Amazon reviews
5 out of 5
By Trina
The author of the book will indeed understand the heading for this review. Wasn't quite sure what to expect but actually it was one of those books that you just think "what will he and his mates do next" and you just have to keep reading. Loved it and it certainly portrays a true feel of childhoods gone by. I had many laughs during the course of this book and some cringey moments too (but I won't spoil it for other readers). The one key thing that struck me whilst reading this book was the huge difference between growing up then and growing up now. Our children will never experience times like these gone by, and in some cases it's maybe for the best but in others I feel a sense of regret that actually technology has taken over our children's childhood. As for the author, a big fat well done for such a candid view into his youth and I shall smile when I ever see you again ..... Best get writing another I'd say !!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars brill 12 Jun 2013
By nessap
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being from the area, and knowing some of the people mentioned in the book, I thought Id give it a go, well I could'nt put it down once I'd started to read it. Great book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars When Kids Could Play Outside 10 May 2013
By Paul A Hancock
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed the book. The writer's easy to read style combined with some terrific stories made it compulsive reading. Climbing mountains, camping, pranking, dutch arrows, football in the park, peer pressure and older boy bullies really gives a sense of growing up in 70s/80s Britain.
----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh perspective of innocenence. 10 Feb 2013
By Rowan Evans
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Purchased the Kindle version. Most enjoyable. Putting the correct names to the characters made the read different and unusual. Now I know who the noisy kids were in the school field (behind my house!!) they can look out.
Recommended, especially if you were a 50s, 60s, or 70s school child brought up in the age of innocence and fresh air, days when you played outside and only went home when it went dark (or hungry) and the only technology item you had was a 'kick the tin'.
Look forward to the follow up.
-------------------
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read - the good old days 9 Feb 2013
By Taf Zimmer
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoyable read - i will be honest and say its from a slightly biased reader who is from the village and even gets a small mention in the book.
It is a great account of how village life actually was back then, funny with some contriversey and well written. A big bonus to know most of the characters. The good old days?????
-------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars Great nostalgic read, could taste the past 8 Feb 2013
By Will
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I reviewed book but seems the review didn't get past the verification, but want to do the book justice so will try and capture how I enjoyed reading it. Growing up in the valleys during the seventies and eighties I found the topics and dynamics of each of the escapades really touched a nerve, most were forgotten memories, but the detail and language will pretty much put you back in the moment, and it's a great place to be when you know everything now is not as free spirited as days of old. I ended up slowing down the reading, trying to make it last like a good swizzle lolly, didn't want it to end. Great read, have recommended it to anyone from home I know, and hope for a second book, well done.
---------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars very easy reading 14 Jan 2013
By G Sollis
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
i will be honest at first i couldnt make my mind up about this book but as i read more i found it was hard to put down, it makes you think of all the stupid things you got up to when you were a kid
-----------------------
By alison.field - 5 out of 5
Really enjoyable read. Reminiscence of younger days growing up in the Valley with descriptive, funny stories of how Valley Kids actually occupied their time. Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, 11 Dec 2012
By Angela Davies - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
Easy reading, humourous, a real child's eye take on life, and if you are of a certain age, very memory provoking. Well worth reading.
---------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A good book, 5 Dec 2012
By Mesi Kemp
This review is from: When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
A brilliant, adventurous and very entertaining book.It was amazing to travel trough with a youngsters mind,actually some of the stories brought me back to my own memories.
---------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars When Kids Could Play Outside - Tom Evans, 27 Nov 2012
What an enjoyable book to read and a very daring one for a first time author. Had a wonderful balance of humour (quite controversial at times) and very touching in parts. All in all a very honest and quite hilarious account of growing up in the South Wales Valleys in the 70's. Loved the way the author changed the names of the characters in the book as someone from the village had great fun guessing who the real people were. It makes you realise in just one generation how the lives and freedom of our children have changed and not for the better with computer games and dvds taking over from real life adventures.
-----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars takes me back to my childhood in the valley i downloaded this book to my kindle at an amazing price of £2.63. having personally known the author of this book i can honestly say it was like being transported back to the good old days of the late 70's and 80's when, as the title clearly states, kids could play outside. many stories are easily identified and relatable. i lauged my way through it, especially knowing some of the main characters involved. that beside i think it shows how society has changed over the years and that kids were kids back then. some people may question whether some of the stories actually happened, but from my experience growing up in the same village, they certainly did.....
-----------------------
4.0 out of 5 stars good, 8 Nov 2012
By Pen Name
A true honest down to earth treat ..loved it can't wait for the follow on ..thoroughly enjoyed it ..recommend it for a Xmas present
-----------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A step back in time to the 1970s, 8 Nov 2012
By Anne-Marie Whitehead - When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
I personally know the author and grew up in the same village and this account of a childhood in the 1970s is so true. They were marvellous carefree days and it was lovely going back to the past. I think anyone who was brought up in the 1970s would enjoy reading this book. It is a real trip down memory lane and they were much better days than today. We didn't have all the modern technology but we didn't need it either as we made our own simple fun.
By Trina
The author of the book will indeed understand the heading for this review. Wasn't quite sure what to expect but actually it was one of those books that you just think "what will he and his mates do next" and you just have to keep reading. Loved it and it certainly portrays a true feel of childhoods gone by. I had many laughs during the course of this book and some cringey moments too (but I won't spoil it for other readers). The one key thing that struck me whilst reading this book was the huge difference between growing up then and growing up now. Our children will never experience times like these gone by, and in some cases it's maybe for the best but in others I feel a sense of regret that actually technology has taken over our children's childhood. As for the author, a big fat well done for such a candid view into his youth and I shall smile when I ever see you again ..... Best get writing another I'd say !!!
-----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars brill 12 Jun 2013
By nessap
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being from the area, and knowing some of the people mentioned in the book, I thought Id give it a go, well I could'nt put it down once I'd started to read it. Great book.
----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars When Kids Could Play Outside 10 May 2013
By Paul A Hancock
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed the book. The writer's easy to read style combined with some terrific stories made it compulsive reading. Climbing mountains, camping, pranking, dutch arrows, football in the park, peer pressure and older boy bullies really gives a sense of growing up in 70s/80s Britain.
----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh perspective of innocenence. 10 Feb 2013
By Rowan Evans
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Purchased the Kindle version. Most enjoyable. Putting the correct names to the characters made the read different and unusual. Now I know who the noisy kids were in the school field (behind my house!!) they can look out.
Recommended, especially if you were a 50s, 60s, or 70s school child brought up in the age of innocence and fresh air, days when you played outside and only went home when it went dark (or hungry) and the only technology item you had was a 'kick the tin'.
Look forward to the follow up.
-------------------
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read - the good old days 9 Feb 2013
By Taf Zimmer
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoyable read - i will be honest and say its from a slightly biased reader who is from the village and even gets a small mention in the book.
It is a great account of how village life actually was back then, funny with some contriversey and well written. A big bonus to know most of the characters. The good old days?????
-------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars Great nostalgic read, could taste the past 8 Feb 2013
By Will
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I reviewed book but seems the review didn't get past the verification, but want to do the book justice so will try and capture how I enjoyed reading it. Growing up in the valleys during the seventies and eighties I found the topics and dynamics of each of the escapades really touched a nerve, most were forgotten memories, but the detail and language will pretty much put you back in the moment, and it's a great place to be when you know everything now is not as free spirited as days of old. I ended up slowing down the reading, trying to make it last like a good swizzle lolly, didn't want it to end. Great read, have recommended it to anyone from home I know, and hope for a second book, well done.
---------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars very easy reading 14 Jan 2013
By G Sollis
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
i will be honest at first i couldnt make my mind up about this book but as i read more i found it was hard to put down, it makes you think of all the stupid things you got up to when you were a kid
-----------------------
By alison.field - 5 out of 5
Really enjoyable read. Reminiscence of younger days growing up in the Valley with descriptive, funny stories of how Valley Kids actually occupied their time. Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, 11 Dec 2012
By Angela Davies - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
Easy reading, humourous, a real child's eye take on life, and if you are of a certain age, very memory provoking. Well worth reading.
---------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A good book, 5 Dec 2012
By Mesi Kemp
This review is from: When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
A brilliant, adventurous and very entertaining book.It was amazing to travel trough with a youngsters mind,actually some of the stories brought me back to my own memories.
---------------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars When Kids Could Play Outside - Tom Evans, 27 Nov 2012
What an enjoyable book to read and a very daring one for a first time author. Had a wonderful balance of humour (quite controversial at times) and very touching in parts. All in all a very honest and quite hilarious account of growing up in the South Wales Valleys in the 70's. Loved the way the author changed the names of the characters in the book as someone from the village had great fun guessing who the real people were. It makes you realise in just one generation how the lives and freedom of our children have changed and not for the better with computer games and dvds taking over from real life adventures.
-----------------
5.0 out of 5 stars takes me back to my childhood in the valley i downloaded this book to my kindle at an amazing price of £2.63. having personally known the author of this book i can honestly say it was like being transported back to the good old days of the late 70's and 80's when, as the title clearly states, kids could play outside. many stories are easily identified and relatable. i lauged my way through it, especially knowing some of the main characters involved. that beside i think it shows how society has changed over the years and that kids were kids back then. some people may question whether some of the stories actually happened, but from my experience growing up in the same village, they certainly did.....
-----------------------
4.0 out of 5 stars good, 8 Nov 2012
By Pen Name
A true honest down to earth treat ..loved it can't wait for the follow on ..thoroughly enjoyed it ..recommend it for a Xmas present
-----------------------
5.0 out of 5 stars A step back in time to the 1970s, 8 Nov 2012
By Anne-Marie Whitehead - When Kids Could Play Outside (Paperback)
I personally know the author and grew up in the same village and this account of a childhood in the 1970s is so true. They were marvellous carefree days and it was lovely going back to the past. I think anyone who was brought up in the 1970s would enjoy reading this book. It is a real trip down memory lane and they were much better days than today. We didn't have all the modern technology but we didn't need it either as we made our own simple fun.
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