English Journey: Or the Road to Milton Keynes

This is the ‘book of the TV series’ (which I did not see), a genre which has produced some wonderfully written books, think of Jacob Bronowski, Kenneth Clark and others more recent. Alas, this ‘diary’ is of a different order, though in fairness, it makes little claim to be much more than what it is.
For me the book disappoints on two levels. First: The ‘journey’ follows in the footsteps of J. B. Priestly on his tour of England in 1933, yet fails to contrast or compare – in any meaningful way, with that earlier journey, or to provide any extrapolative relationship from past to present. Anyone with an interest in the upheavals in social history over the intervening half-century will find little meat here. And secondly: the show more writing is rather dull, viz: ‘‘I was taken over the factory by David Redway and a lady called Miss Purchase. They were both helpful and informative.’ Well that’s good to know. But readers might have hoped that a nicotine addict on a tour of a cigarette factory would have found something to say with more of a kick to it than that.
The best of the book comes from the authors return to Liverpool and her home ground. Now here the ‘journey’ really does come alive and provides a canvas for some fine evocative writing about childhood and place, captivating and interesting and rich material for a far better book. (It may have been written by now)? Sometimes the arrival makes the journey worthwhile! show less

Writers need to make money, and they sometimes must do jobs they really don't like doing. Ms Bainbridge 1983 television production seems to be a good example. The book, seems a written diary of the film production. The tone is disinterested, and annoyed throughout. Either the writer or the country, or both were going through a depression. Ms Bainbridge is negative about anything, everything and all.

Surely the economic crisis of the early 80ties, under Thatcher, was bleak. That bleakness shows in every corner, and on every page.

Copyright for the book is registered in 1984. One wonders what makes a publisher put the book on the market in 1997, fifteen years later.

An awful book to read.

Bainbridge and a team from BBC TV retraced the steps of J.B. Priestley who had described the same route fifty years before in "English Journey". She laments the loss of the very things he despised, and hates the new concrete buildings and motorways.