The Best Year Of Our Lives: August 2022

Sunday 28 August 2022

My Interview With Author Rita Lee Chapman

Rita Lee Chapman is a UK-born author now resident in Australia. She has written a number of books, including the popular Missing In… series inspired by her travels. Her titles are all available from her author page at Amazon.

It was a joy to ponder and respond to her questions about my work, including the concept novel The Best Year Of Our Lives. The full text of my interview with Rita can be seen here.

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Reviews

"As a writer and editor, I am very impressed with this debut novel. I wasn't sure I was going to like the book when I first started it because it is very British and there were things in the story that I didn't understand. However, the exceptional quality of the writing and the excellent characterizations kept my interest...I highly recommend it!" - Susan Stewart (US author and editor).

"Just finished the book 'The Best Year Of Our Lives' by Phil Andrews. I have never, laughed, wanted to throw a punch, feel 'blue' and cry so much for ages." - verified Amazon reviewer.

"A compelling account of a teenage Camelot...a rich tapestry of life in 1970s Britain - the music, the fashions, and that memorable long hot summer of 1976." - Ray Burston (UK author of The Summer Of '76 and nine other titles).

"The spirit of the times.... captured well. If you were around then it's a great reminisce. But if you weren't a story of adolescent group dynamics that is familiar to all. Check it out." - Michael (verified Amazon reviewer).

"Totally loved the book, so laid back, enjoyable read. First class." - David Squire (verified Amazon reviewer).

"Thoroughly enjoyable read about teenagers in an era now long gone." - verified Amazon reviewer.

"The content of this book...is awesome. Seriously, it is completely unputdownable." - Mark Tamar, The Spirit of 1976.

"The Best Year of Our Lives is an immersive, richly detailed read that puts you there at the heart of the gang as they hang around the youth club and the streets of West London in those far-off days." - verified Amazon reviewer.

"I don't do novels. My reading is restricted to biographies and factual stuff. In fact I don't think I've ever managed more than two chapters of a novel before. But this book was highly recommended and I'm very glad it was! An easy read, but very cleverly written. Because even if you don't spot the clever bits, you will still be thoroughly entertained and will struggle to put it down. Buy it, read it - you will not be disappointed! - Phil L (verified Amazon reviewer).

"What wows me is that this story can be enjoyed on every level, as a simple fond reminisce or as a tentative journey into the recesses of the over-active young mind. Or to put it another way, it can equally be enjoyed or psycho-analysed. Most of all the special genius of this book is the way in which the author hurls himself into the main character to the point where we are sometimes not quite sure which of them is speaking to us. Yes he openly tells us the story was inspired by his own childhood but he doesn't always keep his distance. I wouldn't be surprised if that is deliberate." - Paul Latchmore, Goodreads.

"My formative years coincided with those in this book and I was transported to that time and place with memories popping back into my head with every page turned. Regardless of the age of the reader, I feel there is something in this book for all - a picture painted of a simpler, more innocent world of teenage escapades without the complexities of mobile phones, x-boxes and the like. A damn good read!" - Richard Andrews (no relation!), (verified Amazon reviewer).

"A well written, brilliant book, very good read, enjoyed it from beginning to end." - Janet Short (verified Amazon reviewer).

"A great read, took me back to the 70s" - Graham Nicoll (verified Amazon reviewer).

"The time's memories came flooding back of the wonderful, free and innocent life we youngsters were able to lead at that time. A great book, story and a must read for anyone who was a teenager in the 70s." - Michael Dance (verified Amazon reviewer).

"An excellent read, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Captures the era perfectly." - Il Padrino (verified Amazon reviewer).

"A gorgeous feeling of yearning accompanies this journey through that hardest of times, the ages between twelve and fifteen, particularly if it was 'your era'. An air of innocence still surrounded us then, and this lovely novel illustrates this so well...a long, beautiful meander by the metaphorical river of life." - Diana Wilde (Author, The Glam Rock Files).

"The book is an absolute powerhouse of a debut novel which deserves to be picked up by the mainstream. So beautifully prosaic from start to finish, flitting seamlessly between everyday teen street parlance and pure poetry as one chapter rolls into the next. A breathtakingly creative retro tour de force." - Paul Latchmore on Facebook.