The Newsagent's Window

by John Osborne

John Osborne's second book is a comic voyage through small-town Britain via the ads in newsagents' windows: lost kittens, personal ads, a second-hand bike for sale, yoga classes ... John at first uses the ads in newsagents' windows to buy practical things like a bed and a settee. But on impulse one day he replies to an advert for a psychic masseur named Lucy, who tells him some startling home-truths as he sits on her settee in his pants. So begins a year of self-discovery and a wild obsession with newsagents' windows.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

People best know British playwright John James Osborne, member of the Angry Young Men, for his play Look Back in Anger (1956); vigorous social protest characterizes works of this group of English writers of the 1950s.

This screenwriter acted and criticized the Establishment. The stunning success of Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre. In a productive life of more than four decades, Osborne explored many themes and genres, writing for stage, film and television. His extravagant and iconoclastic personal life flourished. He notoriously used language of the ornate violence on behalf of the political causes that he supported and against his own family, including his wives and children, who nevertheless often gave as good as they got.

He came onto the theatrical scene at a time when British acting enjoyed a golden age, but most great plays came from the United States and France. The complexities of the postwar period blinded British plays. In the post-imperial age, Osborne of the writers first addressed purpose of Britain. He first questioned the point of the monarchy on a prominent public stage. During his peak from 1956 to 1966, he helped to make contempt an acceptable and then even cliched onstage emotion, argued for the cleansing wisdom of bad behavior and bad taste, and combined unsparing truthfulness with devastating wit.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Osborne's look at a time in his life when he was consumed with buying and selling things from newsagent's window displays in Norwich ...yes you read that right. Much more interesting and funnier sounding that this actually was, hence my Three Star, 7 out of 12 rating.

2013 read

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one of those manufactured books where the author decides to do something for a year and then write about it. A.J. Jacobs did it best, John Osborne's book can scarcely be rated on the same scale.

It's not that bad an idea to put adverts in newsagent's windows to find a babysitter, look for gardening work, sell some furniture or promote your latest Ponzi multi-level marketing party. But to write about that sort of thing, would require some very clever planning in what to advertise, a calculated follow-up and then really amusing, but percipient writing, since these sort of books are very much social observation and commentary. The author doesn't seem to have considered any of this except for 'amusing'. And he isn't.

It was better than boring, but not what you would call a good read. 'Mediocre' is the word that fits this book best.

Read years ago, reviewed Sept 2019

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb (above) says this is a hilarious and quirky story but that is something of a stretch! But The Newsagent's Window is humane and good-natured, quite well written, and a pleasant enough read. At one point in the narrative John Osborne refers to an online review of his Edinburgh Festival show which awards 4 out of 10. I'd give this foive, like that woman used to on Jukebox Jury. Plus an extra mark for liking Norwich.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read John Osborne's Radio head earlier in the year and loved it, in fact it inspired me to start listening to a wider range of radio stations myself, so I couldn't resist this book.

When John moves into a new house he and his housemate Molly have to furnish it completely, so he starts looking at the cards in a local newsagent. They manage to buy beds, cutlery and curtains, then John gets somewhat obsessed and buys a bike, a Beaver's uniform, a psychic massage, a lifetime's video collection, a car ... His claim is that he wants to know more about the people who advertise in newsagents' windows, bu on his journey he discovers new friends, hobbies and a fair bit about himself.

As with Radio Head I felt that Osborne could have gone a little further with his analysis of the situations and people he encounters, but generally this was a very entertaining read that made me laugh out loud a couple of times.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that if I was listening to this on audiobook some chapters would have me asleep!
Parts of this autobio were mediocre and others were actually worth reading.

I've not seen a Ford Escort on the UK Roads for about 10+ years but on further exploration, they do still exist. I was doubting Osborne's re-collection until I looked up the trade sales of Escorts in the UK.

I nearly gave up in the last 3/4 but decided that I'd got this far.....

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantastic concept - what happens if you respond to adverts you see in a newsagents window - and starts really well, as Osborne observes the essential goodness of people, living life by something that doesn’t really exist any more. This shifts, slightly, into a sense of melancholy (especially with Melanie and the unwanted Beavers uniform) and it’s not long before things ramp up and he ends up buying a car he doesn’t really want, from someone who might have been playing him for a fool. At this point, about midway through, the tone shifts and Osborne quickly becomes whiny, doing things without really wanting to and, even if he enjoys them, never following through. He mopes after a girl who dumped him, he keeps harking back to a masseur who told him to be more assertive (and the callback on that is as anticlimactic as it’s possible to be) and he seems to ignore all the goodness around him (housemate Molly, his friends, the area - he lives in Norwich). He knows what to say to be emotive - highlighting the fight to oppose a new Tesco in wonderful Sheringham (a fight, I happen to know, that was sadly lost), for example - but you never really get the sense he actually feels any of it. Stuck with a narrative voice that becomes very wearing, the first half of this is a four-star book, the third quarter a three and the final, a wrestling match aside, a measly two.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read! Set up in management manageable chapter sizes.
In a way, it's like reading a piece of history, as some examples are out dated, but the concept of the book (how people used to use newsagents Windows as a form of advertising and community was as lost at that time of writing the book as it is now.
I felt invested in the main character and there wasn't a big plot line to follow of character names to remember. Giggled out loud when reading some of his cultural references and examples, as I could identify with them. Looking into the author, we are a similar age and it's actually autobiographical. I will look into his other titles

[Stephen Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much. Osborne has a very relaxed conversational style and you cannot help but like the man. i'm going to read his other book ' radiohead' in-between drinking tea and eating chocolate bourbon biscuits because that's what I like doing.

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

R4x Saturday 17:30

Comic story written and narrated by John Osborne about the community he discovered when he started replying to adverts in his local newsagent's window.

meh!

[Russio · Rating 4 out of 5]

What marks John Osborne out from, say, Dave Gorman, who treads the similar territory of mining down into somewhat eccentrically-conceived notions (introducing arbitrariness into choice) is the level of vulnerability and humility that he brings to his subject. While Gorman combs electronic databases to find Googlewhack words, Osborne uses the dial on his radio set or the cards in his local newsagents'' windows to reveal inner honesty about his weaknesses, frustrations and even his love-life.

For me this book, and its predecessor, Radio Head operate on two levels. Firstly in exploring the 'what if I lived my life in a certain unconventional pattern, allowing myself to become tempest-tossed on the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that might be dictated by whatever lunatic advert happens to be posted up on a given day.' For me this made me immediately want to impose arbitrary rules onto my lifestyle choices, so that I could be more open to life as an unpredictable force rather than a patterned conveyor-belt of predictable action and reaction.

Secondly, it operates in giving an insight into the endearing personality of the writer himself. He comes across as someone that would make a great friend. A surprisingly poignant read.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was perhaps a little more slight than it could have been... John Osborne does say he had more adventures than are in the book, and it would have been better with those than quite so much repetition about his 'best ever' year in Austria. I can't believe he didn't have any animal related encounters - no pets acquired, no assisting in searching for lost ones?

But I did enjoy the book as well as just the excellent idea behind it, following up on cards in newsagents' windows. It's that closely woven combination of weird and humdrum that can often be so compelling and funny. He comes across as quite an awkward character himself, with a great ability to put himself in the shoes of other people. So although he finds himself in many uncomfortable situations, we as readers are not made uncomfortable by unkindness.

I particularly liked his experience of returning to the massage therapist. Much more true to life than many authors would have made it! Although it eventually became obvious that he's a writer, hanging out with other writers, through most of the book he has a mundane, poorly paid but not unchallenging job in a hotel.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really genuine and heartwarming read. Picked this up in Norwich, a bit serendipitous as it's set in Norwich.

I really enjoyed reading it, it's written in such a friendly and warm tone that you feel like you have a friend sitting with you telling you a special tale. Possibly the author did flick through things slightly too quickly, but I think this goes with the style of book. You want to read short funny snippets rather than long descriptive narratives with everything tied together neatly.

He does mention Dave Gorman in the book, and it does in some ways feel quite like a Dave Gorman adventure. It's the kind of book I really enjoy reading, and it was done very well. I would recommend reading it, especially if you are on a train journey to/from Norwich!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Osborne is a bit lost at the start of the book. He’s been living in Austria for a year and then finds himself back in Norwich, mildly impoverished and dissatisfied. Adverts in newsagent’s windows jolly him along in his quarter life crisis and he gets some splendid minor adventures and local colour out of them. He makes some strange purchases and shows you don’t need to go far to find yourself, you can do so easily in front of Norwich newsagents.
It’s a sweet book that is likely to appeal to fans of Danny Wallace. I love that he created opportunities for himself by placing an advert for a co-writer of a sitcom. His purchases and experiences paved the way to satisfaction and greater confidence. I’ll read something else by him now I’ve read this.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it entertaining enough for the most part. I didn't find it hysterically funny per say, but there were fun and humorous moments scattered throughout. Ultimately though, it didn't keep my attention quite enough to have me glued to the pages. I was also surprised at -- in this kind of world where we have Craigslist killers and the like -- how trusting Osborne seemed to be with complete strangers... a little scary, but he does end up with some cool life experiences!

[Ipswichblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok sort of book , I just felt it wandered from its original premise too many times

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Radio Head, his first book