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The Boy on a Baker's Bike
Dreaming of a summer with Joelle.
It is 1979, Gary is eighteen years old and single. He will soon be doing his final school exams. He wants to become a teacher of French; so, he is looking for a job in France.
Back when he was fourteen, he had been on the school exchange trip to Rheims. He is still in touch with his student host, Marcel.
With the long summer holiday coming, he writes to Marcel to see if his penfriend can suggest anything. Joelle, his host older sister, gets Gary fixed up with a job in a holiday centre with Marcel and herself.
Gary has dreamt of Joelle for four years, of course, he is going. Although Marcel hasn't been completely honest about the 'holiday centre.' Gary may have packed too much clothing.
Day one is a little of an eye-opener. But then he has found an old bike and ... Joelle is there too!
It is 1979, Gary is eighteen years old and single. He will soon be doing his final school exams. He wants to become a teacher of French; so, he is looking for a job in France.
Back when he was fourteen, he had been on the school exchange trip to Rheims. He is still in touch with his student host, Marcel.
With the long summer holiday coming, he writes to Marcel to see if his penfriend can suggest anything. Joelle, his host older sister, gets Gary fixed up with a job in a holiday centre with Marcel and herself.
Gary has dreamt of Joelle for four years, of course, he is going. Although Marcel hasn't been completely honest about the 'holiday centre.' Gary may have packed too much clothing.
Day one is a little of an eye-opener. But then he has found an old bike and ... Joelle is there too!
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2021
13 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Ted Bun
91 books33 followersI was born in London in 1956 and lived most of my life in the south of England.
I ran a naturist resort in Portugal for three fun-filled summers. Mrs Bun decided this was what we wanted to do. We spent two years searching before we found L’Olivette, our little paradise in the South of France.
Teachers always tell you to write about things you know about. So, that is what I did!
During the long evenings of the quiet season, a series of novellas and short stories started to take shape, one letter at a time
The first book in the Rags to Riches series, in which our central characters first meet and romance starts, “The Uncovered Policeman” was published on Valentine’s Day 2016.
Since then, I have got a little carried away!
I ran a naturist resort in Portugal for three fun-filled summers. Mrs Bun decided this was what we wanted to do. We spent two years searching before we found L’Olivette, our little paradise in the South of France.
Teachers always tell you to write about things you know about. So, that is what I did!
During the long evenings of the quiet season, a series of novellas and short stories started to take shape, one letter at a time
The first book in the Rags to Riches series, in which our central characters first meet and romance starts, “The Uncovered Policeman” was published on Valentine’s Day 2016.
Since then, I have got a little carried away!
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 13, 2021
Nice little story to read in one evening, although like some others of Teds recent offerings the closing themes where the parents arrived and disapproved I thought were rather curtailed and left me disappointed for a more fulfilling ending and also for an understanding for the real state of mind consequences of the principle character.
I'm not convinced by the last chapter that there was an indication of, or scope for a sequel.
Apologies for not having a better command of the English language in my views and descriptions.
I'm not convinced by the last chapter that there was an indication of, or scope for a sequel.
Apologies for not having a better command of the English language in my views and descriptions.
November 11, 2021
Great story
Well written story, easy to follow and to imagine yourself in it. To bad that is not longer.
Recommend it for everybody, the naturism is always there but not in a graphic form that could bother the ones new to it.
Well written story, easy to follow and to imagine yourself in it. To bad that is not longer.
Recommend it for everybody, the naturism is always there but not in a graphic form that could bother the ones new to it.
November 12, 2021
Great fun and well done as always
Wish I’d had a summer like this in my youth! Nice story, interesting characters. But then as expected from the creator of “Rags”, one of my favorite naturism series.
Wish I’d had a summer like this in my youth! Nice story, interesting characters. But then as expected from the creator of “Rags”, one of my favorite naturism series.
November 12, 2021
5 Stars
Ted knocks this story out of the ball park.
This is a story of young love that starts with a lack of information on details of his summer job in a foreign country.
I would love for this story to be expanded into a full book.
Keep up telling wonderful stories.
Ted knocks this story out of the ball park.
This is a story of young love that starts with a lack of information on details of his summer job in a foreign country.
I would love for this story to be expanded into a full book.
Keep up telling wonderful stories.
August 13, 2023
Mostly Happy Ending
Another great book by Ted. A lot happens through the story, the end or resolution seems a little rushed though. Overall a great and easy read.
Another great book by Ted. A lot happens through the story, the end or resolution seems a little rushed though. Overall a great and easy read.
April 12, 2022
One of those “boy comes of age over the summer” stories, redolent in the smell of seaweed, sand, camp ground accommodation and French pastries, Ted has crafted a tale in which the main characters, Gary, and the supporting characters all exude a vibrant summer health that makes you like them immediately and care how it all turns out. Gary spends the summer before his teacher training, working with friend Marcel and Marcel's older sister Joelle, the unrequited object of all Gary's hopes, in a camp ground in the south of France. A series of tasks, scrapes and responsibilities sees Gary rise to the moment, and while not without bittersweet moments, I came away enriched, glad I'd stopped in on Gary's musings.
Mr Ted, you've done it again, while Gary's experiences are uniquely his, your description of the locale and facilities make me very keen to visit the south of France too.
Mr Ted, you've done it again, while Gary's experiences are uniquely his, your description of the locale and facilities make me very keen to visit the south of France too.
February 23, 2022
Here is a simple story of "What I did on my Summer Vacation" with the expected twist from a writer whose fiction exemplifies "Normalizing naturism." It is brilliantly done, following the main character whose summer job in France turns out to be working for a naturist camp. Full of gentle humor and eye-opening revelations about how normal such a lifestyle can actually be. As with all of Ted's books that I have read, I strongly recommend this book, even if you have never considered naturism as a possible lifestyle choice.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews