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As the Hopkins family return home from Africa, more than a few changes are in store...

Anything Goes is an evocative tale of life in the 1960s for one Manchester family. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Dilly Court.

It's December 1963 when Billy Hopkins and his wife Laura arrive home in Manchester after five years in Africa. The world has changed beyond it's the swinging sixties, with headlines full of the Beatles and the pill, LSD and miniskirts. Billy's youngest son still believes in Santa Claus and while his daughter's reading Jackie, she's not even a teenager yet, so Billy's not too worried about the impact of modern society on his family. He's more concerned about the welfare of his increasingly forgetful father and about the daily challenges he faces as a college lecturer. When the four junior Hopkins start to choose their own, unexpected paths in life, though, Billy finds it harder than usual to see the funny side of things...

What readers are saying about Anything Goes :

'Billy Hopkins' good humour and personal philosophy of life shine through from first to last '

'Billy Hopkins succeeds in reeling off a veritable kaleidoscope of personalities, items and artefacts that make the reader feel positively homesick for those vanished days of yesteryear'

'The style of the books is like life itself, sometimes sad, sometimes funny , but seen through Billy Hopkins's wry humour and perceptive observations it is a delightful good-feel read '

532 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2005

7 people are currently reading
55 people want to read

About the author

Billy Hopkins

19 books12 followers

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5 stars
62 (48%)
4 stars
31 (24%)
3 stars
27 (21%)
2 stars
4 (3%)
1 star
4 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Kate Winiarska.
28 reviews7 followers
January 27, 2012
A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. I really felt like I became part of the family after 50 pages or so, I loved the humorous antics of the kids and was intrigued at how one man's life and family could be so interesting and yet so normal and familiar at the same time. I'll definitely be reading more of Billy's books in the future.
Profile Image for Jan.
693 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2019
A very enjoyable easy read. Very likeable characters and plenty of entertaining situations.



Its the first of the series that I have read, so rather starting at the end, but I will certainly try to go back and read more.
Profile Image for Marxilyn Briz.
3 reviews3 followers
April 21, 2014
A classic paradoxical story of life. Very humorous and interesting.
189 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2017
An easy going read, nothing too dramatic happens, but a pleasant read.
Profile Image for Eleanor.
45 reviews
April 1, 2024
A mostly autobiographical novel set in a time of massive change, what an array of characters!
Profile Image for Darla Ebert.
1,264 reviews6 followers
December 17, 2023
The author has a very simple style and at first he appears to have strung together a list of cliche's about the 60's and the items and culture available in the UK at that time period. The choices of the children of the main character echo the cliche's but all in all it is a benign read, quite vanilla. Though one respects the author for his abilities in writing and in telling his semi-autobiography
158 reviews
August 31, 2021
Another good book

This is another good book in the series and looking forward to reading the next one. Would recommend these books.
Profile Image for Steph  Williams.
180 reviews
October 1, 2024
This I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this part of the story, especially after all the other books.
Profile Image for Laura.
470 reviews17 followers
October 9, 2009
This was pleasant like 'our kid'.

Would definatelty read another book by this author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews