Going Places (The Hopkins Family Saga, Book 5): An endearing account of bringing up a family in the 1950s - Tapa blanda

GOING PLACES is the story of a family dealing with their dreams, new
challenges and heartaches, and is sure to capture the imagination of all
readers.

As ever with Billy's books, there's a comedy of errors at every turn.
One problem after another is described with a humour that's so
contagious the reader is soon infected - and will happily suffer the
symptoms.

I have just got back from the Far East (Was I the first to read GOING
PLACES in the Far East?) I loved every word of it. I kept looking back
to see if I had piles more pages to read. If I could take 10 books with
me on an island, 4 of them would be yours (along with C.S. Lewis and
Jake Arnott).

In GOING PLACES, Kenya unfolds within the prose like an old map and the
country seems to suit the Hopkins sleight of hand. You can sense the
wisdom of experience dripping into his life, page by page.
I read GOING PLACES in one sitting. Time vanished, the sounds of the
day receded, the cat remained unfed.

GOING PLACES
Billy Hopkins's story is more relevant than ever in these days of TV
shows such as 'No Going Back', but nowadays the world seems a much
smaller place. GOING PLACES is well-written nostalgia for those who are
old enough to remember.

I loved the story of GOING PLACES and your wonderful sense of humour.
I was in Nigeria in the colonial days, in Ecuador, and in Sierra Leone.
Everything you wrote seemed to ring a bell with me.
Thank you for a wonderful book - it recalled so many experiences for me.

Thanks to Billy Hopkins's uncluttered writing style, GOING PLACES flows
beautifully.

Going Places is the fourth novel written by Billy Hopkins. This latest
in the series, by far the best, engages interest and attention from the
very beginning and keeps up a pace that has the reader eagerly turning
the pages. Though the writing is humorous, there runs through it a vein
of pathos and honesty that induces inner reflection. The author has an
unusually developed skill of capturing the mood of the times and the
"atmosphere" of places and events.
This has to be among the top half dozen autobiographical-like works for
2003 and from now on it will head my personal list of favourite novels
for many years ahead.

Like all his books, GOING PLACES is written in a conversational style
that soon draws you into the dramas of family life and keeps you hooked
right to the end.

Received my copy of GOING PLACES. Just read the first few paragraphs
and had a good laugh. Billy and I are kindred spirits.