Lucy Mangan - Bookworm

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A delight

I found Bookworm a delight.  It's a book about the joy of childhood reading, probably more so that about the books themselves, and I think Lucy Mangan captures the experience of being a bookish child beautifully.

I'm about 20 years older than Mangan, but I know a lot of the books she talks about and I think she talks about them and their effect with real love, humaity and understanding - including that thing about books you were supposed to like but didn't. I always felt as though I had some dreadful flaw because I didn't much like Babar or Swallows & Amazons, for example, so it's lovely to have an ally.

There's some very shrewd (and very readable) analysis as well as capturing the experience so well.  For example, there's a great section on the appeal of Enid Blyton and of the problematic side of her books.  You don’t have to agree with what Mangan says (although I largely do) to appreciate the clarity and insight of the points she makes.  She is very good at remembering the child's point of view as well as having a balanced, humane adult perspective and a sensible notion of children's ability to survive and gain from what some adults may think they need to be protected against. 

And, by the way, she's very funny.

Obviously, there are overlaps between my childhood reading and Mangan's, just as there are many books she read that I didn't and vice versa, and most readers will find the same.  I still found that I enjoyed much of what she writes about the books I don't know, although I did indulge in a bit of judicious skimming here and there.  She writes with such engaging enthusiasm and wit that it's all a pleasure to read – and anyway, someone who loves The Phantom Tollbooth as much as I do is plainly sound to the core.

In short, if you loved reading as a child, I think you'll love Bookworm as I did.  Very warmly recommended.

(My thanks to Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley.)