncle Alex who pops in and never leaves...to the pig in the pram - and the many varied wonderful characters between - the author uses them all to exasperate, make you gasp in shock, move you to tears or burst into unexpected fits of laughter!
Uplifting, insightful, hilarious - a wonderful first novel that I highly recommend.Some one in the know please make this into a t.v series...it would be an absolute hit with all generations!
​
This review is from: The Fourth Lad (Kindle Edition)
I have not read any of the authors other titles, but what a great read this is. Full of adventure and humour 'The Fourth Lad' is one of those books you can't put down, a real page turner.
​
​
I laughed, I cried, I felt anger and pity! What a roller-coaster ride of emotions! This gives a fascinating inside to how tough life was growing up in the northeast after the war. Coming from a large family, with a selfish mother and chauvinistic father, Sydney basically had to fend for himself. His education and job prospects ruined by mother and father.
​​ I loved every minute of this book and there were lots of minutes in it, hurray. Now I have finished it I miss the characters already. I was born in 1936 in Byker, Newcastle so didn't have any problem with the language, on any level. It was sad and funny and I actually did laugh out loud, and that takes a lot of doing. I get so tired of reading books that promise they are about Geordieland and end up with the people speaking some mangled dialect that is vaguely from north of the Watford Gap. My Grandma was a Carr but she came from Stanley in Durham, still we might be related somewhere in the back of beyond. It would be lovely if Syd did write another book but meantime I will be content with this little gem, taa lad. I have migrated to Cumbria but will always be a Geordie.
A truly amazing journey through a young lads life,living in hardship,and poverty and having too fight for survival at such a tender age.I couldn't put this book down,I laughed and I cried but what touched me the most was how he never gave up! coming from a family who never showed him love, this young lad battled through his childhood without feeling hard done by. This really is a remarkable tale and I'm still reduced to tears(happy ones) how he struggled without compromise to where he is today. I'm humbled!!
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​