The Last Pink Bits: Travels through the Remnants of the British Empire

by Harry Ritchie

Harry Ritchie takes a trip around the vestiges of the British Empire;the last pink bits on the world map;belatedly attempting to answer the question asked by George V;How is the Empire?

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History

231 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Harry Ritchie (b. 1958) is a Scottish writer and journalist. He is the author of six books, and numerous newspaper articles and book reviews.

Ritchiee attended Kirkcaldy High School and the University of Edinburgh, then studied for a D.Phil. at Lincoln College, Oxford. His doctoral thesis on the literary scene of the 1950s was published by Faber as the book Success Stories in 1988. His subsequent works are the comic travel books Here We Go and The Last Pink Bits, the novels Friday Night Club and The Third Party, and a book about English grammar, English for the Natives (John Murray).

Ritchie edited the anthology New Scottish Writing, and contributed an essay to Nick Hornby's anthology of football writing, My Favourite Year, about his lifelong passion for Raith Rovers, his hometown football club.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suspect I am not the target audience for this book. I found the content was largely disinteresting, and the author a minor irritation. Aimed at a British audience, the author decides to visit the far flung British Overseas Territories - but not all of them - some are too hard, to far, or not residential enough (those which are inhabited by scientific researchers only were off the list).

So those territories which did make the list are Bermuda, Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena. Presented in that order, I was honestly lucky to finish reading this book, however to be fair the last two places were certainly the most interesting. I fully expect that this was because the author didn't find an expat in these locations with whom to drink lager, discuss Scottish Football, and find out how they coped with a separation from British culture. (Clue- in most of these places they were not separated from British culture - they were surrounded by it in their expat community.)

On the back cover, the authors style is compared to Bill Bryson. That really should have been sufficient warning for me, so I have only myself to blame. I am not a fan of Bill Bryson's work - although I have read a number of his books and can understand the appeal - I even find some of his work funny - just sadly not enough to maintain my enjoyment.

There are a few interesting observations in this book, but not enough to wade through the remainder of the dross.

The most telling part was the short summary at the end of the St Helena section, which explains the poor treatment that Britain gives these overseas territories when compared to other nations (Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark & Portugal) were they offer the same rights and laws to their territories. Britain (at the time of writing) do this only for the Falklands and Gibraltar.

For me, two stars.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever observations, though I could've done without the occasional anti-American digs for yuks.

[Kevin]

G

[Kati Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting locations, but he's a negative person and very critical of Americans, so it takes some generosity of spirit on the part of the American reader not to heave the book across the room every once in a while.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, especially now when we have google maps and millions of websites with photos and updates (the book was published in 1997.) Ritchie is consistently funny and fair in his summings up of Bermuda, the Faulklands, Tristan da Cunha, the Turks and Caicos, Ascension, Gibraltar and St Helena.

[Charlie Durell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great laugh. Harry Ritchie writes about the remains of the Great British Empire eg Bermuda Gibraltar etc. His writing style makes this book an easy page turner with a lot of wit. I laughed out loud a lot. Thank G no one was close by.

[Robin Heath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hardly a comprehensive travelogue, the writer however captures the indifference the British establishment meters to the remnants of the empire.