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Toff Chav
Archie Hodgkin-Smith is the quintessential British Toff. From the stately environs of Risely, he is determined to launch a career as a photographer while enjoying a hedonist lifestyle. But everything changes when he meets the liberal and progressive Polly Raynard. Will Polly truly change him? Or will Archie remain the unabashed snob that he always was?Meanwhile, Gary Brown, the archetypal Chav, is forced to confront the harsh realities of his own life on an inner London council estate. Will history prove to be his salvation? Or will the grim reality of his life ultimately prove to be his undoing?Rich and poor. Toff and Chav. Join Archie and Gary as their worlds collide in a telling account of social disparity in the United Kingdom.
346 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2018
6 people want to read
About the author
Miles Hadley
1 book2 followersMiles Hadley was born in Northamptonshire. He attended Campion school, Bugbrooke and studied at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Nottingham Ningbo campus in China. He has also studied at George Brown College, Toronto, Canada. His first novel, Toff Chav was part of his project for the Vaughan Park Anglican Retreat centre scholarship residency near Auckland, New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 26, 2018
Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman
Toff Chav by Miles Hadley is a slightly farcical journey through the deep cultural and class divides that is modern day England and, in particular, London. Archie Hodgkin-Smith, with his double-barrelled name is your archetypal young toff, from a long and proud lineage of aristocracy and landowners, well known for their Cameronian desecration of dead pigs, as a rite of passage. From the other end of the economic and cultural scale, we meet Gary, a down and out CHAV. What’s a Chav, you may ask, if you’re not from England? According to Archie’s girlfriend, Polly, CHAV stands for – Council House and Violence. Gary, his fellow Chavs and Hoodies that frequent the council estates of London appear to be a lost generation railing helplessly and ineffectively against the disparity and unfair life they face, on the edge of poverty. Gary, though, still has dreams – albeit dreams he considers can never be achieved. Gary just wants a real life, like the commuters he watches daily as they rush to work on their trains. He wants to make his late Mum proud and save himself, his sister and her baby from a life of helplessness and poverty. When Archie’s money and privileged world comes into contact with Gary and his grimy, poverty-stricken life, sparks are sure to fly.
Toff Chav is a beautiful social commentary on the mess our society is in today, where the purpose of life, it seems is to make money and “to hell with everyone else”. Author Miles Hadley has drawn some extremely caricaturist characters, especially with Archie Hodgkin-Smith and his fellow decadent and uncaring toffs. This I am sure was done intentionally if only to highlight the extreme juxtaposition of Archie’s and Gary’s different lives. I particularly loved the “old money” attitudes, as represented by Archie and his friends and the contempt they showed for the “new (and possibly corrupt) money” of their “friend” Konstantine, the son of a Russian Oligarch and supposed money launderer. It was a contempt they buried, in most cases, because despite their gaucheness, Konstantine’s family was incredibly wealthy. Bollard, the weirdo that so beautifully captured Gary’s mind and heart was, in my opinion the star of the story and his simple belief in unity and humanity was a refreshing touch in an increasingly fractured world as described by the author. This book absolutely captures the essence of the populist leaders of today, their protection of their constituents and their tactics of fear and hatred to divide and conquer. It is a powerful exposition of our society today, told with a touch of humour, but also a belief that given goodwill and understanding anything is possible. This is a superb book that everyone should read.
Toff Chav by Miles Hadley is a slightly farcical journey through the deep cultural and class divides that is modern day England and, in particular, London. Archie Hodgkin-Smith, with his double-barrelled name is your archetypal young toff, from a long and proud lineage of aristocracy and landowners, well known for their Cameronian desecration of dead pigs, as a rite of passage. From the other end of the economic and cultural scale, we meet Gary, a down and out CHAV. What’s a Chav, you may ask, if you’re not from England? According to Archie’s girlfriend, Polly, CHAV stands for – Council House and Violence. Gary, his fellow Chavs and Hoodies that frequent the council estates of London appear to be a lost generation railing helplessly and ineffectively against the disparity and unfair life they face, on the edge of poverty. Gary, though, still has dreams – albeit dreams he considers can never be achieved. Gary just wants a real life, like the commuters he watches daily as they rush to work on their trains. He wants to make his late Mum proud and save himself, his sister and her baby from a life of helplessness and poverty. When Archie’s money and privileged world comes into contact with Gary and his grimy, poverty-stricken life, sparks are sure to fly.
Toff Chav is a beautiful social commentary on the mess our society is in today, where the purpose of life, it seems is to make money and “to hell with everyone else”. Author Miles Hadley has drawn some extremely caricaturist characters, especially with Archie Hodgkin-Smith and his fellow decadent and uncaring toffs. This I am sure was done intentionally if only to highlight the extreme juxtaposition of Archie’s and Gary’s different lives. I particularly loved the “old money” attitudes, as represented by Archie and his friends and the contempt they showed for the “new (and possibly corrupt) money” of their “friend” Konstantine, the son of a Russian Oligarch and supposed money launderer. It was a contempt they buried, in most cases, because despite their gaucheness, Konstantine’s family was incredibly wealthy. Bollard, the weirdo that so beautifully captured Gary’s mind and heart was, in my opinion the star of the story and his simple belief in unity and humanity was a refreshing touch in an increasingly fractured world as described by the author. This book absolutely captures the essence of the populist leaders of today, their protection of their constituents and their tactics of fear and hatred to divide and conquer. It is a powerful exposition of our society today, told with a touch of humour, but also a belief that given goodwill and understanding anything is possible. This is a superb book that everyone should read.
September 28, 2018
Toff Chav by Miles Hadley is the story of two young men, the wealthy aristocrat named Archie Hodgkin-Smith (the “toff”, which in British slang is a rich individual from the upper social class) and Gary Brown (the “chav”, which is British slang for a poor individual from the lower social class). Archie and Gary are polar opposites in every conceivable way. Archie was born as the heir to the family estate Risely, runs in similar circles, and has had the benefit of privilege his entire life. Gary was not born with the same advantages and has the added pressure of looking after his sister and her child, a responsibility he's shouldered since the passing of his mother. The convergence of these two worlds are enough to rock both of their lives in the city of London, where the imbalance of the situation and the implications for both come to a head.
Toff Chav is an interesting look at social structure in one of the few countries that still has titled gentry and a genuine class structure. Miles Hadley brings this to the forefront, highlighting Archie and Gary in their daily life from alternating point of views. Archie becomes involved with a liberal young woman named Polly who views the world differently despite Archie's wholehearted resistance. Ever the idealist, Polly was my favorite character since she was, honestly, the only thing that humanized Archie. On the other hand, Gary felt fully fleshed from the onset. As someone comfortably sandwiched in the middle class it wasn't easy to identify with either main characters, but Hadley does a great job of making both come to life. I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy gritty urban fiction that flirts with the likes of Laura Wade's Posh and modern twists to stories that bridge social gaps à la Fitzgerald.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
Toff Chav is an interesting look at social structure in one of the few countries that still has titled gentry and a genuine class structure. Miles Hadley brings this to the forefront, highlighting Archie and Gary in their daily life from alternating point of views. Archie becomes involved with a liberal young woman named Polly who views the world differently despite Archie's wholehearted resistance. Ever the idealist, Polly was my favorite character since she was, honestly, the only thing that humanized Archie. On the other hand, Gary felt fully fleshed from the onset. As someone comfortably sandwiched in the middle class it wasn't easy to identify with either main characters, but Hadley does a great job of making both come to life. I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy gritty urban fiction that flirts with the likes of Laura Wade's Posh and modern twists to stories that bridge social gaps à la Fitzgerald.
Review written for Readers' Favorite.
October 27, 2018
Toff Chav by Miles Hadley is the raw version of what is not just happening in the UK, but in so many other places, and most people just close their eyes to it. Miles´ novel is so captivating and so real that you just want to continue reading it. There are no dull moments and there is an excellent pace to the entire book.
I would say the dialogues are particularly well executed. You can totally imagine the scenes and the conversations that the characters are having.
Bollard is for me the best character. He is extremely original. Hadley´s character can be compared, from my experience to some of the genius characters of Haruki Murakami.
I advise everyone to read this book, even if you are from the UK or not. The novel represents reality, and conveys a strong important message, delivered in a genius way through captivating prose!
I would say the dialogues are particularly well executed. You can totally imagine the scenes and the conversations that the characters are having.
Bollard is for me the best character. He is extremely original. Hadley´s character can be compared, from my experience to some of the genius characters of Haruki Murakami.
I advise everyone to read this book, even if you are from the UK or not. The novel represents reality, and conveys a strong important message, delivered in a genius way through captivating prose!
August 18, 2019
Very pleasant and entertaining read; great storyline with somewhat unexpected ending. The novel features detailed descriptions of various places – suburbs, residences, and surroundings – usually prior to action in which characters engage.
Brief and somewhat abrupt sentences are setting a certain rhythm and speed at which the text is read. A bare use of linkers/discourse markers in the text does not compromise its cohesion, which Hadley skilfully managed resorting to sequential order of descriptions and narratives, as well as smart referencing strategies (anaphors, in particular). Hadley’s own linguistic background and repertoire and broad socio-cultural awareness allowed him to create authenticity of ‘spoken’ language of the main characters, as evident in the lexical and stylistic choices he made. Variations in lexicon, style and register are consistent with the characters’ backgrounds.
Most secondary characters were introduced with equal amount of detail and just enough for the reader to infer who they are and their story, except for Henry, Archie’s friend. His introduction was rather ambiguous and odd; and it was only a page or two later that the reader could infer both were close friends. While the author’s focus understandably was on the two characters, some details about Henry and his relationship with Archie become known towards the end of the novel, possibly due to the story’s twist.
Perhaps the main critique concerns an overly stereotypical portrayal of Konstantin, an old classmate of Archie’s. While status and fortune are undoubtedly still important for higher echelons of the Russian society, there are doubts as to whether having lived in the UK for a long time and having gone through the UK education system was not enough for Konstantin’s acculturation. While his habits, manners (including those that were expressed through language) and associations were similar to the Russian nouveau riche from the early-mid 1990s, to make it more authentic Hadley could have included a few exchanges in Russian with translation in the footnotes (as in War and Peace, but not in abundance). Further on authenticity, the diminutive name of Konstantin is Kostya (not Konstya), which suggests it was Hadley’s ‘unexplored’ area and a more careful research or advice should have been conducted or sought.
Brief and somewhat abrupt sentences are setting a certain rhythm and speed at which the text is read. A bare use of linkers/discourse markers in the text does not compromise its cohesion, which Hadley skilfully managed resorting to sequential order of descriptions and narratives, as well as smart referencing strategies (anaphors, in particular). Hadley’s own linguistic background and repertoire and broad socio-cultural awareness allowed him to create authenticity of ‘spoken’ language of the main characters, as evident in the lexical and stylistic choices he made. Variations in lexicon, style and register are consistent with the characters’ backgrounds.
Most secondary characters were introduced with equal amount of detail and just enough for the reader to infer who they are and their story, except for Henry, Archie’s friend. His introduction was rather ambiguous and odd; and it was only a page or two later that the reader could infer both were close friends. While the author’s focus understandably was on the two characters, some details about Henry and his relationship with Archie become known towards the end of the novel, possibly due to the story’s twist.
Perhaps the main critique concerns an overly stereotypical portrayal of Konstantin, an old classmate of Archie’s. While status and fortune are undoubtedly still important for higher echelons of the Russian society, there are doubts as to whether having lived in the UK for a long time and having gone through the UK education system was not enough for Konstantin’s acculturation. While his habits, manners (including those that were expressed through language) and associations were similar to the Russian nouveau riche from the early-mid 1990s, to make it more authentic Hadley could have included a few exchanges in Russian with translation in the footnotes (as in War and Peace, but not in abundance). Further on authenticity, the diminutive name of Konstantin is Kostya (not Konstya), which suggests it was Hadley’s ‘unexplored’ area and a more careful research or advice should have been conducted or sought.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews