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Words Best Sung
* Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature Summer Read 2018 *
"I very much enjoyed this debut novel. If you're a fan of Billy Liar, going down to London and the Kinks, so will you. #smashing"
Andy Miller, author 'The Year of Reading Dangerously' and co-host of the Backlisted.fm podcast
“There’s so much heart and humour and unshowy craft in Words Best Sung that, about a third of the way in, I found myself longing to slip through a portal and inhabit its world. While Evans’ influences are apparent, he never once slips into cliche or pastiche. His characters are too complex for that; his eye for detail too thorough. His turn of phrase is enviable. In its own modest way, it’s a quite spectacular debut.”
Pete Paphides
"Cracking debut...plenty of laugh-out-loud lines...will be loved by anyone with a fondness for the Swinging Sixties"
John Baird, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature
"A pitch-perfect example of how sound can be represented on the page."
Chipping Norton Literary Festival 2018
For as long as he could remember, Alastair had dreamed about two things: steam engines, and Charlotte, the tomboy from the top of the street.
But when he starts work on the railway, steam is just a few years from extinction and Charlotte has run away to the bright lights, leaving Alastair hopelessly in lust with gorgeous but uptight Mary.
After a seaside brawl leads to his pal playing drums for one of the hottest R&B groups in the country, at a concert with The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, a boys’ adventure to the capital proves a revelation in more ways than any of them could ever have imagined.
"Sometimes melancholy, sometimes dramatic, sometimes gently amusing, Words Best Sung pays wistful, consistently enjoyable homage to Billy Liar, A Kind of Loving and other films and novels of the late 1950s and early 1960s"
Paul Willetts, author of 'King Con' and 'Members Only"
“Hilarious, touching, romantic…a really cracking read.”
Sally Lindsay
“A lovely, heartfelt story”
Dave Johns, star of the Ken Loach Palme d’Or & Bafta-winning film I, Daniel Blake.
"A terrific read, with richly drawn characters...perfectly captures that feeling of being young."
Matt Turpin, The Beestonian
“So evocative and lovingly written”
Nat Luurtsema, author ‘Girl Out of Water’ & 'Lou Out of Luck',
"A love letter to Nottinghamshire"
Chloe Campbell, Left Lion
“A nostalgic coming of age gem that’ll transport you back to the Sixties”
NottsLit blog
"I very much enjoyed this debut novel. If you're a fan of Billy Liar, going down to London and the Kinks, so will you. #smashing"
Andy Miller, author 'The Year of Reading Dangerously' and co-host of the Backlisted.fm podcast
“There’s so much heart and humour and unshowy craft in Words Best Sung that, about a third of the way in, I found myself longing to slip through a portal and inhabit its world. While Evans’ influences are apparent, he never once slips into cliche or pastiche. His characters are too complex for that; his eye for detail too thorough. His turn of phrase is enviable. In its own modest way, it’s a quite spectacular debut.”
Pete Paphides
"Cracking debut...plenty of laugh-out-loud lines...will be loved by anyone with a fondness for the Swinging Sixties"
John Baird, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature
"A pitch-perfect example of how sound can be represented on the page."
Chipping Norton Literary Festival 2018
For as long as he could remember, Alastair had dreamed about two things: steam engines, and Charlotte, the tomboy from the top of the street.
But when he starts work on the railway, steam is just a few years from extinction and Charlotte has run away to the bright lights, leaving Alastair hopelessly in lust with gorgeous but uptight Mary.
After a seaside brawl leads to his pal playing drums for one of the hottest R&B groups in the country, at a concert with The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, a boys’ adventure to the capital proves a revelation in more ways than any of them could ever have imagined.
"Sometimes melancholy, sometimes dramatic, sometimes gently amusing, Words Best Sung pays wistful, consistently enjoyable homage to Billy Liar, A Kind of Loving and other films and novels of the late 1950s and early 1960s"
Paul Willetts, author of 'King Con' and 'Members Only"
“Hilarious, touching, romantic…a really cracking read.”
Sally Lindsay
“A lovely, heartfelt story”
Dave Johns, star of the Ken Loach Palme d’Or & Bafta-winning film I, Daniel Blake.
"A terrific read, with richly drawn characters...perfectly captures that feeling of being young."
Matt Turpin, The Beestonian
“So evocative and lovingly written”
Nat Luurtsema, author ‘Girl Out of Water’ & 'Lou Out of Luck',
"A love letter to Nottinghamshire"
Chloe Campbell, Left Lion
“A nostalgic coming of age gem that’ll transport you back to the Sixties”
NottsLit blog
234 pages, Paperback
Published February 16, 2017
About the author
Lee Stuart Evans
2 books14 followersLee Stuart Evans has written jokes and scripts for many brilliant comedians and performers, including Sean Lock, Harry Hill, Dawn French, Patrick Kielty, Russell Kane, Iain Stirling, Jimmy Carr, Jonathan Ross, Dara O'Briain, Romesh Ranganathan, Miranda Hart, Frank Skinner, Jo Brand, James Corden, David Baddiel, Sue Perkins, Richard Osman, Claudia Winkleman, Michael McIntyre and Stephen Fry. Some jokes Lee co-wrote for Ant & Dec about a former prime minister were mentioned in the House of Commons and nominated, in 2022, for a BAFTA.
Lee's new novel, Pleasantly Disturbed, a feelgood '80s music-inspired coming-of-age tale with a comic crime twist, is available online and from all good bookshops.
Praise for Pleasantly Disturbed:
‘Alive and kicking with big laughs and an even bigger heart.’
- Patrick Kielty
‘Effortlessly evoking its Eighties Midlands setting, Pleasantly Disturbed is a compulsive coming-of-age mystery that packs as many twists as a midnight burn-up across the Peaks with the humour of vintage Smash Hits and, at its core, a love story to rival Gregory’s Girl – all set to a Glittering Prize of a soundtrack. I absolutely loved it.’
- Cathi Unsworth – author of Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth and Weirdo
‘An upbeat love letter to the importance of popular music, Pleasantly Disturbed shows how it can educate and encourage the young to reject the restraints placed upon them by class prejudice and take control of their lives. While this novel shares the broader locations and sentiments of the great Alan Sillitoe, it delivers its story and message with Lee Stuart Evans’s trademark humour and decency. This book will warm your heart. It will also make you chuckle.’
- John King – best-selling author of The Football Factory and Human Punk
‘The world is complicated and cruel, but if I could switch on a button that allows me to come at it with all the guileless good faith that this book’s teenage protagonist does, I’d be just fine. I laughed like a drain and my appreciation of Simple Minds was quadrupled. Magnificent.’
- Pete Paphides – author of the smash hit memoir Broken Greek
‘The writing, all the way through, is laced with vivid descriptions and brilliant turns of phrase that had me laughing out loud. Hugely recommended.’
– James Wilson, author of The Dark Clue and The Pieces.
'A tonic of a novel...very funny, but it aches in all the right places, too.'
- Graeme Thomson, author of Themes For Great Cities and Under The Ivy, the definitive biographies of Simple Minds and Kate Bush.
‘An engaging, delightfully entertaining page-turner… I enjoyed it very much.’
- Malcolm Garrett MBE
'A lovely uplifting and romantic story... loads of laugh-out-loud moments.'
- Steve Hovington, B-Movie
*****
- Andy Miller, Backlisted podcast & author of The Year of Reading Dangerously
'A warm hug of a novel, capturing the rush and confusion of first love, and the intensity of musical obsession, beautifully.'
- Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae! Scottish culture podcast
‘Touching and funny… you’ll be charmed by the novel’s humour, warmth and engaging plot.’
– John Baird, Notts Lit blog
‘Hilarious… I smiled all the way through.’
– Simon Rimmer, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch
‘Lee Stuart Evans uses his comedic craft to great effect. It truly is a great read.’
- Priptona’s Simple Minds Space blog
‘My favourite funny writer.’
- Harry Hill
Interview with Lee in Left Lion Magazine, August 2024:
https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/...
Review by Jacqueline Saville, August 2024:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-1468...
Review by John Baird, Notts Lit Blog November 2024:
https://nottslit.blogspot.com/2024/11/
Lee's first novel, Words Best Sung, was published
Lee's new novel, Pleasantly Disturbed, a feelgood '80s music-inspired coming-of-age tale with a comic crime twist, is available online and from all good bookshops.
Praise for Pleasantly Disturbed:
‘Alive and kicking with big laughs and an even bigger heart.’
- Patrick Kielty
‘Effortlessly evoking its Eighties Midlands setting, Pleasantly Disturbed is a compulsive coming-of-age mystery that packs as many twists as a midnight burn-up across the Peaks with the humour of vintage Smash Hits and, at its core, a love story to rival Gregory’s Girl – all set to a Glittering Prize of a soundtrack. I absolutely loved it.’
- Cathi Unsworth – author of Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth and Weirdo
‘An upbeat love letter to the importance of popular music, Pleasantly Disturbed shows how it can educate and encourage the young to reject the restraints placed upon them by class prejudice and take control of their lives. While this novel shares the broader locations and sentiments of the great Alan Sillitoe, it delivers its story and message with Lee Stuart Evans’s trademark humour and decency. This book will warm your heart. It will also make you chuckle.’
- John King – best-selling author of The Football Factory and Human Punk
‘The world is complicated and cruel, but if I could switch on a button that allows me to come at it with all the guileless good faith that this book’s teenage protagonist does, I’d be just fine. I laughed like a drain and my appreciation of Simple Minds was quadrupled. Magnificent.’
- Pete Paphides – author of the smash hit memoir Broken Greek
‘The writing, all the way through, is laced with vivid descriptions and brilliant turns of phrase that had me laughing out loud. Hugely recommended.’
– James Wilson, author of The Dark Clue and The Pieces.
'A tonic of a novel...very funny, but it aches in all the right places, too.'
- Graeme Thomson, author of Themes For Great Cities and Under The Ivy, the definitive biographies of Simple Minds and Kate Bush.
‘An engaging, delightfully entertaining page-turner… I enjoyed it very much.’
- Malcolm Garrett MBE
'A lovely uplifting and romantic story... loads of laugh-out-loud moments.'
- Steve Hovington, B-Movie
*****
- Andy Miller, Backlisted podcast & author of The Year of Reading Dangerously
'A warm hug of a novel, capturing the rush and confusion of first love, and the intensity of musical obsession, beautifully.'
- Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae! Scottish culture podcast
‘Touching and funny… you’ll be charmed by the novel’s humour, warmth and engaging plot.’
– John Baird, Notts Lit blog
‘Hilarious… I smiled all the way through.’
– Simon Rimmer, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch
‘Lee Stuart Evans uses his comedic craft to great effect. It truly is a great read.’
- Priptona’s Simple Minds Space blog
‘My favourite funny writer.’
- Harry Hill
Interview with Lee in Left Lion Magazine, August 2024:
https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2024/...
Review by Jacqueline Saville, August 2024:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-1468...
Review by John Baird, Notts Lit Blog November 2024:
https://nottslit.blogspot.com/2024/11/
Lee's first novel, Words Best Sung, was published
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 20, 2018
There are some cracking good lines in this book, wonderful use of language and with a gentle flow to it that makes it a very ‘comfortable’ read. Beans on toast, bitter, fish and chips - so much of it is familiar and for me, a 70’s born and bred Southerner a lot of it wasn’t - The broad accents, the cultural references, the trains, 1960’s London - but despite the unfamiliarity it all seems so familiar, it’s that well written.
I’m not usually into love stories but it didn’t matter I enjoyed the seaside postcard cheekiness and the convincing warmth of the relationships. I was happy to get lost in this book, the warm kitchens, the pubs, late night soho, and in the wonderfully thick fug of those diesel engines hungry for the North...
I’m not usually into love stories but it didn’t matter I enjoyed the seaside postcard cheekiness and the convincing warmth of the relationships. I was happy to get lost in this book, the warm kitchens, the pubs, late night soho, and in the wonderfully thick fug of those diesel engines hungry for the North...
August 30, 2017
I really felt this book - the descriptions of the era are so good, I became immersed in it, really connecting with the characters and the times (even though it was before I was born, but only just!).
Great story, nice and easy and 'aah' - and I laughed out very loud many times during the reading!
Great story, nice and easy and 'aah' - and I laughed out very loud many times during the reading!
February 4, 2019
A beautifully realised coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of working class East Midlands in the 1960s.
April 28, 2018
Andy Miller, who co-hosts the Backlisted Podcast, recommended 'Words Best Sung' on an episode of the podcast. He was very effusive and my expectations were high.
Alistair, the central character, is a bright lad however all he wants is to work on the railway. Steam engines are on the way out, and Alistair makes the most of enjoying them before they all get decommissioned. The rest of the plot concerns his family, his girlfriend, his friends, and most especially trips to Skegness and London to see up and coming beat groups.
There is plenty to enjoy, especially some of the 1960s period detail, and the evocation of life in Retford, Nottinghamshire. It's a light, easy read, if a little uneven and inconsequential, with some good sections.
Overall, I cannot pretend to be anything other than disappointed. Andy Miller had suggested I was going to be reading another 'Absolute Beginners', and this is far from being that.
3/5
Alistair, the central character, is a bright lad however all he wants is to work on the railway. Steam engines are on the way out, and Alistair makes the most of enjoying them before they all get decommissioned. The rest of the plot concerns his family, his girlfriend, his friends, and most especially trips to Skegness and London to see up and coming beat groups.
There is plenty to enjoy, especially some of the 1960s period detail, and the evocation of life in Retford, Nottinghamshire. It's a light, easy read, if a little uneven and inconsequential, with some good sections.
Overall, I cannot pretend to be anything other than disappointed. Andy Miller had suggested I was going to be reading another 'Absolute Beginners', and this is far from being that.
3/5
May 4, 2018
Lee Stuart Evans has managed the tricky business of marrying homage with timeless relevance. Brimful of period detail and colloquialisms, Words Best Sung evokes the gritty social realism of Sillitoe, Braine, Storey and Barstow without resorting to lazy pastiche or slavish retreading. Ultimately, it’s a story of coming of age and chasing the dreams that take you away from both the comforts as well as the discomforts of home, as the Industrial Revolution breathed its last and a musical revolution blasted its first. Delivering much more than the promised “Love, Trains and Rhythm & Blues,” the author’s gift is his ability to sit back and let his adroitly-sketched characters do the heavy lifting throughout, leaving the reader engaged, invested and, ultimately, hoping for more novels to follow.
June 29, 2017
Nice piece of writing, entertaining, astutely observed and with some strong characterisation.
The novel was able to distil a particular era of British culture really nicely and the overall tone is warm and humorous. Will appeal to anyone who knows the North Midlands or London and has an interest in music and / or trains!
The plot features a quite unpredictable twist too which I enjoyed.
The novel was able to distil a particular era of British culture really nicely and the overall tone is warm and humorous. Will appeal to anyone who knows the North Midlands or London and has an interest in music and / or trains!
The plot features a quite unpredictable twist too which I enjoyed.
November 9, 2019
There was so much I liked about this book, it's the sort of story that builds slowly and you don't realise quite how absorbed you have become. A wonderful cast of characters each well formed and believable, a great coming of age tale with drama and a range of intricate relationships. It's a thought provoking and much deeper read than I was expecting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews