The Other Side of the Dale

Rating:
Summary: Through a teachers eyes
Review: Having heard Gervais Phinn talk on an afternoon chat show describing his life as a schools inspector with humour and great dedication I was anxious to read his book "The Other Side of the Dale".

It was one of those texts which you find incredibly difficult to put down. I laughed out loud at his desciptions of answers given by small children and was able to relate them to my own experiences as an infant teacher.

He has the "gift of the gab" and enthralls his readers from the very first chapter.

One can tell by his writing that he is an honest and sincere person whose very love of life is the reason why he does the work he takes great delight in.

He shares every laugh & sometimes tear in a way that is as if he is an old friend and you are together catching up on news and gossip.

His character descriptions are vivid and allow you to picture this wealth of strange colleagues very clearly.

His romance with the "lovely Christine" is a joy to behold and I could hardly contain myself to wait for his second book to find out what happened.

He writes of his experiences with a truthful and interesting style which carries the reader along with him on his journey through country lanes and among the hedgerows of the farming communities where he travelled.

I felt that I was with him as he stood at picture windows looking out on the magnificent and striking views of the Dales.

There is a childlike quality in the way he sees life - it is honest and open. He writes of things he sees with an element of awe and wonder [like a child seeing their first aeroplane, balloon, etc.] and colours the pages with his glorious grasp of language.

I have read this text twice and listened to it being read by the author on audio-tape [A MAGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE! ]

I have also been fortunate to have obtained a copy of his second book "Over Hill and Dale" which is also up there with the best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING [not just for those in education]

Rating:
Summary: Vivid Character Sketches, Loving Pictures of a Unique Place
Review: Phinn clearly loves children, schools and Yorkshire. His pictures of the countryside, of its stalwart but reserved people, and of their dialect, invite favorable comparison with James Herriott. This is a special place, largely unspoiled by McDonalds and internet chat rooms, and that alone is a reason to celebrate while reading the book.

Phinn observes and writes honestly, capturing with equanimity and good humor a range of personalities from child prodigy to tyrannical administrative assistant. Sure, there are dozens of portraits of cute kids who say funny things, and of dedicated teachers who have mastered the ineffable art of educating. These alone are worth the price of the book. But want a trenchant dissection of exactly what makes an annoying person annoying? Phinn lays it out, while maintaining his humor and emotional distance and never conveying any feeling that he is settling old scores.

And yes, there is the thread of his sometimes-stumbling courtship of the alluring Miss Bentley. That also keeps one turning the pages.