
Following On: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession and Terrible Cricket (Paperback)
Emma John (author)Published: 20/04/2017
'A witty, wry memoir ... the comparisons to Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch are justified' - Independent i
It's one thing to be 14 years old and a loser. It's one thing to be the class swot, and hopelessly infatuated with someone who doesn't know you exist. But what kind of teenager is besotted with an entire sports team - when the players are even bigger losers than she is?
In 1993, while everyone else was learning Oasis lyrics and crushing on Kate Moss or Keanu, Emma John was obsessing over the England cricket team. She spent her free time making posters of the players she adored. She spent her pocket money on Panini stickers of them, and followed their progress with a single-mindedness that bordered on the psychopathic.
The primary object of her affection: Michael Atherton, a boyishly handsome captain who promised to lead his young troops to glory. But what followed was one of the worst sporting streaks of all time - a decade of frustration, dismay and comically bungling performances that made the England cricket team a byword for British failure.
Nearly a quarter of a century on, Emma John wants to know why she spent her teenage years defending such a bunch of no-hopers. She seeks out her childhood heroes with two questions: why did they never win? And why on earth did she love them so much?
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781472916891
Number of pages: 272
Weight: 216 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Deftly comic, wonderfully true, for anyone who has ever thought that England, chasing 600 in the fourth innings, just might do it.' - Gideon Haigh
'A real treat of a book, that will gladden the hearts of any cricket lover over 25, and broaden the horizons of anyone under.' - All Out Cricket
'A gloriously funny yet poignant memoir' - The Guardian
'A witty, wry memoir ... the comparisons to Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch are justified' - Independent i
You may also be interested in...
“"You'll be hooked from the 1st page!"”
As a teenager, Emma John fell deeply in love. Nothing unusual there I agree, but the object of her affection was somewhat more unorthodox. The England cricket team of the '90s is not heralded as a wonderful... More
“Read it in a day !”
Reminded me very much of my teenage years and rushing home from school to watch cricket on terrestrial telly!
And the fact my football team Luton town get mentioned was the icing on the cake !
Well worth a read
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?