The Book of Liverpool: A City in Short Fiction

Reading the City: A City in Short Fiction

by Eleanor Rees (Editor), Maria Crossan (Editor), Margaret Murphy

Spanning the last five decades of Liverpool's history, the specially commissioned pieces in this collection revel in the story of the city itself—the legendary life and culture that gave the world The Beatles, along with the struggle and tragedy that comes with growth and change in the city's communities. Compiled to coincide with Liverpool being named the European Capital of Culture, these stories include new works by Booker Prize–winner Barry Unsworth, Whitbred Poetry Prize–winner Roger McGough, and legendary horror writer Ramsey Campbell—all of whom provide insightful and colorful perspectives on Liverpudlian life.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is lovely, just what I needed to read. A real mixed bag of gritty realism, horror, social history, magical realism and nostalgia, all beautifully written and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.

[R.L. Stedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, a great read when visiting Liverpool. It's a series of short stories all set in the city, written by fantastic Liverpudlian writers. My favourite stories were All Aboard the Liver Building, mainly because it was just so quirky - I loved the idea of someone falling in love with a building - and Something You Don't Have to Deserve, which was beautifully, compassionately written, about home and family and the Hillsborough Football Disaster.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok, there were a few stand out stories, The Forbidden being the best, but overall I didn't find the stories that involving and it's not something I can see myself picking up to read again.

[Matthew B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected stories in an urban slice of life-style like The Book of Birmingham contained, but was pleasantly surprised by the variety of genres (including amazing horror short-stories, which I did not expect at all). Absolutely loved this anthology!

[Alice Fordham]

This is a cool idea - a collection of fiction, each story with a historical event in the background or on the edges. From Hillsborough to the war to the demolition of poor neighborhoods, so many of the city's milestones are in here, with rich characters crowding the foreground. I much enjoyed.

[Alastair Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short anthology of stories from Liverpudlian authors, the essence of Liverpool comes through all of them in different ways, there's a good mixture of genres and most are strong enough to stand alone.

[Michael B Tager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in a small indie bookstore in Liverpool whilst there on holiday and devoured it. I didn't love every story in there (it's the nature of anthologies), but I thought it was incredibly strong. And the thesis of it was beautiful. I really feel like I understand the city now, the good and the bad.

Highly recommend.