Stuart: A Life Backwards
As seen:
By Alexander Masters, and and, Jot Davies
avg rating
1 review
A unique biography of a homeless man and a complete portrait of the hidden underclass.
‘So here it is, my attempt at the story of Stuart Shorter, thief, hostage taker, psycho and sociopath street raconteur, my spy on how the British chaotic underclass spend their troubled days at the beginning of this century: a man with an important life. I wish I could have presented it to Stuart before he stepped in front of the 11.15 train from London to Kings Lynn.’ Stuart Shorter’s brief life was one of turmoil and chaos. In this remarkable book, a masterful act of biographical restoration, Alexander Masters retraces Stuart’s troubled journey. Stuart was homeless, with many of the problems this sub-section of English society display; alcoholism, drug-addiction, crime, violence. Scattered with glimpses of the author’s friendship with Stuart in the years before his death, Masters gives us Stuart’s life in reverse, tracing his route backwards through the post-office heists and attempts at suicide and the spells inside many of this country’s prisons, on back to a troubled time at school and learning difficulties and a violent childhood that acted like a springboard into the trouble that was to follow him all his life. This extraordinary book is a glimpse at the underbelly of English society, a world largely hidden from our lives. Funny, despairing, uplifting, brilliantly-written, it is one of the most original biographies of recent years. TweetReviews
This was a no holds barred of Stuart's life, homeless, jailed, drug addiction, alcohol abuse---it's all there. A difficult boo subject matter and the emotional challenges it poses. NOT a quick read, NOT an easy read, the book clearly shows Stuart's chaotic lifestyle in graphic detail---its dangers, its high and low points. It was a difficult book to read but I couldn't wait to get back to it, some of that eagerness was down to the author's turn of phrase which at times I found very funny. Some I thought particularly memorable were
Alexander thinking he "was not a suicidal monarchist" when exchanging ideas with an IRA veteran. Then the description of the Home Secretary having a meeting with demonstrators made up of drunks and 2 deaf people stealing each other's hearing aids.
There were lots more funny lines but there were also times when Stuart was very perceptive to the emotions of others but equally Alexander says "there are times when Stuart has the emotional acuity of a frog!"
This is not a book I can say I enjoyed but it was a book which was well worth reading and which I have thought about a lot since I finished it, I think it will stay with me for quite a while.
The comments above are my personal review, when reviewed by the group most didn't/couldn't read it because it was harrowing but some felt the author "took advantage" of Stuart by writing the book for his own ends. They also felt it was a miserable book and they disliked the author's writing style. They would not have given it a 5 star review.
This was a no holds barred of Stuart's life, homeless, jailed, drug addiction, alcohol abuse---it's all there. A difficult book to read because of the subject matter and the emotional challenges it poses. NOT a quick read, NOT an easy read, the book clearly shows Stuart's chaotic lifestyle in graphic detail---its dangers, its high and low points. It was a difficult book to read but I couldn't wait to get back to it, some of that eagerness was down to the author's turn of phrase which at times I found very funny. Some I thought particularly memorable were
Alexander thinking he "was not a suicidal monarchist" when exchanging ideas with an IRA veteran. Then the description of the Home Secretary having a meeting with demonstrators made up of drunks and 2 deaf people stealing each other's hearing aids.
There were lots more funny lines but there were also times when Stuart was very perceptive to the emotions of others but equally Alexander says "there are times when Stuart has the emotional acuity of a frog!"
This is not a book I can say I enjoyed but it was a book which was well worth reading and which I have thought about a lot since I finished it, I think it will stay with me for quite a while.
Please can you also make some notes of the discussion for the Facebook page.
Then please nag them all about the need for Twitter feedback when we read the Pagoda Tree. I'll send you that email again after I've sent this one. When I sent out the appeal it fell on deaf ears! I had 3 replies of "I don't do Twitter", (not counting you) they were Anne Aindow, Jan Stead, Sue Whittles everyone else ignored my email, but Dawn says she does it a little and could help out. If I have to I will have to tell the publisher we can't do that part of the review process and just hope for the best.
Thanks for all that and really sorry I can't be there. I need to go to Pinderfields with Joe but really just to help with directions and finding a parking place.
Thanks again
Margaret
Sent from my iPad
