Retired teacher honours late wife in new Manchester book
Added: (Tue Oct 10 2023)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A retired history teacher has returned to the tough streets of Manchester to honour his late wife and her childhood home.
Nick Udall has already published three gripping novels set during the planned slum clearances of Ardwick in the 1960s as tributes to the late Doreen.
And he has now turned the clock even further back with post-war New Horizons hitting the bookshelves.
Starting on his first novel just two years after his wife’s death in 2012, Nick’s stories from 20th century east Manchester have been a labour of love for the former teacher of history, politics and classical civilisations.
The 64-year-old said: “My wife, Doreen, had an exceptionally difficult childhood growing up in Ardwick.
“I used her experiences to write my first novel, Against the Odds.
“Abandoned by her parents from the age of 11, she was denied the chance to take up a place at Central Girls Grammar School, after passing the eleven plus.
“Thinking about how different Doreen’s life could have been, if she had been allowed to take that opportunity, provided the inspiration for my third novel, A Time for Change?
“Through the main character Connie, I hoped to get readers to reflect on the idea that the stereotypes about the swinging sixties aren’t valid.
“In reality it was a time in history when so many things went wrong.”
While Nick’s first three novels – Against the Odds, A Matter of Trust and A Time for Change? chronicled the dramatic changes sweeping across Ardwick during the 1960s, his latest offering backtracks two decades.
Remaining within the terraced streets of east Manchester, New Horizons follows the fortunes of schoolfriends Robert and Kay as they face persistent hurdles to escape their surroundings.
Like with his previous books, Nick’s meticulous social history research, perfect pacing, convincing characterisation, and thought-provoking themes, make New Horizons an exceptional and important novel.
The grandfather, who now lives just outside Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, added: “When shy Robert Wilson arrived at Armitage Street School, pretty Kay Thompson was quick to take him under her wing.
“It was 1948 and life was hard for those growing up in Manchester.
“Yet the devoted friends fought hard to overcome the obstacles to their progress and entering university, they seemed destined for new horizons.
“But as their journey continues, triumphs and tragedies mean that ambitions must be reassessed.
“How far will each of them stay true to the principles they shared in their youth? And through it all, will the bonds of their friendship, remain as strong as ever?”
Away from writing novels, Nick continues to passionately support his beloved Sheffield United – having penned two books about the Blades.
Nick has also been contributing to the club’s matchday programme for the past two decades.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for Nick Udall, where the paperback and Kindle formats of New Horizons are both available.
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