Finally got mine today as a present from my grandchildren, was getting worried as its was the final present i had to open. Looking forward to reading it.
How did the book go in the end @CharltonKerry - working on a sequel if yer running out of conversation with the missus again - mine's not happy she's got a night off tonight and the Bolton Liverpool's game is on.
Sorry centurion thought I done a bit of write up on here about it, obviously i done it somewhere else i will try to find it and post it on here. I enjoyed it and will certainly buy the sequel. Hope you will post the publishing date on here. Thinking about it, I did post the review on another site.
The misses is upstairs sulking whilst I'm watching the football, hoping that it snows tonight as it her birthday tomorrow, and I think that she's expecting me to take her for a meal tomorrow night, which means sitting there and talking, if it was snowed off then that would be a bonus
If it's any consolation my wife is on the stairs reading her book (not mine, but Sophie Kinsella's) and has suggested that the idea of turning off the football and listening to my choice of music is even worse than the thought of watching the football! Things have changed since the extended honeymoon period I've written about for the next edition of Voice of the Valley at least I have got to see Dorien Dervite again.
Below is a brief review of your book Paul, it was done for a non sport Internet site, where books are only a minor part of the forum. Hope you like my very non professional views and comments, no doubt some of my comments won't please you :-)
Well I have now completed the Charlton Men by Paul Breen. I really enjoyed it, for me it was most unusual, a) because I know the author via a football forum and now understand where he got his internet name from, b) because it's a love story, something I can't remember ever reading before, ç) because I know the area fairly well it's set in, so some of the descriptive passages are really brought home to me D) because about a quarter is about football, the team I love and games i attended and still remember.
So it is strange to be sitting here trying to review this type of book. I thought initially some of the descriptions where to flowery, used too many words and too arty farty, but when I sat and thought about it, I came to that conclusion because my mind could see the scene, I didn't need the descriptive writing as I had either Seen the building or had experienced the atmosphere. So I knew what was coming and I knew what my feelings where for a good part of the book.
Basically the plot is set in the Greenwich / charlton area of SE London concerns an ex solider disabled in Afghanistan and for real drama and the bad luck aspect is an addick (for the uneducated an addick is a charlton supporter), meets lonely Irishman whose got a past that is different to most, they becomes friends during the recent London riots, go to a football match in charltons record breaking and league winning season. They both meet the same girl, normal sort of love triangle with a few nice little twists and sub plots. In the end one wins the fair ladies hand and charlton win the league.
If you don't like football or haven't been to a game, then you might enjoy the descriptions of the crowds scenes, it's different as charlton success wasn't expected and took everyone by surprise, I found the Carlisle game where promotion was gained was interesting, it was short and too the point, if I had written this I think I would have gone over the top on emotions of that day, Paul got it just right, and my version would have been over the top. I would highly recommend the book, only around 240 pages and I look forward to the other two books being published.
Hope you enjoyed the above and found it useful, be interested to know if anyone buys it's, reads it's and what their opinions are. Hope that i done the book justice in my short write up.
Thanks - that's good - I have had some other people said similar with regard to criticism, and hopefully have improved that for the future - less flowery stuff next stuff around - different references to football too because it takes place over an even shorter period of time - hopefully a few more people buy the original before I put the second one out - more people buy it the faster the publishers put out that second one actually
PS If anybody considering buying book this would be a good couple of weeks to do it - tell the missus, the gf, or the mum to buy a copy for Valentines Day or buy one for the missus or girlfriend, or prospective girlfriend!
I enjoyed the book and think most Charlton fans would also get a warm feeling regarding the recollections of that outstanding season. The thread about our team was used to tie the storey together quite well, but it would probably not get the same reaction from fans of other clubs. I would be interested to hear what response you have had from non-Charlton readers.
As I said I enjoyed the read (while on holiday in Hawaii before Christmas) and wish you every success with the sequel.
thought the love interest was a right beeehatch and never remember anyone calling danny hollands the dutchman. But I'm splitting hairs. I liked it and it was very nicely nostalgic about that great season
Hi, @Fumbluff & @Carter- VOTV said the same about chants and there was a bit of poetic licence taken with these I admit - @delroofer there have been non-Charlton and non-football fans who have read the book and probably more for the story around the football rather than out of an interest in Charlton AFC. Those who got in touch with me said they liked it, though probably not with any growing interest in Charlton. One of the most interesting comments came from a journalist in N. Ireland who suggested that if I had wrote the same kind of story around Liverpool or United then it would sell far more copies. But that would make it a totally different story, and the early influence for the book was my own conversion to the Addicks which I then turned into fiction and totally adapted into something that resembled very little of my own life except for the football.
Had an amazing St Patrick's Day experience - this woman in the picture is the daughter in law of Johnny Summers - I met her in an Irish bar where I was giving my book to my uncle who is a singer - she saw the book and asked about it because it is Charlton related and wondered where she could get it/how much it cost - sorry to all who paid for it - but I told her I am posting a free copy tomorrow because how great can that get - closest I have ever been to one of Charlton's greatest legends - even Sam's statue not quite the same or Matt Holland on Linked In!
Hi, sorry for a bit more book promotion on here but presently trying to drum up sales to get a sequel deal done and dusted. If anyone was thinking of buying the book or knows anyone who might be interested, now at the start of April would be a very good time - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Charlton-Men-Paul-Breen/dp/178308166X
Have written the sequel to the book and sent it off to the publishers who have recently gone through some reshuffling and cuts so they are a bit slow at present, but hope to get it out soon. Action moves further down the coast this time around and features the same characters plus a couple more. Set over a shorter time period as well, a lot of the territory is new but hope the story resonates with people's experiences and expectations. Thanks to those who gave feedback last time around - that really helped - and any more readers of the original on either Kindle or in paperback form would be appreciated because sales speed up the publishers. Recent highlight though was talking to Johnnie Jackson on social media and he said he was going to buy a copy. Haven't heard if he did or what he thought of it though.
Haha, I enjoyed the book mate I'd 100% buy the ebook of any follow up. If you can call this criticism (which is isnt) my only stickler is that it wasn't as graphic and disgusting as 'kill your friends'
But it wasn't meant to be, it was a totally different story and I need to remove that thought from my head every time I start a new book!
If anybody's from south east/south west London - general area around there - you might be interested in a show I'm doing on the radio tomorrow on the edges of Crystal Palace territory for One Harmony Radio, talking about books, life, living in London etc. Not really a football show, but I'm sure I'll be asked about Charlton as well. It's sometime between 8 and 10 in the morning - http://radio.oneharmonyradio.com
Comments
The misses is upstairs sulking whilst I'm watching the football, hoping that it snows tonight as it her birthday tomorrow, and I think that she's expecting me to take her for a meal tomorrow night, which means sitting there and talking, if it was snowed off then that would be a bonus
Well I have now completed the Charlton Men by Paul Breen. I really enjoyed it, for me it was most unusual, a) because I know the author via a football forum and now understand where he got his internet name from, b) because it's a love story, something I can't remember ever reading before, ç) because I know the area fairly well it's set in, so some of the descriptive passages are really brought home to me D) because about a quarter is about football, the team I love and games i attended and still remember.
So it is strange to be sitting here trying to review this type of book. I thought initially some of the descriptions where to flowery, used too many words and too arty farty, but when I sat and thought about it, I came to that conclusion because my mind could see the scene, I didn't need the descriptive writing as I had either Seen the building or had experienced the atmosphere. So I knew what was coming and I knew what my feelings where for a good part of the book.
Basically the plot is set in the Greenwich / charlton area of SE London concerns an ex solider disabled in Afghanistan and for real drama and the bad luck aspect is an addick (for the uneducated an addick is a charlton supporter), meets lonely Irishman whose got a past that is different to most, they becomes friends during the recent London riots, go to a football match in charltons record breaking and league winning season. They both meet the same girl, normal sort of love triangle with a few nice little twists and sub plots. In the end one wins the fair ladies hand and charlton win the league.
If you don't like football or haven't been to a game, then you might enjoy the descriptions of the crowds scenes, it's different as charlton success wasn't expected and took everyone by surprise, I found the Carlisle game where promotion was gained was interesting, it was short and too the point, if I had written this I think I would have gone over the top on emotions of that day, Paul got it just right, and my version would have been over the top. I would highly recommend the book, only around 240 pages and I look forward to the other two books being published.
Hope you enjoyed the above and found it useful, be interested to know if anyone buys it's, reads it's and what their opinions are. Hope that i done the book justice in my short write up.
As I said I enjoyed the read (while on holiday in Hawaii before Christmas) and wish you every success with the sequel.
thought the love interest was a right beeehatch and never remember anyone calling danny hollands the dutchman. But I'm splitting hairs. I liked it and it was very nicely nostalgic about that great season
Enjoyed it, being honest I read it because charlton and Greenwich featured heavily but books need a hook don't they?
It was no 'kill your friends' but I wasn't expecting it to be.
7.5/10
Been wrapped up in Charles Cumming.
Sounds messy, hope Charles finishes soon.
Recent highlight though was talking to Johnnie Jackson on social media and he said he was going to buy a copy. Haven't heard if he did or what he thought of it though.
But it wasn't meant to be, it was a totally different story and I need to remove that thought from my head every time I start a new book!