Remembering Adrian Mole and Sue Townsend on their birthdays today

[OneBusyFinch]

oh these wonderful wonderful books, still make me laugh and I do re-read frequently!

Adrian would have been 58 today and the superb Sue Townsend would have been celebrating her 80th birthday.

This is such a lovely thread.

i was lucky enough to see Sue Townsend interviewed by Anne Robinson at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival.

By that stage she was blind and in a wheelchair, but so full of joy de vivrer joi de viver fun.

i’ve just bought a kindle copy of 13 3/4 for my son, inspired by this thread.

Yes please!
Sue’s intelligence and humour needs to be celebrated!

I can’t remember which book it was (I’ve read all Sue Townsend’s books) but the one where Adrian has to do some cooking as a teenager and he develops an ache in his wrists!

This makes me so happy

Yes the swans and the one he named ‘Sir John Gielgud’. Really funny and comforting reading.

Re the swans: when the puddles are frozen, Adrian describes the swans as a bad-tempered Torvill and Dean. He writes to the council to complain about them, saying that as swans belong to the Queen, she is responsible for their behaviour, and Her Majesty could end up in court. The council replies saying "please keep an eye on the behaviour of Mr Swan".

Adrian's wife Daisy has a furious rant listing Adrian's faults, one of which is writing mad letters to famous people.

One of the things I love about these books is that there are so many jokes I get as an adult that I just didn't get when I first read them at about 12.
When pregnant Pauline gets invited to a party " for someone calledAnne summers " and says " it was Anne summers who got me in this mess!"
Didn't have a clue when I first read it!!🤣

All the period details too....Pandora house having loads of stuff from habitat ...
Brilliant books

You can imagine being a non-British child reader! I had no idea who Frank Bough was or what a Vesta curry might be!

In True Confessions, there’s a long glossary of British references which Adrian sends to the American Hamish.

Noddy: fictional figure from childhood. I hate his guts.

Sue Townsend did theatre work in her local area, with women who would not otherwise have had the opportunity and it gave them an outlet and self confidence they might not otherwise have had.

Should be remembered for that as well as the pleasure the Adrian Mole diaries have given.

I need to finish The Prostate Years. When we cleared my Dad and his partners house a couple of years ago, I found the whole set of AM books, the Solicitor let me take them

I’ve just realised that I’ve never read Ghost Children or Rebuilding Coventry, so I’ve bought them and I’m really looking forwards to reading them.

ghost children is brilliant. Really bleak . It stayed with me for ages.

The Secret Adrian Mole is on Radio 4 extra

Hello everyone.
I have arranged a discount code for you all for 15% off on the official merchandise website. Adrian Mole

Discount code
mumsnet

Thank you @Designs !

Have just ordered a ‘just my luck’ T-shirt 😀

Very much hoping there may be more quotes available in the future x

Thank you!

what quotes would you like to see? Any suggestions I can pass on x

Thank you @Designs

I’ve got so many ideas! Thank you for asking. Let me put them together and share at the weekend if that’s ok?

Oh thank you SO MUCH I am ridiculously excited by this!

It’s got to be

Lo, the flat hills of my homeland

Swan Gielgud

Do you weep, Mrs Thatcher?

'The flat hills of my homeland' on a mug would be great 😃

I’m going to start reading this one tonight. Over the last few days I’ve read The woman who went to bed for a year, The Queen and I and Number ten.

What do you think?