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Springfield Road
'Honest, grippingly readable, funny and uplifting' MAGGIE GEESpringfield Road is a journey into childhood in the late 1970s, a time of halfpenny sweets, fish and chips in newspaper, scrumping apples and foraging for conkers. Set in the dawn of Thatcher's Britain, it's a salute to every curly-top, scabby knee'd, mixed-up, half-crazy kid with NHS glasses, free school dinners and hand-me- downs, as told by the daughter of an Irish jazz musician and a Jamaican go-go dancer.It's about discovering that life is unfair, that there are bullies out there, and that parents die; yet it is the very antithesis of a misery memoir. It's a vivid, uplifting tale that seeks out the humour, colour and tenderness in the world, and when you read it you will say Hey! I remember, we did that too! You might I remember being closer to the ground; I remember summers were longer and how oranges were bigger; I remember struggling to comprehend sex and war, life and death, heaven and hell, and perhaps you’ll say, I remember I missed my dad too…
Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 10, 2015
A beautifully written memoir of growing up in 70s England. This book surprised me at just how good it was.
I'd never heard of Salena Godden before, and had no idea of her background. This is the tale of a difficult upbringing - but told without a shred of self pity or woe is me.
Godden has carried these often painful and unresolved childhood memories around with her for a long, long time. Whoever suggested she write them down was a wise person.
It would be easy to say she reopened old wounds, but Godden writes about wounds that have never really started to heal. She's very open about how difficult it was for her to revisit (mentally and physically) her past, but it surely must be cathartic for her.
My only criticism is that the book sometimes feels as if it could do with some tighter editing. For example the same small passages get repeated three or four times.
The book finishes as Godden enters her teens - I can only imagine what her teenage years were actually like. There's no way she would have sailed through them serenely! I do hope she writes another volume.....
I'd never heard of Salena Godden before, and had no idea of her background. This is the tale of a difficult upbringing - but told without a shred of self pity or woe is me.
Godden has carried these often painful and unresolved childhood memories around with her for a long, long time. Whoever suggested she write them down was a wise person.
It would be easy to say she reopened old wounds, but Godden writes about wounds that have never really started to heal. She's very open about how difficult it was for her to revisit (mentally and physically) her past, but it surely must be cathartic for her.
My only criticism is that the book sometimes feels as if it could do with some tighter editing. For example the same small passages get repeated three or four times.
The book finishes as Godden enters her teens - I can only imagine what her teenage years were actually like. There's no way she would have sailed through them serenely! I do hope she writes another volume.....
August 1, 2025
Springfield Road is a memoir written by Salena Godden who is one of my favourite writers.
Godden writes with beautiful quality, the writing almost poetic, beautifully flowing, even when Godden write about really traumatic experiences from her childhood.
Joyous, emotional, nostalgic, heartfelt, Springfield Road is a beautiful memoir and I highly recommend it.
Godden writes with beautiful quality, the writing almost poetic, beautifully flowing, even when Godden write about really traumatic experiences from her childhood.
Joyous, emotional, nostalgic, heartfelt, Springfield Road is a beautiful memoir and I highly recommend it.
December 22, 2016
I saw Salena Godden perform spoken word in Glasgow and was blown away- she was incredible, so warm and naturally funny. My sister and I have been quoting her ever since and I bought this book straight away. Her memoir is as warm as her stage performance, and I loved delving into her memories. I'm amazed she can recall so much from her early childhood- maybe we all could, if we tried? I was interested in her youthful friendships, how she had such a clear idea of the type of girl each of her friends was, yet she seemed to shape herself to whatever their pursuits were. I felt a ring of truth in this and wonder whether the other girls were just as insecure in themselves as she was and we all were at that age.
December 8, 2014
Staggeringly good story telling. If you've seen and heard Selina speaking you'll know what a great storyteller she is, here is conjures her voice off the page.
You can see her telling a few of the tales from the book on Youtube if you fancy getting a taste before ordering.
A Must-Read for anyone who grew up in England in the 70's - she has it exact!!
You can see her telling a few of the tales from the book on Youtube if you fancy getting a taste before ordering.
A Must-Read for anyone who grew up in England in the 70's - she has it exact!!
December 21, 2025
I loved Godden's Mrs Death Misses Death. This auto-biography was also solid, even if I took breaks a few times while reading.
"You cannot go poking skeletons in the closet without making maggots wriggle."
"You cannot go poking skeletons in the closet without making maggots wriggle."
May 31, 2024
4.5 rounded down to 4
February 1, 2016
An emotionally intelligent piece of writing, rich with beautiful poetic description of the wonderfully mundane stuff of life. I loved this book and eagerly await the next instalment of Salena Godden's life story. Highly recommended.
January 17, 2015
proud to have my name in the back of this book and to have helped Unbound make this book happen!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews