Product Description

Andrew Collins was born 37 years ago in Northampton. His parents never split up, in fact they rarely exchanged a cross word. No-one abused him. Nobody died. He got on well with his brother and sister and none of his friends drowned in a canal. He has never stayed overnight in a hospital and has no emotional scars from his upbringing, except a slight lingering resentment that Anita Barker once mocked the stabilisers on his bike. Where Did It All Go Right? is a jealous memoir written by someone who occasionally wishes life had dealt him a few more juicy marketable blows. The author delves back into his first 18 years in search of something - anything - that might have left him deeply and irreparably damaged. With tales of bikes, telly, sweets, good health, domestic harmony and happy holidays, Andrew aims to bring a little hope to all those out there living with the emotional after-effects of a really nice childhood. Andrew Collins kept a diary from the age of five, so he really can remember what he had for tea everyday and what he did at school, excerpts from his diary run throughout the book and it is this detail which makes his story so compelling.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40138 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
'This is a book to indulge in, the literary equivalent of Horlicks before bed, guaranteed to leave you feeling all warm inside', The Observer

Birmingham Evening Mail
A refreshing read . . . a thoroughly entertaining snapshot of life in the Seventies.

Glasgow Herald
A welcome visitor into any home that houses a Nick Hornby or a Tony Parsons.

Customer Reviews

Millions like us
At last, someone's written the book of my life. Who thought normal could be so entertaining? Andrew Collins passage from tot to teen in the suburbs of Northampton is a triumph.
Being of identical age to the author (he is in fact three months older than me to the day), this brilliant book evokes so many memories of growing up in the Seventies and early Eighties.
The toys, the food (though my mum was a better cook), the music (still not sure about 999), the school days, the thoughts and the feelings - the book struck myriad chords, I sometimes thought Andrew Collins might have sneaked a look at my own diaries (all two of them). I found some startling parallels, like a childhood fear of the disabled and 'bits' in school milk, to name but two of thousands.
The teenage years were a treat too: The clothes, the girls, the rows, - the 'commendably effeminate' suedette pixie boots...
Of course the the best thing about this book is that, thanks to the Collins diaries, these memories are real. They knock tiresome ten-a-penny nostalgia shows into a cocked hat. Read it and weep, Jamie Theakston!
If you grew up 'normal' in the Seventies and early Eighties, this is a book you MUST read.
No whingers.
A triumph.

Halcyon days
Right from the moment I picked up this book, it really struck a chord with me. I'm a couple of years younger than Andrew, but seem to have had a similar upbringing. I certainly found myself nodding and smiling as I was reading it. Actually had 'something in my eye' on a couple of occasions, which is most embarrassing when reading on a crowded train!
I'm a happily married 35 year old, but there's obviously something deep inside me which yearns to go back to being a pre-school kid in shorts, playing with my toy soldiers in the local playpark's sandpit. Back when it always sunny and I never had a care in the world. Waiting for mum to shout on me telling me that tea's ready. (Findus Crispy Pancakes followed by a Supermousse).
Nostalgia's always an easy target for criticism, but, for me, the way Andrew wrote this makes it different somehow. Thanks for a great read.

My review of "Where did it all go Right?"
Until I actually bought this book I did not know that Andrew was born the same year as me 1965. From then on I was hooked. It seemed that so many similarties were coming up in his life to mine. It was a funny, sentimental stroll down memory lane. The talk of Welfare Orange bought back memories (and the taste). An easy to read and enjoyable book. I look forward to reading his next instalment - well done Andrew!