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Home and Away
Home and Away
Nov 17, 2024 9:20 AM

Author:Dave Roberts

Home and Away

Dave Roberts was, for once, almost lost for words as the news sank in. Perennial underachievers Bromley, in the vertigo-inducing fifth tier of English football? It was the greatest achievement in the club's 130-year history and, by extraordinary coincidence, Dave had decided to spend the next 12 months in the UK, after an absence of 35 years, deciding whether he and his wife Liz could live there. And what better way to explore modern day Blighty than by following a roadmap based on the fixtures in the Vanarama National League? It was like the ultimate package holiday; well, for Dave at least.

Home and Away takes Dave - and occasionally Liz too - the length and breadth of the land on a journey of discovery, with Bromley games thrown in. So from the White Cliffs of Dover and the English Riviera (Torquay) through the timeless charm of the Cotswolds (Forest Green, Cheltenham) to towns steeped in history (Lincoln, Chester), faded seaside resorts (Southport, Barrow) and fallen giants of the game (Grimsby, Wrexham, Tranmere - OK, pushing it there), the season unfolds, and the ultimate 'home or away' decision approaches.

Against the odds, the season also proves not to be full of the endless disappointments football fans are conditioned to expect. Unfancied Bromley are on a mission, they have a man called Moses up front, and the promised land of the Football League might not be beyond their capabilities...

Reviews

Excellent.

—— The Sun

A glowing testament to the camaraderie and inclusiveness of supporting a team lower down the football pyramid. Everyone is welcome in this uplifting book that celebrates the happiness to be found in reconnecting with your friends, your team and your home.

—— When Saturday Comes

Pure gold... A brilliant book that all football fans can relate to.

—— Late Tackle

A wonderfully warm-hearted book, which gives the beautiful game a good name.

—— Saga

Funny, well-paced, engaging and at times touching. It's a personal book for Dave. At first glance it looks like a book about Bromley's first season in the Vanarama National league, but dig a bit deeper and other themes emerge. Without oversharing, Dave gives us an insight into his emotions not just about his team, but about the feeling of home, family and hope. In summary: buy this book.

—— Thin White Line

Endearing and engrossing... what this book does beautifully is affirm that the enjoyment of football isn't so much about the game or the result, it's about the journey we, as supporters, take in the process.

—— The Football Pink

A timely celebration of non-league football... provides a great antidote to sport as big business.

—— The Bookseller

Football books can be a mixed bag, but Dave Roberts really hits the target with Home and Away.

—— The Non-League Paper

A cracking, beautifully-observed pilgrimage.

—— Birmingham Mail

A really good read. You don't have to be a Bromley fan to enjoy it.

—— Vanarama National League

A great read for anyone who loves football.

—— The Ball is Round

Roberts perfectly captures what it is to follow your team and the lengths that fans go to in order to get their football fix. And from these journeys it can be seen how Roberts' writing has been compared to Bill Bryson, with wit and warmth.

—— footballbookreviews.com

If ever there was an author that could capture the love for the non-league game then that man is Dave Roberts.

—— The Non-League Magazine

Getting the tone just right, the author's good humour shines throughout... there's a fresh-eyed quality to his observations.

—— Groundtastic

In her memoir Leap In, Alexandra Heminsley gives an eloquent exposition of the painful, powerful but ultimately exhilarating effects of wild swimming throughout the winter.

—— Breathe Magazine

Haunting and beautiful

—— Image Magazine

Like father, like son, for both come across as hugely talented, hugely driven misfits.

—— National

The Marches marks him [Stewart] out not only as a writer but as a political force rooted in geographies so different to London as to shed new light on politics itself… [A] serious politician, social critic, and practical ethnographer at work. As such The Marches is a book for walkers, for those who love the Borders, and for fathers seeking inspiration in their family responsibilities… If this is the polymath as politician, then we need more of them.

—— Frances Davis , Conservative Home

This is so much more than the story of their journey – it’s a superbly written, endlessly fascinating book encompassing history, geology, landscape, family memories, wars experienced and lives well lived.

—— Choice Magazine

One of the most unexpected and enjoyable reads of 2016… The book fizzes erudition and is delightfully leavened by the companionship of his aged and doughty father.

—— Guardian, Readers' Book of the Year

A very funny book - not jovial in the post-Wodehouse Boris mode but something more taught and Caledonian... The politician in Stewart never had a chance against the writer, a reliable adversary of consensus and cant.

—— Minoo Dinshaw , Oldie

Beautiful, evocative, and wise.

—— Malcolm Forbes , Star Tribune

The Marches is a transporting work from a powerful and original writer.

—— Harvard Press

This beautifully written account is a moving memoir of tales from along the route but also reflections on life and relationships – father and son on this their last journey together.

—— Prospect

Rory Stewart is one of the most talented men of our era. The Marches takes us from Rory’s constituency to his family house is an attempt to understand the bloody history of the Scottish borders… The quest is fascinating even if the answers are elusive.

—— Bruce Anderson , Spectator

As the book unfurls, the march along the marches turns into a eulogy to his father, part memoir, part biography, always a love story. It also contains one of the most unflinching, moving descriptions of death I have read.

—— Melanie Reid , The Times

This beautifully written book is a haunting reflection of identity and our relationships with the people and places we love.

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

Stewart provides much food for thought about how we value our past history

—— Susannah Law , Scottish Field
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