I Never Wanted a Pub… by Celia Bannister {Book Review}
{This article contains an affiliate link. Also this book was gifted to my parents but I wasn’t obligated to write a review for it.}
Hello Readers,
The book I want to tell you about today is quite a special one as the author, Celia Bannister, is actually my great-aunt on my dad’s side of the family {my grandad’s sister}. My parents were sent an advanced copy of the book, which I was very kindly allowed to read first, since I am the avid reader in the family. So I thought it would be nice to write a dedicated review for it as I enjoyed the book so much.
I Never Wanted a Pub… is actually Celia’s second book, the first book she wrote documented her childhood during the Second World War, which I have read and re-read numerous times since receiving a copy when I was around 12 years old because I love Celia’s writing style and learning about the affect of the war here in the North West of England.
As always, before I get into my thoughts on the book, let me share the synopsis from the back of the book so you know what it’s about:
“Celia Bannister never wanted a pub. She thought that her future husband would be an engineer. Then life took a different turn, and the couple became the youngest pub tenants in North West England.
I Never Wanted a Pub… is Celia’s tale of the thirteen years she and her husband battled leaky roofs, a freezing kitchen and the difficulty of getting customers in… and then out again on time.
Particularly memorable are the larger-than life characters who share Celia’s pages. Like the bridegroom who dropped his false teeth down the lavatory… or Tom, the road mender who demonstrated that he had no belly button…or Wing Co who an unfortunate encounter with an animal laxative.
Celia is a born story teller who recounts tales of flooded cellars, disappearing coach parties and a near-miss by a crashing aeroplane with equal gusto and glee.”
The time period the book covers is late 50’s and into the 60’s and reading about this time of my great-aunt and uncle’s life was absolutely wonderful. Although my grandparents {Celia’s brother and sister-in-law, who are mentioned a little in the book, though not named.} were also pub tenants for a number of years, I learned a lot about how the process works from this book, especially in regards to how the take over from the old tenant to the new works. I was very young when my grandparents left the pub trade and my grandad died when I was about 7 or 8, so I never had the chance to ask him about that time of his life and my grandma didn’t really share much about it. So reading this book felt like I was getting a little bit of insight into what my grandparents might have dealt with at times as well.
Along with sharing some of the inner workings of the pub trade in England, the book is mainly made up of numerous antidotes of the people who frequented the pub. These stories often had me laughing so much I was crying and they really highlighted the community feel of the village that the pub is located in, where everyone knows everyone else and is often related to everyone else in some way too. I still have family in that village and it’s pretty much the same ~ everyone knowing everyone else, the way an English country village should be.
The book is also wonderfully illustrated by Anthea Radcliffe, which definitely helps to give even more life to the stories.
{There are some crude, toilet humour moments within this book that did make me cringe a little, but the way Celia writes them is very tasteful considering the nature of the stories and I couldn’t help but laugh.}
Celia’s writing style is so conversational that as I was reading, it felt like I was back in my grandma’s front room when she and uncle Stan were visiting her. My parents and I would sit for hours listening to all of their adventures and I loved it so much because Celia can basically talk about anything and is interested in everything. So even though due to my health, I’ve not been able to see her for a number of years, this book was like being in the room with her again and I loved that.
Although I’ve alway been a little bit in awe of my auntie Celia, as I read each chapter, my awe grew! She never expected to be running a pub, let alone learning to pull her first pint on the very first night she and uncle Stan were in the pub in front of customers; while having to add up each customer’s order in her head because there was no till at the time to do that for you! Plus my auntie Celia was pregnant at the time with their first child {my dad’s cousin} and within the thirteen years of running the pub, they had three children to raise as well as run a pub. Honestly I don’t know how they did it, but that truly shows what type of people my uncle Stan was and my auntie Celia is.
I’m not just saying all this because I’m related to them, I’d still feel the same if I’d decided to pick this up in a bookshop and read it.
Receiving this book was a lovely surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed I Never Wanted A Pub.. and if you’re interested in a little chapter of history from a small village in the North West of England or would like to know what it was kind of like running a pub during the 50’s and 60’s, then give this book a try. Alternatively, if you’re just looking for a fun, lighthearted non-fiction, this book will also work.
Thank you so much to my auntie Celia for sending my parents a copy of the book, it was so wonderful to be able to read about this chapter of your life as an adult after listening to some of the stories when you and uncle Stan came to visit when I was younger.
Stay Safe. Read a Book.
L x
