Sue Townsend has died

[BikeRunSki]

RIP Sue

Red socks today then. Adrian Mole is a year older than me, I grew up with him.

There was a thread the other day saying how unfunny the MN 'Are you on glue?' response was.

It is. But I laughed all over again at the memory of Adrian getting the Airfix plane stuck to his nose and the A&E staff sniggering.

I had a book cull a while ago and I'm so glad I saved it.

A wonderful warm, wise and witty writer. I think Sue wrote so well about social issues and managed to be funny too!

The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year is a gorgeous book!

Rare to find the Leicester accent and dialect in print too!

RIP Sue. I love the Adrian Mole books and have read them all several times. Sue Townsend indirectly helped me to get an A in my English GCSE. We had to do a piece based on a continuation of a book or from a different characters point of view. I did mind from Barry Kent's point of view and got an A for it. So than you Sue and for all the great books you have written over the years.

Please keep the Adrian quotes coming xx

Now I know what to get DS1 for birthday after next.....

Pandora to Adrian "darling I will follow you to the gates of hell but I draw the line at Skegness"

I'm so sad today :(.

"Donkey Dawkins of 5P says that his thing comes off the end of a ruler, yet he is only a week older than me."

Do you weep, Mrs Thatcher, do you weep?
Do you wake, Mrs Thatcher, in your sleep?
Do you weep like a sad willow?
On your Marks and Spencer's pillow?
Are your tears molten steel?
Do you weep?
Do you wake with 'Three million' on your brain?
Are you sorry that they'll never work again?
When you're dressing in your blue, do you see the waiting queue?
Do you weep, Mrs Thatcher, do you weep?

Bert, you are dead old.
Fond of Sabre, beetroot and Woodbines.
We have nothing in common,
I am fourteen and a half,
You are eighty-nine.
You smell, I don't.
Why we are friends
Is a mystery to me.

RIP Sue. You've given me many hours of joy

I adored Adrian Mole as a child and an adult and would laugh out loud. Felt really sad when I heard the news today. I had thought about getting the first book for my nephews who as soon to be 13. I certainly plan to reread it myself. Just hilarious.

'Pandora's father gave me a book to read; it is called The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. I haven't looked through it yet but I'm quite interested in stamp collecting so I will read it tonight.'

Blossom, by Adrian Mole, aged nearly fourteen

Little Brown Horse
Eating apples in a field,
Perhaps one day my heart will be healed.
I stroke the place Pandora has sat
Wearing her jodphurs and riding hat.

I have sent it to the BBC. I marked the envelope 'urgent'.

That reminds me that I once sent a poem to Michael Parkinson in the style of Pam Ayres. The bastard never replied.

I loathe him even more for that chiselling wheeze he advertises to part old people from their pensions in return for a contribution to their funeral expenses and a free Parker pen just for enquiring.

As a tribute I might send him another poem in the style of Sue Townsend.

I won't be able to do her justice though.

'Started reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I might like to be a vet when I grow up.'

I was a pretentious, lonely child, though thankfully my parents were miles better than Adrian's.

Also, I was terrified of the rough family round the corner who, like Barry Kent, could be identified as dangerous by the house number chalked on their wall.

Brilliant of her to spot that.

I have nothing to do, as you might have gathered.

Brilliant author. Adrian, Pandora and the rest were part of my adolescence. Her health issues are a cautionary tale to take care of your diabetes. 68 is far too young

Creep Lucas, Stick Insect and Sharon Bott!! Brilliant writing.

Featuring in Adrian Mole is, I trust, acknowledged as the highlight of his life?

:( RIP Sue. Comic genius.

I grew up in Leicester and she captured the essence of the place, both Adrian's cul-de-sac and Pandora's posh house in the suburbs. Loved those books.

Shame.
Her last Adrian Mole book , left lots of unanswered questions. Now we won't know the answers.

Oh no, that's so sad! Adrian and I are the same age and my daughter is reading all the books now.

RIP Sue, you have given me a lot of laughs over the years.

I'm so sad about this, I met her when I was 12 & 1/4 (she wrote it in my autograph book) and she spent ages chatting to me. She was from the same area as me and my aunt was in her class at school so I've always been fond of her. Love all her books too so will be digging them out and re-reading them in her memory.

RIP so sad to hear the news even though I'd heard she'd been unwell for a long time. Loved Adrian Mole from beginning to end, and her other writing was fantastic, The Woman who went to bed for a year was another classic.
Thank you Sue

Poem written by Adrian for Queenie (Bert Baxters wife)

White face, red cheeks
Eyes like crocus buds
Hands deft and sure, yet worked to gnarled roots
A practical comfortable body, dressed in young colours
Feet twisted yet planted firmly on the ground
A sure soft voice, with a crackly sudden laugh. Her body is lifeless and cold
But the memory of her is joyful and as warm as a rock pool in August

Beautiful writing

I have had "Profoundly in love with Pandora" on my inner jukebox all day. Love these books.

I was saddened to hear this news this morning. I was so looking forward to the next installment in Adrian's life. The Prostrate Years was just brilliant. I can honestly say these books are the only ones I have ever read where I laughed out loud. She was such a talent. RIP.