Looking Towards the Tamar
Tales of Devonshire Life by Ted Sherrell
A dose of Ted Sherrell’s entertaining stories will brighten even the greyest, wettest day. Set on the Devon Banks of the
Tamar Ted Sherrell’s stories capture the spirit of the people who live in the valley through his memorable characters and the landscape they inhabit. From the ordinary events that touch his characters’ lives he has created a portrait of a rural community by blending humour and a sense of empathy.
The author’s ability to
describe humorous incidents through description and dialogue is a gift. The gentle, wry humour automatically made me smile and chuckle. Humour is one of the most difficult skills for any writer to master.
It requires a sense of
timing, pace and the ability to identify situations that readers will find amusing. Ted Sherrell has this ability to make his reader laugh while writing touching, wholesome stories set within a rural community. He is able to make the Devon banks of the Tamar Valley appealing in a way that Miss Read did in the 50s with her classic Chronicles of Fairacre set around a village school, or the master of Devonshire dialect A.J. Coles, creator of the character Jan Stewer and the popular early 20th century novels such as Ole Bisckit, Parcel of Crams and In Chimley Corner. We are therefore fortunate to
have a local author who can describe everyday events that
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divide and bind our community with wit, humour and charm. A battle over a church organ, Dick Langley’s personal fit with ‘The Diet’ and a risk assessment that has a major impact on everyone’s lives are just a few examples of the themes of these captivating, warm- hearted stories.
Ted Sherrell’s collection is something that as a community we should cherish. Along with the humour there are constant insights into the Valley’s own culture and interests from ‘The yellow peril’
and ‘fish pasties’ to football and ‘Home Park’. The characters he has created are delightful and one of my personal favourites is 71 year old Cliff Jackson whose prophetic statements such as “people with new ideas are often a menace” were most entertaining. Ted Sherrell’s stories of life on the Devon Banks of Tamar Valley are an entertaining read for both ‘locals’ and ‘grockles’ alike, and are quite simply ‘a proper job’!
Vanni Cook
www.myfanwycook.com
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