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Blue Collar
What happens when white van man meets gold card girl?Charlie's great. She's everything Terry has ever dreamed of in a woman and more. She's sophisticated, intelligent, funny and beautiful. She enjoys dinner parties and hanging out in the West End's trendiest night spots. She is, for want of a better word, wonderful. Terry simply can't believe his luck.And neither do the lads on Terry's building site. As far as they're concerned this Charlie's just out for a bit of rough. And they're loathe to see Terry fall for such a trickster, particularly after his recent heartbreak. Charlie's own friends seem just as wary as Terry's. They can see this Jack the lad's just after her money. Why can't she?When North London meets South, gastro-pub meets local boozer, and white collar meets blue, Charlie and Terry's love is built on the shakiest of foundations. But it'll take a reality film crew to bring the whole thing down around their ears.
- GenresFiction
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
25 people want to read
About the author
Danny King
39 books49 followersDanny King was born in Slough, Berkshire, the second son of Michael and Dorothy King. He and his two brothers, Ralph and Robin, lived on the Britwell Estate until 1979, when they moved to Yateley, Hampshire. He attended Yateley School but failed to gain any qualifications before leaving at the age of 16. He stacked shelves for a short stint in the Yateley branch of Somerfield (then Gateway), before working on various building sites as a hod carrier.
In 1991 he took an Access course at Farnborough College of Technology, which helped him land a place at The London College of Printing studying journalism. Between 1993 and 2002 he worked on various magazine titles, eventually becoming Editor of the Paul Raymond Publications title Mayfair (magazine). He now writes full-time.
In the late 1980s, he was arrested several times and convicted of burglary at Winchester Crown Court and car theft at Camberley Magistrates Court. It is largely due to receiving these convictions that he cites as his reasons for giving education a second go.
In 1991 he took an Access course at Farnborough College of Technology, which helped him land a place at The London College of Printing studying journalism. Between 1993 and 2002 he worked on various magazine titles, eventually becoming Editor of the Paul Raymond Publications title Mayfair (magazine). He now writes full-time.
In the late 1980s, he was arrested several times and convicted of burglary at Winchester Crown Court and car theft at Camberley Magistrates Court. It is largely due to receiving these convictions that he cites as his reasons for giving education a second go.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 4, 2022
This isn’t the first Danny King book I’ve read; I’ve found them all very funny, and this is no exception. Do opposites attract? Of course, opposites don’t attract. Even complementary traits in a relationship don’t attract. Now admittedly, my wife puts up with my eccentricities – taking our son on a DFLA march against extremism and terrorism, arguing with people at dinner parties about Covid and untested vaccination and Joe Biden and, well, everything I suppose – but she puts up with me because we’re not opposites.
But in this book, Danny King explores that age old nonsense with Terry, a brickie from Catford and Charley, an up-market bird, who has everything she wants laid out on a plate for her. She works, admittedly, but Daddy pays for everything she needs, with explosively hilarious results. Charley’s friends are all very supportive, although they don’t like Terry very much, which is no surprise because he doesn’t like them, while Terry’s mates on site constantly take the mickey out of this lovestruck bricklayer. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?
The funniest part for me is when CT, Charley’s gay friend, invites them to dinner, and Terry’s reaction is, ‘Dinner? A bit weird that, isn’t it? Why would we go to his house for dinner? You only ever go to your mum’s house for dinner, don’t you? Why can’t we just have some peanuts in the pub and then grab a kebab on the way home?’ This isn’t a direct quote from the book, but it’s pretty accurate because Terry has never been to a dinner party before, and it’s clear Charley is extremely comfortable in a situation like that. She’s also at ease with ordering eggs benedict for breakfast whereas Terry is expecting to hoover down a Full English.
There’s no scene in the book whereby Charley comes down to The Lamb in Catford, has a few with Terry and his mates and then joins them for a curry where they get into a fight with people on the next table, and I think that would be good, but you get the feeling she’d be more at ease in that situation than Terry is meeting her mates.
Altogether, a very, very funny book, and I highly recommend it.
But in this book, Danny King explores that age old nonsense with Terry, a brickie from Catford and Charley, an up-market bird, who has everything she wants laid out on a plate for her. She works, admittedly, but Daddy pays for everything she needs, with explosively hilarious results. Charley’s friends are all very supportive, although they don’t like Terry very much, which is no surprise because he doesn’t like them, while Terry’s mates on site constantly take the mickey out of this lovestruck bricklayer. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?
The funniest part for me is when CT, Charley’s gay friend, invites them to dinner, and Terry’s reaction is, ‘Dinner? A bit weird that, isn’t it? Why would we go to his house for dinner? You only ever go to your mum’s house for dinner, don’t you? Why can’t we just have some peanuts in the pub and then grab a kebab on the way home?’ This isn’t a direct quote from the book, but it’s pretty accurate because Terry has never been to a dinner party before, and it’s clear Charley is extremely comfortable in a situation like that. She’s also at ease with ordering eggs benedict for breakfast whereas Terry is expecting to hoover down a Full English.
There’s no scene in the book whereby Charley comes down to The Lamb in Catford, has a few with Terry and his mates and then joins them for a curry where they get into a fight with people on the next table, and I think that would be good, but you get the feeling she’d be more at ease in that situation than Terry is meeting her mates.
Altogether, a very, very funny book, and I highly recommend it.
May 22, 2021
Picked this up as I adore Danny King books he nails it on the head the working classes. Terry is a bricky working on new build sites and he wakes up next to a gorgeous woman Charley they begin dating but Terry is full of doubt over his suitability for Charley he does everything she wants to do and not much for himself.
A great story a lovely read if you loved Hitman Diaries you’ll enjoy this too!
A great story a lovely read if you loved Hitman Diaries you’ll enjoy this too!
June 26, 2015
I picked up this book on a whim, needing a book with a colour in the title for my library's summer reading program. I'm very glad I did. My family are predominantly blue collar workers, while my friends and I are all IT professionals. The author pretty well pegged the dichotomy between the two groups, much to my amusement. Terry's aversion to eating fancy foods reminds me of the time I tried to serve candied rosemary and poached pears to my family, who looked at me as though I'd grown a second head. Being from "across the pond" as it were, I didn't quite get all the slang, but I really enjoyed the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews