Reviews of “Goodbye Crackernight”
A Second Good Review of GOODBYE CRACKERNIGHT in Lead Up to Launch!
A Huge Dose of Nostalgia by Wendy O’Hanlon
For all those Gen-Xers out there, this book is pure warm and fuzzy nostalgia – page after page after page.
Remember when, as a child, there were three highlights of the year – your birthday, Christmas and cracker night.
Remember when fun cost nothing, going barefoot, bicycle riding, roller skates, building your own billy cart and running carefree around the neighbourhood. Remember the orange mix called Tang, lime Quik, chip butties. Remember the record player and Top 40 singles, pet rocks, The Seekers. Remember Romper Room; rushing home from school to watch the afternoon TV shows and cartoons such as The Roadrunner, The Monkees, The Thunderbirds.
Remember the TV cop shows such as Division Four and Homicide. And who can forget the neighbourhood star – the Valiant Charger.
Goodbye Crackernight is a huge dose of nostalgia told with great humour and fond memories. Remember your best buddies, your first kiss, your first fight. If you can remember any of these things, you will love this book. It’s a walk down memory lane – great to be a child and teenager again!
Wendy O’Hanlon
Journalist
First Review
What a cracker of a book this is by John Morrow
“JOHN MORROW’S PICK OF THE WEEK”
What a cracker of a book this is. It’s full of memorabilia from the days when you had to amuse yourself without the use of electronic devices. I, together with the author, am pleased we lived and remember the 1970’s.
Cracker Night was just one of the annual events we looked forward to as youngster, along with Christmas and birthdays. If you mention the words, Cracker Night, today’s kids would look at you in a strange way and think you were ‘crackers’, or in today’s term, ‘off your head’.
Kids would also continue to look at you in a queer way if mentioned the joy you had watching a catherine wheel, a throw down, or a roman candle. All of these are now gone, thanks to those fools who mistreated the responsibility of letting off those wonderful crackers, as we all watched them go up in a puff of smoke.
Justin Sheedy describes some of the antics he got up to at preschool and the tales from big school also a hoot. He went off to big school holding his mother’s hand, watching other kids bawling their eyes out… not Justin, off he went straight up to his new teacher and sat down next to his first mate Seamus which is pronounced Shaymuth.
This is the life and times of Justin Sheedy a man who has a deep dark secret. When he was three, he admits to having nude Barbie dolls that were hand me downs and were commonly known as the nudy rudies. Was this his introduction to sex, or was it the two teenagers doing a little more than just plain kissing in the back seat of an FJ Holden?
All in all though, Justin describes those innocent playtime incidents with joy, especially when it rained and the streets were flooded, the gutters overflowed with water, and boats were made out of paddle pop sticks.
Justin admits the kids of today are probably more techno sound, but he and his friends don’t care anyway, they had more fun.
What a cracker of a book – you’ll cack yourself laughing at the times when you made your own fun. Justin and his friends give you the opportunity to experience life in the 70’s
John MorrowFor more reviews, click HERE or click the Book Review links in the list at the right of this page.
Hi,
Heard about your book on the radio. I have just listed it on our site. The image from your blog shoild be linked by tomorrow. Would you like to add it to our new blog? blog.emporiumbooks.com.au We just finished it and are ready to start populating it. You could use some of the reviews already from your blog that will be acknowledged.
Good luck with the release!
Thanks,
Shlomo (also born in the 60s)
Hi, Shlomo.
Great that you heard the interview on FM 99.3 this morning. Was a pleasure to do – Announcer Tom Furey’s an excellent bloke.
Brilliant that you’ve listed Goodbye Crackernight on your site. Look forward to the cover image being posted (front cover only, I assume). And yep, please add any and all info re the book to your new blog.
Cheers for your good wishes
Justin Sheedy
Hi Justin,
AAAHHH THE FLASHBACKS
I loved the book.I too was born way back in 1968.I grew up on the central coast,Umina Beach,NSW.Back then it was a small coastal town.Everyone kind of knew everyone.We had a lot of adventures on the Malvern Stars,doubling with sometimes 1 on the handle bars and one 1 on the back of the seat,no helmets or shoes or we did a lot of walking.We spent a lot of time down the beach,riding down the shops,exploring the bush.We were in “Brownies”.We didnt have a lot of money,or a lot of toys.We built “Cubby Houses” everywhere.Envied the neighbour who had a pool,played knock and run,sold mums plants,had chooks,knocked on doors to do “Odd Jobs”then spend 2 hours raking some old lady’s lawn for 20 cents,which would buy so much,even if you bought a “Big Charlie” bubblegum,you got change for more lollies.Everyone was Mr & Mrs.We had a gold Kingswood station wagon no seatbelts were used,a swing set,outside toilets,a lime green kitchen with matching lime green vinyl chairs on the dining suit, a verticle grill which mum would cook our lamb loin chops in,a chunky red dial telephone on the buffet unit,a rubbish pile dad use to burn every 6 months in the backyard which usually scorched the fence,a black and white HMV t.v,where “The Sullivans” were a ritual,along with the afternoon cartoons,bewitched,I dream of Jeannie…I could go on and on.The book bought back SO many memories,things I had forgotten about,similarities of school teachers and playground stories..And yes Crackernight..where we would all stand around in our highly flammable winter dressing gowns and let off the hours fireworks and sparklers,we stood them in plastic buckets of sand.It was usually a big get together with friends and family,bbq,beers,wine and mums chocolate cake topped with cream and grated chocolate,staying up late and lots of OOOO’s and AAAAh’s.I would love to write it all down and share my stories of growing up in the 70′s,it has inspired me.What a time…It stirred a lot of emotion,now the good old days are gone.Kind of sad.Thanks Justin I loved the book.
What an utterly brilliant comment by you, Simonne, and superb recollections by you re your childhood, great insights, hilarious too. (How did we ever survive?) I’m truly glad you’ve enjoyed the book and connected with it in the way you describe. Really rewarding to hear that the story stirred emotion like that. Highly gratifying to hear.
But now I think I must go to the Doctor to have a dangerous excess of my own Adjectives and Adverbs removed.
All the very best to you, Simonne. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Hi Justin,
Congratulations on your book, it was great to read your book and remember a time gone by, as I grew up down the road from you most of the charaters in the book came to life for me.
How I remember your mother was one Sunday mid-morning (after mass), my mother sent me out door knocking for the Red Cross. When I knocked on your front door your mother answer, she gave me a dollar or two and then said, I wouldn’t go next door as the “Jacksons” are having on of their parties.
Even now I find it so funny that your mother who was so holy and Catholic lived next door to the Jacksons.
It has been over 20 years since I lived in North Epping but when I talk with my siblings of those times all the members of your family are in there.
Congratulation again and looking forward to your next book
Keep well
Fran
Frances.
Lovely to hear from you. Thanks for such kind words and am I happy you enjoyed the book!
A classic recollection from you re you, my mum and the people next door – what an excellent anecdote.
I have very fond memories of you, your mother and father (great people – their post Carols by Candlelight drinks were something I cherished every year – and I didn’t even drink at age 10!), also your excellent older brothers. I really looked up to them. Ian was a hero of mine, and Robert I met later, such a serious academic type, a formative influence there too.
Cheers to you, Frances. Great to hear your voice.
Justin.