Product Description

Higher education comes at exactly the right time: in the twilight of your teens, you're just starting to coagulate as a human being, to pull away from parental influence and find your own feet. What better than three years in which to explore the inner you, establish a feasible worldview, and maybe get on Blockbusters.' After an idyllic provincial 1970s childhood, the 1980s took Andrew Collins to London, art school and the classic student experience. Crimping his hair, casting aside his socks and sporting fingerless gloves, he became Andy Kollins: purveyor of awful poetry; disciple of moany music, and wannabe political activist. What follows is a universal tale of trainee hedonism, girl trouble, wasted grants and begging letters to parents. A synth-soundtracked rite of passage that's often painfully funny, it traces one teenager's metamorphosis from sheltered suburban innocent to semi-mature metropolitan male through the pretensions and confusions of trying to stand alone for the first time in your own kung fu pumps in a big bad city.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30332 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 301 pages

Review
Entertaining and surprisingly familiar read ... Even for those of us who were still in pre-school at the time, the joys and lows are all given an added relevance via the author's emulation of Nick Hornby's self-deprecating humour. Like High Fidelity, if it had been written by a teenage Rob Fleming', Rock Sound .'It's perceptive, moving and excruciatingly funny. A treasure', Sunday Times .'Beautifully observed, cleverly narrated and very readable, it's like being part of the great unwashed again', Jockey Slut .'Collins' easygoing charm is hard to resist. A welcome visitor into any home that houses a Nick Hornby or a Tony Parsons', The Herald

The Herald
"A welcome visitor into any home that houses a Nick Hornby or a Tony Parsons"

Sunday Times
"It's perceptive, moving and excruciatingly funny...A treasure"

Customer Reviews

More nostalgia
Having read, and loved, Andrew's fantastic first book, Where Did It All Go Right?, I was delighted to see that he's followed it up with his memoirs of 80s college life. I got a job straight from school, so knew that I wouldn't connect with this book at the same level as I did with his first, but was very pleased with how much I enjoyed reading it.
There's something about Andrew's writing style which appeals to me and I certainly think he's got some bottle to write so openly about his past.

Whether you've read his first book or not, I'd happily recommend this one as a good, easy read.

Heaven Knows' Review
Andrew Collins has an uncanny ability of recall. 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'captures the spirit of the '80's, just as his first instalment 'Where Did It All Go Right?' captured the '70's. Collins recounts with toe curling accuracy the self-pitying poetry, binge drinking and narcissistic shagging of the last generation to enjoy grant maintained art school education. He also describes with wit, and at times, sobering clarity, an adolescent boy's attempts to form adult relationships. Essential reading for all those of us on the wrong side of thirty five with rapidly receding Morrissey quiffs.

Warm and Funny
Really enjoyed the first book and wasn't disappointed with this one - finished it over 2 days ! Very honest and humourous account of the trails and tribulations of growing up - good,fun read.