John Fish B.Sc.
Publishers of Tenby in Wales (UK)Let the Fun of Pembrokeshire be with You!
Silly Mid Off
by
Dave Ainsworth
ISBN 0-9533512-1-1
Discover little England beyond Wales
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If you've ever wondered if there's more to the 'games people play' than 'bat and ball' then Pembrokeshire's funniest man will hilariously and wickedly strip-off your preconceptions exposing your foibles |
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Silly Mid Off by Dave Ainsworth is a comedy novel set in Pembrokeshire (Wales, UK) and featuring an annual cricket match between two vilage sides, one representing the Welsh speaking North and the other the English speaking South of the County, for the legendary Landsker Cup. It also touches on other aspects of Pembrokeshire life including an amateur-dramatics performance of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Carew Castle ... Silly Mid Off is a complex maze of the intricacies of the human condition and has been professionally criticised for having too many characters, for being too complex. The publishers would claim that, in truth, it's one of those books 'you can't put down' or 'you can't pick up'. Its uniqueness lies in combining fast moving comedy against a backcloth of everyday, including its peaks and depths, life ... Or as Shakespeare put it: "Much Ado about Nothing" ... A challenging read? Perhaps but then it moves at such a fast rate, depending almost entirely on dialogue, that it's as if you're playing catch-up with the author, and he's trying every 'trick in the book' of human deviousness to try and lose you ... But how can a novel combine comedy and seriousness? We believe by exposing that side of us which tries to hide: which thinks that if we protect our real actions with a camouflage then we'll protect ourselves from ridicule, judgement, exposure ... Or are we reading (sorry about the pun!) too much into Silly Mid Off? After all, there's nothing in the story which mighn't have happened to you or someone you know or heard about ... Should you read it? Only if you want, in the immortal words of Monty Python's Flying Circus, something completely different. But this we believe we can safely promise you, you won't say, using the words of Victor Meldrew: "I don't believe it!" ... Will your world ever be the same after reading Silly Mid Off? Of course not, it'll make you think, you'll never be so easily deceived again!
Published as a Star of Pembrokeshire Series Paperback |
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Silly Mid Off by Dave Ainsworth
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Review of Silly Mid Off
by Joanna Cawley
Set in Pembrokeshire and its surrounding areas, 'Silly Mid Off' is an intriguing blend of nature, sports and relationships. The story begins with its main theme, cricket, but intertwined is a small window of insight into each character's life. The cast of characters is more diverse than one might expect from a book that is, at first glance, about cricket. From Chris Lawler's marital struggles to seemingly eternally single Bill Nicholson and Peter Stillman's blissful ignorance to his wife's adulterous ways, Ainsworth presents believable characters in realistic situations.
Aside from romantic struggles, Ainsworth also showcases the cricketer's career struggles, including journalist Phil Manning's rise to the top and the implications that his actions later have on fellow cricketers. Old Giffo, as he is named, is unsurprisingly the eldest of the team and provides much of the comedy that is to be found in this remarkable story. What Ainsworth has managed to do is to take serious issues such as adultery, betrayal, and guilt and turn them in to a light hearted look at what a rural life involving cricket could be. With what I would call an undisputable ending, 'Silly Mid Off' discreetly asks you to review your life and think about what is really important as you live through each individual character's struggles and choices. When one of the most betrayed members of the team finds his light at the end of the tunnel at the close of the book, it leaves the reader with the feeling that whatever happens in life, something good can come of it. To mix this moral in amongst humour and serious themes in a writing style that flows naturally is no easy feat but one that Ainsworth has achieved here effortlessly.
When I finished reading Dave Ainsworth's 'Silly Mid Off' I was actually suprised at how much I enjoyed it. I can't call myself a cricket fan at all but the book has hidden depth in amongst it's humour |
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