Birthday

by Alan Sillitoe

Book Overview

The sequel to 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'. 'Birthday' is the sequel to Alan Sillitoe's classic novel of the 1950s, 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'. Four decades on from the novel which was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0007107811
• ISBN13: 9780007107810
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Flamingo
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Catching up with an old friend

As an undergraduate at UCLA, I read and re-read Alan Sillitoe's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, reveling in the antics of the boozing, brawling, working-class character Arthur Seaton. However, as years passed (and I got my Ph.D., married, bought a house and had a kid), I found it difficult to identify with the literary hero of my young adulthood.Birthday has made Arthur Seaton alive and relevant to me again. What a joy to catch up with Arthur over 40 literary years later and see how an "angry young man" ages gracefully... sort of . Arthur is now a responsible parent, loving husband to a terminally-ill wife, and tender of a vegetable garden in his own home. Yet, he is the same old Arthur: telling outrageous stories, complaining about the uselessness of the government, and half-threatening to kill a young co-worker for wasting food (remember, Arthur Seaton grew up in a war-deprived England).Birthday alludes to many moments from Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Sometimes, the results are hilarious: A 60-year-old Arthur, for example, finds himself counseling a spitting-image son who has visions of blowing up Parliament and telling his boss off -- the same fantasies Arthur professed as a young man. Often, the past references are touching. See the recently-widowed Arthur frolic with his grandson (and re-engage in life) the way he used to with his young nephew back in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.Fans of Saturday Night beware: much of Birthday focuses on Arthur's brother Brian and his weary struggle with existential issues and regret. The subplots with Arthur, however, really crackle with energy and good humor. I felt great after reading this book. If Arthur Seaton can remain vital through older adulthood, then maybe so can I. Cheers, Arthur!