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This Sporting Life (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 118 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In post-war Britain, a cultural arts movement emerged from bleak times. Marked by its style of social realism, it was commonly known as "kitchen sink drama" for depicting in detail the domestic lives of the working class. One of the best in this genre, David Storey's This Sporting Life, is set in the industrial Northern England, and brilliantly conveys twenty-one-year-old steelworker Arthur Machin's love of his rugby league, his success on the field, and his feelings towards his widowed landlady, as well as his bouts of doubt and anxiety.
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"Almost certainly the best of the kitchen sink novels of the 1960s with a rugby league setting. Although I would be pushed to name another book of the same ilk with such a setting. Sits alongside the best of the milieu, but, to my mind, rather peters out. "
— Gareth (4 out of 5 stars)
This Sporting Life Listener Reviews
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" Traces a young man's career in Rugby, a brutal game. Do enjoy watching RU myself and support the Leicester Tigers. The book also describes Arthur's life within and outside the team, his relationships with friends, family and his landlady. "
— Deanne, 2/2/2013 -
" THIS SPORTING LIFE by DAVID STOREY (1962) "
— Tim, 1/7/2013 -
" The final description of the rugby match gave this novel an additional star. My main complaint is that I found the protagonist muted to the point of sometimes being difficult to understand, and he sometimes gave the novel a bit of a disjointed feel. "
— Chris, 10/29/2012 -
" A real period piece this , *kitchen sink* drama they used to call it. Brilliant window into the early 60's. "
— Mike, 10/13/2012 -
" wow terrible "
— Helena, 8/5/2012 -
" Excellent first novel by David Storey, and made into a fine film (sadly in the era of black-and-white films!). "
— Keith, 7/11/2012 -
" Almost certainly the best of the kitchen sink novels of the 1960s with a rugby league setting. Although I would be pushed to name another book of the same ilk with such a setting. Sits alongside the best of the milieu, but, to my mind, rather peters out. "
— Gareth, 1/18/2012 -
" THIS SPORTING LIFE by DAVID STOREY (1962) "
— Tim, 1/28/2010
About David Storey
David Storey is an English playwright, award-winning novelist, and former professional Rugby League player. He was born in Yorkshire in 1933, the son of a miner, and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. Several of his stories have been adapted for film and his novel Saville won the 1976 Booker Prize.
About Stephen McGann
Stephen McGann is an English actor. He started his career by starring in the West End musical Blood Brothers in 1989 and then claimed the role of Johann Strauss in the internationally series The Strauss Dynasty. He has frequented the screen and stage ever since. Today you can find him on BBC television in Call the Midwife.