The Two Pound Tram

Delightful, concise, unassuming, and ultimately touching story that rolls on and gains interest steadily. The two lead characters are brothers, the tale starts in childhood, and, as in so much of the mot memorable children's stories, they are freed early on from the constraints of adult supervision. Freed for a succession of unlikely adventures, yet so convincingly described: butterfly collecting, running a tramway, being feted as plucky war heroes. Its not really a children's book, but so simply and economically composed, and so enjoyable, I still found myself urging my 8-year old to read it.

My mother passed this book on to me several years ago, but I'd been putting off reading it because I was concerned that something awful was going to happen to the tram. In fact there are two trams, and, while neither of them comes out of the action unscathed, this wasn't nearly such a depressing read as I feared. It's a whimsical, almost surreal, sort of a book, a quick read that touches lightly on some horrible subjects. I almost want to call it wish fulfilment, though it's a strange sort of a wish.

Nostalgic read, feels like a biography until the adventures become too incredulous. For anyone who knows Worthing it has a peculiar resonance because some of the places mentioned still exist although when the author's imagination takes over this is quite disconcerting. I wanted to check to see if there really were shops where none existed today.Once I started it I couldn't put it down.If you liked Steptoe and Son on UK TV and can suspend your disbelief then you'll enjoy this journey into the( slightly rose-tinted) past.

Short and beautiful stunner about two English brothers, their passion for trams, and how that passion helped them find adventure, friends and love. Outstanding first novel!

Movie, movie, movie!!!!

Utterly charming! Don't know how it evaded me for so long and a shame I only found it after assiduous rummaging in charity shops. A perfect commute/beach read and one to pass on to old and young alike.

I liked it. A reminder of how life can change in a second and how it mostly comes down to how we respond to the challenges life puts in front of us.

Cute little story about two boys who buy a tram. Too cute for me.