Customer Reviews

17 reviews

• Neil McPherson

  There are a number of excellent books that cover the recent past in entertaining, episodic detail. David Kynaston's and Dominic Sandbrook's series spring to mind. Milner's Memory Stick brings something different, weaving personal experience - both entertaining and moving - into the chronology of a period I know well, being of similar age.
  
  An eclectic array of events, people and experiences kept flooding back as I read the book - from Pogle's Wood to Watergate, from the long hot summer of 1977 to the infamous Leeds team of 73/74 (infamous to a Man Utd supporter anyway). Less familiar but fascinating was Milner's childhood in Nigeria which clearly made a deep impression on him. I also learned (on the first page!) what strobogrammatic means - a new one to me.
  
  The book stops tantalisingly in 1987, leaving plenty of capacity required for Memory Stick 2.

• George Beattie

  This is best-seller material. I couldn’t put it down. How many autobiographies are genuine page-turners! Some of the stories are laugh out loud funny. It’s also wistful in places, and sad, as our lives sometimes are. The footnotes device is really clever. I join the other reviewers in wanting to know when’s the next book coming out. I can’t wait. Encore!! Encore!!

• Bob Collie

  The human memory is a strange thing, consisting not of a tidy narrative but of an unstructured collection of the bits of our past that - for whatever reason - happen to stay with us. The joy of Oliver Milner's autobiography is that it delivers the raw material - a window into the events from which a story could, if you choose, be created, but delivered true to how life really is, sometimes following a story arc, more often not. This is truly a "memory stick" of the personal moments - the sad, the trivial, the funny, the bizarre - set within a timeline of a changing world, an affirmation of life and an invitation to think back on, treasure, and celebrate one's own memory stick. A pleasure.

• Neil Worrall

  Memory Stick is a highly original debut novel by Oliver Milner, cleverly combining a historical journey through the decades with his own fascinating personal history.
  
  That combination ensures that your own memories are triggered throughout, leading to a highly personal and reflective trip down memory lane.
  
  A terrific idea skillfully delivered and with a large dose of humour throughout.
  
  I would highly recommend and I look forward to future works by Oliver Milner.

• Adrian Sladdin

  The style of Memory Stick immediately makes it a very readable and engaging autobiography; it is full of lovely anecdotes and always self-deprecating in a way that makes you both empathise with and laugh along with the narrator. The ongoing historical, geographical and cultural footnotes add to the progression and to the structure of the memoir. The writer has a deft touch in terms of style and the level of detail is never burdensome or heavy. From Yorkshire to Nigeria, from Action Man to Leeds United, the book transports you around the world and back to a more innocent age initially, before striding confidently into the here and now. Overall, a pleasure to read and thoroughly recommended.

• Lucy George

  An entertaining memoir intersperced with history. Lots of fun.

• Darren Battle

  A veritable jog down memory lane for anyone born in the 1960s (or 1970s) directed by humorous reflections and “where were you when….?” moments. More memory "carrots" than memory "sticks" you’ll find you want to know how Oliver’s journey progresses through life – and reflect back on your own journey as a result of the flashbacks this will inspire. The only thing that is missing is the musical backdrop! Looking forward to the sequel – and the grown up Oliver in a proper job, with proper prospects and no doubt some life affirming observations to map the journey. (Darren Battle, Real Estate Malingerer and Child of the 1960s)

• Dirk Vennix

  If you have lived your formative years in the 60s to the 80s, particularly if it was in Yorkshire and other exotic places abroad, this is a “must read” book. Not only is it beautifully written and wonderfully crafted, but this autobiography also reveals that we have all been or will go through the same highs and lows in life, from dashes with danger as we grow up to comedy capers as we stumble into a working career. It reminded me of similar anecdotes in my youth living abroad but none were as outrageous and hilarious as his. The author is a gifted storyteller and his riveting narrative superbly bound together with historical moments will keep you turning the pages in eager anticipation until the end. I could relate to the life of Oliver Milner in more senses than one and it has inspired me to get on with writing my family history as well.

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