It's Always Summer Somewhere: A Matter of Life and Cricket - A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLE

by Felix White

A cricketing history of the last 20 years..*****


THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

"Felix White's beautifully, elegantly and passionately written book reminds me why I love cricket so much. And reading, come to that." -
Stephen Fry

"The love of cricket is both communal and individual. Felix has a wonderful knack of evoking both in a book full of life, joy and resilience." -
Gideon Haigh

"Life beyond sport, love after loss, a soulful portrait of how play stops the rain." -
Cariad Lloyd

"This is an extraordinary first book ... funny, tragic, candid and heartfelt; it would be remarkable if he ever wrote a better one." -
Wisden Almanack 2022

Felix White, for reasons often beyond him, has always been deeply in love with cricket. His passion for the game is at the fore on the BBC 's number one cricket podcast and 5Live show, Tailenders, which he co-presents with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson. It's Always Summer Somewhere is his funny, heartbreaking and endlessly engaging love letter to the game.

Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team. The exploits of Tufnell (another bowler of 'lovely loopy stuff'), Atherton, Hussain et al, are given extra import through the eyes of a cricket-obsessed youth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Autobiography, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Sports

380 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2021

Reviews

[David Ronan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for any fans of Cricket, Felix, The Maccabees or even just true to life stories. I enjoyed this so much I managed to read it in almost record time feeling unable to put it down.
My only criticism is that the last words weren't "Go Well"

[Dylan Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Felix, you made me cry. That wasn’t what I expected but was what I needed, even if I didn’t know it. Just like this book.

The good news is I also laughed out loud - often - and smiled and revelled in a little nostalgia.

If you’re looking for a life-affirming book about how grief can shape your life, this is for you. If you love cricket and music as well, this book is even more for you.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having followed the Maccabees when they were active, and keeping in touch with Felix's writing on Cricket, I had been looking forward to this book. It doesn't dissapoint. Felix encapsulates what cricket means to so many, and despite it being a sport which can be baffling to a neutral and engrossing to those who know, his words show a love for the game. The moments in his life, bookended with interviews from players, are written about with care, and the love for his family, including his mother, shines throughout. A wonderful book.

[Vix S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live with grief every day and I love the Maccabees but I know nothing about cricket. Two out of three ain’t bad, right? A friend recommended this book and I listened to the audio version, surprised at how much I loved it. To be able to weave these three topics together so beautifully and seamlessly is quite a skill - there’s something here for everyone, and don’t be put off if you don’t watch cricket!

[Tom Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best book I’ve read in years!

[Joe Januszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad and beautiful in equal measure

[Doug Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

I knew from the introduction that this would go straight into my list of favourite books, driven in part by my pre-existing bias based on my love for The Maccabees.

Felix explores the grief of losing his mother too young, and the security blanket that cricket provided and continues to provide, all the while striving to emulate his heroes by achieving greatness with his band.

In many ways, the book and Felix's commentary on The Maccabees' development, maturation and eventual break-up, allowed me to explore my own grief of a band that I grew up with and have never been able to replace.

[Finn Stewart-Hayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. Sad, funny, cricket, the Maccabees. Just a joy.

[Hannah Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this and in many ways I could relate to the duality… in the sense that this book was about cricket and about coping with the premature death of one’s mother. White is an erudite author… and his passion for music and cricket, and his love for friends and family are evident in his writing.

[Ben Monro-Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read about cricket - although it's not about cricket really - rather an essay on grief and how cricket and music helped the author both and cope and avoid the tragic loss of his mum.

I met the author naturally watching cricket int he Caribbean. A lovely guy - and this is a beautiful book which describes the consequences of losing a parent painfully well. Bravo.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly gorgeous book, thank you Felix. A wonderful, poignant yet funny read with cricket woven into it. So honest, humble and heartbreaking that I had to wipe tears from my eyes to continue making out the words on the page. Everything you’d want from an autobiography.

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully moving. I dont quite know how to describe this book, other than a beautifully honest mixture of biography and life. Cricket and sorrow and life.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fully fledged part of the Tailenders community, I should probably preface this review with the acknowledgment that I went into reading the book inclined to like it, however the extent to which I did is a credit to White and his writing.

The book covers White’s life thus far, intertwining his personal experiences - losing his mum to MS as a teen - with music and with cricket, chronicling the ups and downs of the England men’s team, and including interviews with those who’ve played the game such as Mike Atherton, Phil Tufnell and Chris Lewis.

It’s been said that the best documentaries/non-fiction books find you interested in a subject you weren’t previously, and while I love cricket, I wasn’t into The Maccabees whilst they were together, and the way White writes about their development, from teenage bedrooms to a number one record has made me want to go back and work my way through their back catalogue.

I loved the way that the intertwining aspects of the book came together - the rise and the end of The Maccabees, England men’s cricket team winning the World Cup, and the more personal aspects of White’s life. Because while this is a book about cricket, it isn’t a book about cricket, it’s about loss, and grief, and learning and living. It’s insightful, and beautifully written, and that well-quoted line from Wandavision really came to mind when reading it. Chapeau.

[Leah Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love reading memoirs, listening to the Maccabees and watching cricket so I was hoping this book would satisfy all my cricket literature needs. It did more than just that.

The way it was written made me smile, I found myself reading sentences again just to let the words sink in. Felix writes about cricket so eloquently and emotionally, in a way that I would never be able to. The way Felix touches on both the comedic and tragic elements of the sport through descriptions of his 'cricket cave' hit close to home at points.

However, this book goes far deeper than just a celebration of cricket and music as it also explores Felix's life as a whole, with themes of grief, love and purpose. I felt a real connection to Felix whilst reading this book as the beautiful fusion of both music and cricket is embedded within the grief of his mother. Felix's emphasis on poignant cricket moments alongside his narration of stories and experiences of being in the Maccabees, creates a truthful exploration of his life and unprocessed grief.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Maccabees, I love cricket, Hey, I even love people called Felix, this is definitely going to be the book for me! Hmmm, maybe not. I should have realised after trying 'The Tailenders' Podcast and finding it extremely irritating that this just wasn't going to be the book for me. Honestly, it's just not an idea for a book. A sort of rambling memoir about his life occasionally punctuated by weird crowbarred references to things that happened in cricket at the time. Nothing is delved into with any real insight and the entire book paints a picture of a man frankly looking for excuses for being a bit of a bell-end to those around him, whether his romantic relationships or family. By the end of the book (which is a total mess and feels rushed) I was just glad to finish. The final crow barred reference of England's World Cup triumph as some sort of personal victory for the author is laugh out loud funny (in the bad way) and narcissistic in equal measure. The man seems to have been enabled his whole life by people making excuses for him. Generous 2 stars, 1.5 really.

[Lily Hobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felix White if you read this im free on Thursday night and would like to hang out. Please respond to this and then hang out with me on Thursday night when I’m free.

[Steve Pennock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange mix that combines the life story of a rock star with important moments in cricket from the last 30 years. His lifes joyous highs and tragic lows somehow relating to the England cricket teams ebb and flow. If you are a fan of The Maccabees and cricket its a winning formula but even if you aren't the way he writes about his life and the sport he loves is captivating.

[Nick Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, so honest and poignant, I didn't want it to end. It reaffirmed my love for cricket, made me nostalgic for the years I grew up becoming obsessed by the game, and reminded me (not that I needed reminding) how great the Maccabees were and how much I miss them!

[Josh Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit spicy, that

[Stephen A. Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant biography

I discovered Felix White through the brilliant Tailenders podcast. I am from Yorkshire and have been living in the States for 30+ years with the result that Felix and the Maccabees were off my radar. While listening to the Tailenders back-catalogue I heard that Felix had written a book and unreservedly knew I wanted to read it. The book was so much more than I expected, layering and weaving love and grief in all its forms across Felix's life. The backdrop is his mother's battle and early death from MS, the relationships with his father, brothers, musicians and friends and ... cricket. This was a deeply personal personal journey mapped on to the journey of fans of English cricket. With my gravely ill mother (my #1 cricket fan when I was younger), and as a life long follower of England this was a timely and deeply rewarding read. Thank you for sharing your story and love of Mums and cricket.

[Debbie Gilpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely stunning book. Felix has a remarkable way with words that you get a sense of on Tailenders when he's left to talk cricket, but it really comes into its own here. His life and career have been intertwined with the sport for pretty much his entire life, and you can really feel the weight of its importance in this book; you don't have to know anything about cricket to enjoy it, however, as it's not a technical piece - and it's always hard to resist something when people talk so passionately & eloquently about it. And if you are a cricket fan (especially an England cricket fan) you will be able to relate to so much of what is said - the lows and, indeed, the highs.

[Paul Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Felix being interviewed on the Test Match Special podcast and thought his book sounded interesting. I’ve never heard of the Maccabee’s but as Felix and I both share a love of cricket, guitars and loud rock music I put his book on my to read list. I also liked the books title. It’s an autobiography beginning when he first starts to discover both cricket and music which weave his childhood years together including the loss of his mother as a teen. Many of his most memorable moments in cricket are also mine, so it was good to relive those. I also enjoyed the interviews he did with former test players from across many cricket playing nations.

[Tracey McMenemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book as I have been a maccabees fan since the very beginning and I was very excited to read it. I don't know cricket at all - I don't understand any of the terminology or players and I really struggled with this book because of that.

The maccabees stuff was fantastic, I loved it - a great insight but it didn't appear until halfway through. The way Felix writes about his family was beautiful and I wanted more of that.

To sum it up, this is a life story, told through cricket with little bits of family and maccabees interspersed. If you know cricket at all, or even better if you like cricket - fantastic, as it's the primary topic. You will love it.

[Woody Hawthorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book well written, poetic and captivating, with its threads running between subjects and moments in time that intertwine in a beautiful way, it is also deeply personal and heartfelt. I am not ashamed to say it brought me to tears at points. I won’t spoil them, but this read was definitely worth the time. It’s the best book I’ve ever read (loosely) about cricket.
Go well Felix, you’ve really done yourself proud here. 5/5

[Peter Howrth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It perhaps wasn’t the right time for me and this book. I like the Maccabees and I really like Tailenders (when it’s not being Jimmy Anderson propaganda) and I love cricket. But honestly, I skimmed most of this book. A few bits snagged and hooked me: his reflections on 90s and early 00s cricket which I can’t remember, his description of his relationship with Florence Welch. But otherwise skimmable. Maybe worth revisiting and reassessing down the line.

[Dan Sampayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book, ostensibly about cricket and music (you really do need to love cricket to read this) but really about death and grief and moving on.

A very unusual rock star, as he mentions in the book, it’s the first I’ve read that focuses on nearly everything else in life and puts priority on that over being in a band.

If you grew up in the noughties, love cricket and music I definitely recommend.

[Brian Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very surprised how much I enjoyed this book - very well written and structured . Felix combines his music career ( the Maccabees) with his love of cricket and his family . Some very interesting and offbeat interviews with less celebrated cricketers such as Simon Kerrigan and Alan Wells but also Ashley Giles, Alec Stewart and Tuffers. Glad my son recommended this otherwise I probably would have missed a reading treat .

[Andrew Barrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever heard anything by The Maccabees, of whom Mr White was guitarist, songwriter and singer, and I don't feel especially motivated to seek them out after reading this book. Not that it's a bad book; on the contrary, it's interesting and quite well written, but the other two main strands in the narrative heavily outweigh that concerning his erstwhile band.

[Simon Pitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Articulate, intensely personal at times and a beautiful reflection of life’s trials, tribulations and personal neuroses. No matter what you you see on the outside, you never know what is churning away on the inside.

The cricket links and the painful impact of supporting Englands cricket team is eminently relatable.

Highly recommended book for fans of cricket, The Maccabees or Felix himself.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure I have the words to review this appropriately. But, in short, it's a stunning read that for any reader will bring back memories of your own life whilst Felix reflects poignantly on his own life.

The cricket aspect somehow is at the forefront of it all but stays in the background. I truly loved this book.

Go well.