apart from the spanish one in another thread. Does anyone know any good books set here that evoke sheffield well?

Well, it's not a novel, but is a sort of autobiography by Fred Pass of life just after the Second World War in Sheffield.

I bought it my wife for Christmas and have started reading it myself. It is quite funny in parts.

It's called: WEERZ ME DAD.

Yup, good book. I bought it for, my Dad.

NM

There's a female crime writer whose books are almost all set in Sheffield, though... aaaaagh! I can't remember her name!

I'm sure someone out there knows.

I'll email my dad and ask him if no one comes up with the answer.

And of course, Barry Hines' 'Looks And Smiles' evokes that late 70s, early 80s industrial wasteland thing really well. Though I don't think Sheffield is actually named.

Ken Loach (I think) made a film of it that was made in the city.

Damon,

Please do try to find out the author of the crime novels set in sheffield. I can't think of anything scarier than reading a crime novel set in sheffield! I wonder will hillsborough and walkey feature ?

Originally posted by cathypoos
Damon,

Please do try to find out the author of the crime novels set in sheffield. I can't think of anything scarier than reading a crime novel set in sheffield! I wonder will hillsborough and walkey feature ?

Will do. An email to my dad is being sent any minute now. Please be aware though, the response may not be instant!

How about ...

"2nd from last in the sack race" by David Nobbs (of Reginald Perrin fame). My missus has read it (twice) and says that it's really funny and brings Sheffield folk to life.

Also

"Give us this day" by Stan Barstow (also wrote a kind of loving) which is about Sheffield in the Blitz.

"Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks which is not in Sheffield as such but is about the Plague in Eyam.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the crime/thriller writer who sets most of her novels in Sheffield is Danuta Reah. I haven't read any of her stuff, so I won't go on about it. If you're interested, there's plenty of info here:

http://www.danutareah.co.uk/

Would anyone like to read some extracts from my (as yet) unpublished unfinished novel?

It is, up to now, around 65,000 words long.

It's up to you.

It's called 'A Pocketful of Pipedreams' and it's based almost entirely in Sheffield.

Originally posted by Sam Miguel
Would anyone like to read some extracts from my (as yet) unpublished unfinished novel?

It is, up to now, around 65,000 words long.

It's up to you.

It's called 'A Pocketful of Pipedreams' and it's based almost entirely in Sheffield.

Id like to see it sam

Weerz me Dad is apparently the fastest selling local book ever in sheffield. We sell it at our shop and everyone keeps telling me i have to read it. It is comfortably our best seller!

Four years late on this thread, and I am going back at least forty years when I read this book, It's called Up The Monkeys by Trevor Bostock and something at the back of my mind tells me It was set in Sheffield and the author was from Sheffield. As I have wrote It's forty years on and I might be wrong about the Sheffield connection, but for all that it's a good book, about working class life in the fifties/sixties and very funny. If there is a Sheffield connection perhaps someone out there can confirm.

Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (2008) Shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize. I've not read it (yet) so can't vouch for it. Here's some info:

http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/366

Why are you interested in reading novels set in Sheffield? A project, nostalgia, afraid of the unknown?

A lot of books by Roger J Green are set in Sheffield

http://www.rogerjgreen.net/

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the crime/thriller writer who sets most of her novels in Sheffield is Danuta Reah. I haven't read any of her stuff, so I won't go on about it. If you're interested, there's plenty of info here:

http://www.danutareah.co.uk/

I have read some of these books and loved them. I am scared to drive over the snake in the dark because of one of them!!

I want to read The Northern Clemency as it's one of those novels which is stuffed full of contemporary cultural references, which some reviewers do not like, but which I always love!

Another Sheffield set novel is Freshers, but for the life of me I cannot remember who wrote it - he also wrote Awaydays. Kevin someone....




......Sampson!!!!!

:thumbsup:

Just finished the Northern Clemency - all 700 odd pages. Excellent nostalgia - esp. for those from Fulwood / Lodge Moor way. Most of the (very) detailed scenes are pretty accurate, but some of the terminology relating to industry grates a bit - Phil H clearly never got his hands dirty e.g. "He put on his miner's uniform" !? And a guy who abandons his car as scrap because the fan belt broke. But minor stuff like that apart a great read. Heavy going though, it must weigh at least 4 lbs! About £10 on Amazon.

Jane Blank's "The Geometry Of Love" is partially set in the Sheffield of the early eighties.

Try Nick Hollands The girl on the bus. Link to amazon here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Bus-Nick-Holland/dp/1847990126/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227893291&sr=8-2)

He writes about broomhill and various other places in Sheffield. Very enjoyable.

I read the kids a book called "meet me by the statues on market street" which was based on the tannoys at meadowhall (they don't say this anymore but at the time it was every five minutes) and what the site used to be and the lady who wrote the brief history of tractors and two caravans bases her stories in Sheffield albeit from a non-native point of view. I''ve tried to get a northern clemency from the library but its got 71 loans out on it - so I'll tell you what its like in a couple of years.

Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring by MJ Trow.

One of a series of detective novels featuring Inspector Lestrade of Sherlock Holmes fame. In this one he is seeking a murderer within a traveling circus who pitch up on "Crooks Moor" in Sheffield

It's called: WEERZ ME DAD.

Weerz Me Dad and Weerz Me Mum are both meant to be great. We bought them for my partner's Dad (who lives in Pudsey) one Christmas and he loved them. It's great to support local initiatives like this.

Our second title, due for publication at the end of February, MY ADVENTURES IN CYBERSPACE (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0956029833/ref=noism?/tag=fledelyspub-21), is set both on a fictitious rock climbing forum (but inspired by the UK's largest climbing forum, ukclimbing.com (http://ukclimbing.com)) and in Sheffield. It only mentions Sheffield shops and locations in passing though, it is not very descriptive of Sheffield and some places, such as the schools mentioned in the book, are entirely fictitious.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the crime/thriller writer who sets most of her novels in Sheffield is Danuta Reah. I haven't read any of her stuff, so I won't go on about it. If you're interested, there's plenty of info here:

http://www.danutareah.co.uk/

Wow, thanks for that recommendation, Damon. She looks like an incredible person from her profile photograph. I'd like to read some of her work. The main protagonist of Mother-in-Law, Son-in-Law writes crime fiction too. It's a genre I've always admired, being a big fan of Agatha Christie when I was a lass. I think to excel in crime fiction you have to be an incredibly accomplished writer. I take my hat off to her.

I read the kids a book called "meet me by the statues on market street" ...

It's called "Meet me by the steelmen" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meet-Steelmen-Time-Slip-Adventures/dp/0744589886) by Teresa Tomlinson. :)I agree a very good book for Upper Key stage 2.

Also Granny was a buffer girl (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Granny-Buffer-Girl-Berlie-Doherty/dp/1846470242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227949217&sr=1-1) is a good children's book as well but i found them both very interesting to read.

Stephen Booth's crime novels are set in the Peak District and the action sometimes wanders across the boundaries into Sheffield.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the crime/thriller writer who sets most of her novels in Sheffield is Danuta Reah. I haven't read any of her stuff, so I won't go on about it. If you're interested, there's plenty of info here:

http://www.danutareah.co.uk/


Dire Reah. I read one of her books, Silent Playgrounds, a few years ago and it was terrible. Very dull, poorly written and thin on plot.

Stephen Booth's crime novels are set in the Peak District and the action sometimes wanders across the boundaries into Sheffield.


I remember reading about Stephen Booth's book signings a couple of years ago and thinking what a nice man he seemed, and dreaming that one day I'd be signing books. And now the official book launch for my novel has been green-lighted by everyone involved and other venues are approaching me asking me for book signings at their venues too! Reading about Stephen's local book signings was definitely an inspiration to me.

Surprised no one has mentioned our most famous writer, Joe Simpson (http://www.noordinaryjoe.co.uk). Joe has also been a huge inspiration to me and has been personally very encouraging to me over the last few years, he's an absolute sweetheart in every way. I've just had a look through his books to find the passage in one of them that is set in The Broadfield and can't find it and am in a bit of a rush as this is my coffee break, but it's a lovely scene towards the beginning of one of his novels. Anyone else familiar with it?

And of course the local writer and climber Andy Kirkpatrick (http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/) has a book, PsychoVertical up in the top thousand of the Amazon charts. And that is a huge accomplishment as he is dyslexic! (OK it's not a novel but it probably has reference to Sheffield in it. Not read it yet.)

A lot of books by Roger J Green are set in Sheffield

http://www.rogerjgreen.net/

Urk

Mr Green was my teacher for a few years (many years ago now)

His books I remember being really good for kids. I didn't know he was still writing.

(Must dig out the few I have when I get home)

"Abe's Legacy" written by Marjorie P.Dunn is a story set mainly in the valleys & moors around Sheffield in the mid 1800's. The background of the story is the collapse of Dale Dyke Dam in 1864.
The book was published by The Hallamshire Press. I've had my copy for several years so I don't know whether it's still available.
Duffems

I remember reading about Stephen Booth's book signings a couple of years ago and thinking what a nice man he seemed, and dreaming that one day I'd be signing books. And now the official book launch for my novel has been green-lighted by everyone involved and other venues are approaching me asking me for book signings at their venues too! Reading about Stephen's local book signings was definitely an inspiration to me.

Surprised no one has mentioned our most famous writer, Joe Simpson (http://www.noordinaryjoe.co.uk). Joe has also been a huge inspiration to me and has been personally very encouraging to me over the last few years, he's an absolute sweetheart in every way. I've just had a look through his books to find the passage in one of them that is set in The Broadfield and can't find it and am in a bit of a rush as this is my coffee break, but it's a lovely scene towards the beginning of one of his novels. Anyone else familiar with it?

And of course the local writer and climber Andy Kirkpatrick (http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/) has a book, PsychoVertical up in the top thousand of the Amazon charts. And that is a huge accomplishment as he is dyslexic! (OK it's not a novel but it probably has reference to Sheffield in it. Not read it yet.)

Hi there White Rose, I would'nt be surprised if we "knew" each other. I know Joe too from the Broadfield days/daze around the 1987/1996 period. "Touching The Void" moves mountains...if I may be permitted an awful pun.
I'm going to treat myself to a novel. Which of his would you suggest please?

Is there anyone else in forum land who has read local author Simon Crump?
If not I would recommend "Monkey's Birthday." I have a misty memory of a, The Times, quote that said, "Like Tarantino on acid."

Hi there White Rose, I would'nt be surprised if we "knew" each other. I know Joe too from the Broadfield days/daze

days/daze, LOL :) All the climbers I know are from 95 onwards as I spent the 80s in London and the early 90s in bringing-up-little-babies land (no finer terrain on earth.) But we may well know one another still :)


I'm going to treat myself to a novel. Which of his would you suggest please?

The Beckoning Silence and This Game of Ghosts are both wonderful books. Last tuesday in New York, the docu drama Beckoning Silence won an international Emmy for best documentary. That's a pretty big deal...

days/daze, LOL :) All the climbers I know are from 95 onwards as I spent the 80s in London and the early 90s in bringing-up-little-babies land (no finer terrain on earth.) But we may well know one another still :)



The Beckoning Silence and This Game of Ghosts are both wonderful books. Last tuesday in New York, the docu drama Beckoning Silence won an international Emmy for best documentary. That's a pretty big deal...

Thanks. I'll treat myself to two. :thumbsup:

PS. I played a game or two of cricket for the "Slab Climbers" around 95/6/7.
Joe played, John Stevenson (may be ph spelling), Jim...?...surname escapes me, and on one occasion Bruce French...ex Notts and England wicket-keeper...and got to partner the guy in a doubles snooker match after the cricket at the Broady...aah heady days. :)

Martyn Bedford's Exit Orange and Red is based on Meadowhall.

'Dear Nobody' by berlie doherty is excellent and is set in sheffield. it mainly tackles the issues around teenage pregnancy and is aimed at teenagers but it's so well written i think it appeals to any age (she also wrote 'My Granny was a Buffer Girl' mentioned earlier). i read it when in my twenties and its still one of my favourites. The crime novels by Danuta Reah are an enjoyable read as well. I disagree that 'Silent Playgrounds' was rubbish; they wont win any prizes for 'high literature' :rolleyes:but they make good use of Sheffield as a backdrop and capture the darker side of seemingly innocent beauty spots in the city. The parts of the novels set at the Shepherd Wheel in Whitlely Woods are particulary effective (the place always gave me the creeps as a child!!!) and Sheffield University is in there as well. I cant go down into the stacks in the library on Western Bank without thinking about that novel even though its years since I read it. The canal basin is another setting she uses in another of her novels. Read them, you'll enjoy!!

Blood Brothers by Darren Scothern is one I'd recommend.

Covenent of Death by John Harris - Set around a group of friends joining up with the Sheffield Pals during WW1, and their eventual deployment and slaughter of the first day of the Somme

Many of the place names within Sheffield are obscured, (Redmires/Blackmire etc) but oddly some are named. I believe John Harris was a journalist for the Sheffield Star/ Telegraph many years ago, and the main character in the book is also a reporter with the local newspaper, who joins up.

This is a great website to choose the setting of your books. Click on 'change to character, plot, setting' and then if you click on 'setting' you get a spinning globe. You can't narrow it down as far as Sheffield, but can choose all sorts of other options to get the reading experience you are looking for

www.whichbook.net

Dire Reah. I read one of her books, Silent Playgrounds, a few years ago and it was terrible. Very dull, poorly written and thin on plot.

I completely disagree. Danuta Reah's books are excellent thrillers and are very atmospheric. My favourite is the first one - Only Darkness - which is largely set in Rotherham but they are all pretty good. The fact they are based in Sheffield is incidental to my enjoyment but it does add something.

I have also read a thriller called Sweet Summer by Frank Ryan which was pretty good. His books are set in Sheffield and this one in particular I'm fairly convinced is based on Dore, although it doesn't call it that in the book.

I'm reading George Orwell's The Raod to Wigan Pier at the moment. It's not a novel but he describes Sheffield quite a lot in it. Not it the most flattering terms either!:

E.g.
Sheffield, too, is being torn down and rebuilt pretty fast, though perhaps, considering the beastliness of its slums, not quite fast enough.

In Sheffield you have the feeling of walking among a population of troglodytes.

In Sheffield I was taken to a public hall to listen to a lecture by a clergyman, and it was by a long way the silliest and worst-delivered lecture I have ever heard or ever expect to hear. I found it physically impossible to sit it out, indeed my feet carried me out, seemingly of their own accord, before it was half way through. Yet the hall was thronged with unemployed men; they would have sat through far worse drivel for the sake of a warm place to shelter in.

I'm enjoying it. There are many themes he talks about that are considered new concerns in our society, it's really interesting.

"The Unassuming Assassin" was published in 2006 and is largely set in Sheffield 9 & 13. Les Arnott is quite well known in the area having worked for many years at Wales High and Handsworth Christian Schools as well as having stood for the Council on a number of occasions. He has also preached in a number of local churches.
It is set in Sheffield and Scunthorpe and is a lurid and original tale of vigilanteism and revenge set against a political and psychological backcloth. Well reviewed in The Sheffield Star and with Les interviewed on several radio stations, it has twists and originality but is also an ordinary man's spiritual odyssey. Perfect for anybody who likes thrillers filled with gore, love, passion and intrigue.
If you are politically correct - this is NOT the book for you!
arnottl@aol.com or Amazon. Some local bookshops carry it - others will order it for you.

Do not forget "The Unassuming Assassin" by Les Arnott. [I wonder who he be?)
Set in Handsworth and S9, Scunthorpe, Costa Blanca.
Serial killer Mel Roberts. The real issue is whether or not the reader sympathises with him.
The novel has the lot except sci fi and the supernatural.

Psychological, philosophical, bloody, violent, gentle, spiritual, historical, romantic. Hammers the political establishment!
Published in 2006.

I live in the house described in one of Danutas books, spooky reading it whilst wandering the place!

There's a female crime writer whose books are almost all set in Sheffield, though... aaaaagh! I can't remember her name!

I'm sure someone out there knows.

I'll email my dad and ask him if no one comes up with the answer.

Danutha Reah ..think this is the correct spelling

Danutha Reah ..think this is the correct spelling

The Star seems to spell it Danuta Reah.

I've recently finished reading Phillipa Gregory's book "The Other Queen". It was a very good read.

It's about Mary Queen Of Scots' imprisonment under George Talbot (husband of Bess of Hardwick) and as per her life story, covers the time at Sheffield Castle, as well as at some of the other grand houses and castles that Bess and George owned, including Tutbury, Hardwick, and Chatsworth. It also talks about how having charge of MQoS pretty much bankrupted George and Bess, and almost destroyed their marriage.

No one's mentioned anything by Paul Adam yet? He set a few crime-thriller-lite novels in Sheffield in the (I think) early 90's - they all have the same central character, a journalist, and they're quite funny. The local references are spot on. He also wrote another Sheffield based one, The Enemy Within, which is a conspiracy theory type thriller. He might have done others in Sheffield.

I read the Northern Clemency by Phillip Hensher, the local references are interesting, but other than that...ugh! I'll have to agree to disagree with the Booker shortlisting panel

An author who writes crime and thriller novels based within this area is Stephen Booth, mainly Peak's area (Buxton, Bakewell etc) but has a lot of Sheffield references the books I have read by him, and they have all been good so far, similar (imo) to Harlan Coben type books. He may have other books not based around this area that I ahvent read but the ones I have been reading are the Cooper & Fry series.

http://www.stephen-booth.com/

I've recently finished reading Phillipa Gregory's book "The Other Queen". It was a very good read.

It's about Mary Queen Of Scots' imprisonment under George Talbot (husband of Bess of Hardwick) and as per her life story, covers the time at Sheffield Castle, as well as at some of the other grand houses and castles that Bess and George owned, including Tutbury, Hardwick, and Chatsworth. It also talks about how having charge of MQoS pretty much bankrupted George and Bess, and almost destroyed their marriage.

I've got that and not got around to reading it yet - I enjoy her novels, they're a bit more well written than most historic bestseller type stuff, with well rounded female characters. I might read it sooner than I planned if it's got a lot about the castles/houses etc in it.

I read The Northern Clemency - it's good, except it goes nowhere. And he tries to cram far too much in in the second half whereas the first half is all languid. It comes across as soap opera really.

Stephen Booth's crime novels are set in the Peak District and the action sometimes wanders across the boundaries into Sheffield.

I was going to mention Stephen Booths crime novels - excellent stuff. Yes, mainly Peak District area but crosses into Sheffield on odd occaisions.

Can't remember which but one mentions Ye Olde Mustard Pot pub (Midhopestones) near where I live.

Recommended - start with Black Dog then there are about 6 others I think following the same detective as lead.

I've got that and not got around to reading it yet - I enjoy her novels, they're a bit more well written than most historic bestseller type stuff, with well rounded female characters. I might read it sooner than I planned if it's got a lot about the castles/houses etc in it.

I read The Northern Clemency - it's good, except it goes nowhere. And he tries to cram far too much in in the second half whereas the first half is all languid. It comes across as soap opera really.

HI Mathom,

I know everyone's tastes differ, but yes, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of PG's Tudor novels. and yes, there's a lot about Tetbury, Hardwick, Chatsworth and Shefield in "The Other Queen".

This is a great website to choose the setting of your books. Click on 'change to character, plot, setting' and then if you click on 'setting' you get a spinning globe. You can't narrow it down as far as Sheffield, but can choose all sorts of other options to get the reading experience you are looking for

www.whichbook.net

Thank you for this site.. it is very interesting.

Could be wrong about this, but didn't Roy Hattersly write a novel called Makers Mark (?), set at least partly in Sheffield. A complete BOS, as I remember it.

Peter Tinniswood's stories about the Brandon family are set in Sheffield. It's never mentioned by name as far as I can recall but it is clearly recognizably Sheffield.

A Touch Of Daniel (1969)
I Didn't Know You Cared (1973)
Except You're A Bird (1974)
Call it a Canary (1985)

Last time I checked they were out of print, although Sheffield Libraries should be able to help.

The TV series "I Didn't Know You Cared" makes the Sheffield connection more emphatic by shooting all the exterior scenes in Sheffield (apart from a trip to Crich Tramway museum, where Uncle Mort rides on Sheffield's Last Tram).

I met Phillipa Gregory. I was walking round an exhibition of Mary Queen Of Scots in the Millemium Gallery, when she came up to me and started talking.

Not a book, but Alan Bennett's 'History Boys' was set in Sheffield (although the film seemed to be filmed elsewhere?)....

Danutha Reah ..think this is the correct spelling

It's Danuta Reah - I got one of hers from the library last Saturday, it's called Dark Water and I've found it pretty dull so far to be frank. I'll probably come back to ot later this week when I've finished Jools Holland's autobiography, whis is a thoroughly entertaing read

Not a book, but Alan Bennett's 'History Boys' was set in Sheffield (although the film seemed to be filmed elsewhere?)....

Now I would love to see this play or film, as hes my favourite author.

Stephen Booths books are excellent, particularly for someon ewho grew up in the peaks. I also loved the book about the plague in Eyam. Roy Hattersley's trilogy of books, starting with the makers mark, still is one of my favourite reads of all time. I was leant it by my Mother in law, about 15 years ago and it passed round the family. It was so engaging that we spent an afternoon driving round all the places, from worksop to shirebrook and ending back just off Sharrow Lane. It is written as fiction but is based (very closely I think) on his ancesters. If you like local and social history woven into a story then I highly recommend it.

Trick or Treat by Lesley Glaister is set on a street in Hunters Bar.

Now I would love to see this play or film, as hes my favourite author.

You haven't seen it? It was on at the Lyceum a couple of years ago and was on TV with the original National cast just before Christmas, when the BBC had their Alan Bennett season... It's pure magic, a group of lads all taking extra classes to try and secure Oxbridge places having attended a state school... The teacher is magic too - always offering lifts home and trying to touch the kids up! Set in the 80's it's school life as I recall it, before paedoes were reported for gropes...

Trick or Treat by Lesley Glaister is set on a street in Hunters Bar.

Any good???

Part of the Steve Lyons Doctor Who novel Head Games (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Games_%28Doctor_Who%29) is set in Sheffield.

Ages since I read it, but I remember enjoying it. Dark humour, and it was fun recognising the thinly disguised steep streets of Hunters Bar. Endcliffe Park allotments were mentioned, I remember. And it conjured up the way 3 terraces share a yard and you get to know a lot about your neighbours. I think she has set a few of her novels in Sheffield.

Any good???

Excellent. I rate Glaister very highly indeed.

I've read Trick or Treat now, and it was ok - not great, not bad... No mention whatsoever of Hunters Bar though??? It's not even that obvious at first they are living in Sheffield, especially since some of the dialect used is Notts/Derbys?

She did write one that is based in a terrace house off Eccy Rd though - The Private Parts of Women mentions the area and is quite specific... Again, a book that isn't great but not too bad either!

Try 'Man o' Steel' by Kit Sollitt. It was serialised in the Star many years ago - a cracker!

Hello. You'll recognise many Sheffield landmarks and atmosphere in local author Paul Adam's fantastic thriller Enemy Within . If you don't know about Paul Adam, you are really missing out.
He writes great children's books too. www.pauladam.co.uk

Nickyleaf

Kevin Sampson's Freshers takes its eponymous subject to be undergraduate life in Sheffield halls of residence. Occasional insights into late adolescent angst and a welter of mass culture references did not redeem a self-indulgent novel; basically sub-par Bret Easton Ellis, in my opinion. I heard he has written better, but didn't look further after that.

One name that's not been mentioned so far is 'Totley Tom', Tom Hague, though as far as I'm aware he was primarily a poet. His 'Tales of a Yorkshire Miner' are still available for cheap at Amazon or Ebay, and there are some selections here:

http://sheffieldvoices.group.shef.ac.uk/fgttom.htm

Anyone interested in Sheffield-centred literature would do well to have a look at the selection of texts here, on the same website:

http://sheffieldvoices.group.shef.ac.uk/fgtexts.htm

I'm not affiliated, but I think that's a great project. Sheffield's cultural products seem to play a relegated position to its history and industrial heritage in particular, and Sheffield as a whole often gets overlooked in considerations of cultural histories of the North, in the shadow of Manchester and Leeds.

A little mention of Sheffield's cultural past (reading habits and so forth) is made in Jonathan Rose's The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, which I recommend highly.

Understandably most of the replies here are about modern novels set in Sheffield. But one novel from the past which deserves a mention (and a read) is Put Yourself in His Place by Charles Reade (1870), who is better known for his historical novel The Cloister and the Hearth. It deals with the Sheffield outrages of the 1860s which led to a Royal Commission about employers and unions. It is also noteworthy for Reade attempting to put something that approximates to dialect speech in the mouths of some of the working class characters. I haven't checked whether the City Library has a copy!

Man of Steel, about a steelworker set in World War 2 but cannot remember the author. Also, biography written by Martyn Johnson about his life as a Police Officer in 1960s Attercliffe. Both very good books.

Man of Steel, about a steelworker set in World War 2 but cannot remember the author. Also, biography written by Martyn Johnson about his life as a Police Officer in 1960s Attercliffe. Both very good books.
------------------.

Ivanhoe .Sir Walter Scott. written 1819

Ivanhoe .Sir Walter Scott. written 1819

Yes! Magic. And "he rides against the Manor" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RswoQJUGI6Q) :hihi:

Marina Lewycka's novel, Two Caravans, is brilliant and the finale happens in Sheffield :)

Yes! Magic. And "he rides against the Manor" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RswoQJUGI6Q) :hihi:
Some good old Manor lads and lasses on that bit of film Jim.
P.S. A good picture of Castle Market in the background.

How about ...

"2nd from last in the sack race" by David Nobbs (of Reginald Perrin fame). My missus has read it (twice) and says that it's really funny and brings Sheffield folk to life.

Also

"Give us this day" by Stan Barstow (also wrote a kind of loving) which is about Sheffield in the Blitz.

"Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks which is not in Sheffield as such but is about the Plague in Eyam.

Still got a copy of that somewhere. It's set in Rawmarsh but I seem to remeber the main character goes to Bramall lane to watch cricket and the house called Cap Ferret which I believe is SW sheffield e.g. Fullwood area

Peter Tinniswood's stories about the Brandon family are set in Sheffield. It's never mentioned by name as far as I can recall but it is clearly recognizably Sheffield.

A Touch Of Daniel (1969)
I Didn't Know You Cared (1973)
Except You're A Bird (1974)
Call it a Canary (1985)

Last time I checked they were out of print, although Sheffield Libraries should be able to help.

The TV series "I Didn't Know You Cared" makes the Sheffield connection more emphatic by shooting all the exterior scenes in Sheffield (apart from a trip to Crich Tramway museum, where Uncle Mort rides on Sheffield's Last Tram).




I heard that, Pardon.


The books are clearly based on sheffield, but the series were filmed in Swinton and sheffield. The sheffield parts were mostly around Pomona st

I heard that, Pardon.


The books are clearly based on sheffield, but the series were filmed in Swinton and sheffield. The sheffield parts were mostly around Pomona st

They used my mates house on Club Garden Road and there are some excerpts from the series on youtube where you can play "spot the location". Certainly there are several canal scenes filmed approximately behind the MeadowHall Retail Park.

I heard that, Pardon.


The books are clearly based on sheffield, but the series were filmed in Swinton and sheffield. The sheffield parts were mostly around Pomona st
Didn't know about the Swinton locations.

Sheffield canal basin is used for the episode where Uncle Mort gets married on a slowly sinking canal boat.

I'm currently writing a hilarious Gay Comedy Thriller, which spans a lot of genres (Romance, crime, spy, Sci-Fi, Alternate History, Steampunk, comedy, Gay, Urban, Youth Fiction, Adult Fiction, etc.) and I have set it in an imaginary city on an imaginary island just to the South of Ireland (Near Cork). For the background of the city itself, I have mixed a lot of elements from real cities, notably Sheffield and Cork, but also others such as London, Dusseldorf, Dresden, Amsterdam, New York, etc. Hopefully when I get it published readers will have fun spotting somewhat familiar locations from Sheffield in among all the other fun and games in the story. Watch my website or Facebook for more details late in the year....

I read the Northern Clemency by Phillip Hensher, the local references are interesting, but other than that...ugh! I'll have to agree to disagree with the Booker shortlisting panel

I enjoyed that book. It did have a bit of a soap opera storyline to it, but it was set against the backdrop of the miners' strikes (1980s?) and Arthur Scarsgill and I thought, well written. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

here is my two pennorth as no one has mentioned it.....zuzu's petals