Spit Against the Wind

by Anna Smith

In the summer of 1968, four children in a small Catholic community on the West of Scotland learn a lot about life and start to grow up. Born to poverty and limited opportunities, they're able nonetheless to enjoy the largely innocent pleasures of childhood, but the adult world around them inevitably impinges. The narrator's elder sister falls pregnant and is sent to Ireland to have and give up the child; newcomer Tony and his mum are in danger of real violence at the hands of Tony's violent Polish stepfather; and no child who plays the part of altar boy at the chapel wants to be left alone with the local priest. Observant, clear-sighted in its portrayal of the darker side of life yet utterly warm-hearted, Spit Against the Wind reminds us of the wonders of childhood without sentimentality but with gentle humor and great charm.

247 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ian McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The corruption of youth’s innocence by an obnoxious school bully, a vicious school teacher, oversexed teenagers, the shame of an unplanned pregnancy, a pervert priest, violent fathers, extra marital affairs, and a suicide all lead up to a tragic accident. Such was life in a rural Scottish village. Seriously?

[Roy McDine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and sometimes gritty novel, set in the '60s, it is difficult to believe how different our lives are now.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Lanarkshire in the 1960s, Kath and her friends experience a lot of life in a short time.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Anna.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd bought this ages ago.

An interesting adventure in Scotland in 1968

[Pol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book set in the 60,s

[John Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

A nice little story I really enjoyed it yes well done now onto the next one what ele can I say

[Yvonne Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of the author before I read this book but thoroughly enjoyed it. It took me back to childhood memories. I will definitely look at more books by Anna Smith soon.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book purely by accident when looking for a distraction from how ill the bug I have caught was making me feel. The title was the initial catch as it was a phrase I hadn't heard in a long time. As a sign of how good the book was I was soon transported back to the summers of my childhood when the sun always shone and nothing bad lasted for ever, even if it felt like it would at the time.

The book is set in a predominantly catholic Lanarkshire mining village in 1968 over one long summer. The main characters are a group of 4 10 & 11 year old children, their families, what life throws at them during this time and how the deal with these events. The story is told mainly from the view point of Kath, the only girl of the group and, for the most part, rings true. There are a lot of layers to this book and a lot of potentially difficult topics are covered including poverty, domestic abuse, paedophilia and bigotry.

There were a few bits of the story that didn't ring true for me but nothing terribly major, more things that a child of that time would not have said/done and towards the end of the book one of the characters has a potentially life changing accident which is ignored from then on, which I found a bit of a let down in an otherwise very readable and enjoyable book. I will be looking out for more from this author.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very gritty story of 4 friends who try to escape the hardships and struggles of real life through there adventures and play. Age 10,11 that inbetween age before puberty but not a child these children have damaging family lives. Mothers are worn out old before there time, fathers are drunken sometimes violent. The focus of the story is with Kath who seems to fair the best out of the gang, and as others have commented her Dad seems to go from violent drunken brute to Dad of the year which while Im glad at least one child gets a happy family life, it didnt ring true. The community is held together by strong Catholic beliefs, but that doesnt stop some very moving and harrowing beatings. There is no escape for these kids at home, school or church abuse follows.

A short book of 240 pages which will hook you straight away and probably take just 2-3 sittings to complete. You will no doubt compare your own childhood to these kids, as I did, such a memorable age for me for quite different reasons. Bursting with many memorable charactors.

The picture on the paperback cover is all wrong, the hardback as shown here captures the kids better.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows Kathleen and her friends from the moment that Tony, a real American kid, arrives in their village in Scotland. Kathleen and her friends immediately like Tony (Kathleen more than the others), and soon almost everybody else likes Tony too. But violence and suffering are never far off the table in the village and soon it becomes apparent than things are going wrong in each of their [four] families.

This is a well written story that doesn't drag, unfortunately it feels rushed towards the ending which in turn lets down the rest of the book. It reads more like a series of bad events after around 2/3 of the way through, and doesn't redeem itself with the ending. While I wouldn't recommend this to anyone (unless I know they enjoyed these types of books), I also feel that there are definitely some readers out there that will enjoy spit against the wind

[Roland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kath Slaven (a catholic girl in Scotland) grows up by about a decade in one summer, when an American boy, an unwanted baby, a paedophile priest, domestic violence, a Lithuanian Nazi on the run all arrive more or less ar once in her little mining town. There are not a few moving episodes and the farewell village party for Kath's hero elder brother Kevin (yes, he emigrates to Australia that same summer) is described rather well, but on the whole, this did not go down well with this reader - there is simply too much going on in these 247 pages for it all to be credible. If the death of a ten-year-old finally just about leads one to laugh out loud with incredulity, there is either something wrong with the story or with oneself. On this occasion I am gratefully sure it is the story. Oh, and someone also nearly gets his leg severed when he's caught in a fox trap.

[Theimperfect]

This book is a brilliant read that i have read many times, and have even finished it and begun again. I will be reading this to my children in the future to make sure they have a good knowledge of fantastic literature.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Touching but a bit like history - it's one thing after another!

Don't read if a bit low, it's not going to cheer you up.

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and i still remember every detail and also the characters. Very heart-warming i must say. A good book to read and keep!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read several years ago. Hard to find in US - read in Scotland.

[Jacqueline Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, hooked from the start!

[Joanne Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

book club read for may.... not exactly a light hearted book, it does make you realise some children carry the weight of the world on theor shoulders and still muddle through and enjoy life