Jake's Progress by David Simmonds #Review #JakesProgress

I am delighted to feature Jake's Progress on the blog today. David Simmonds' novel is published on February 2019. Here's a little about the book:

 

It’s 1968: Jake Nash, fresh out of university, is leaving his London home, and a rapidly cooling love affair with the beautiful Amanda, to start his career as a journalist with a newspaper in the South Wales valleys. But his dreams of glory as an ace reporter are bedevilled by encounters with two inept freedom fighters, a sinister Minister with murder in mind and the very obvious attractions of a beautiful colleague.

A darkly comic tale of romance, revenge and reporting that comes to an explosive climax.

My Thoughts

David Simmonds' experience as a journalist on a weekly newspaper in Wales shines through in this gently amusing depiction of Welsh provincial life in 1968. The novel has a great cast of characters who all have their own backstory and who all breath life into the story. 

 

    Jake arrives from London to take up his new job on the local paper and is immediately involved in the local politics. It is written with a light touch with some wry humour as Jake comes to terms with life away from London. There is a real affection in the writing for the community described and you get an authentic feel for life in the late sixties throughout. Jake's innocence as he wanders into some dangerous situations adds to the humour and I am sure there is more mileage to be had from his life in the Welsh valleys. 

 

In short: A well written, amusing debut which rings with authenticity.  

                                                                    About the Author

David Simmonds was born in North London and went to what was then the University College of North Wales, Bangor. After a failed attempt at teaching (six weeks), he spent a year working and travelling in Canada and America before returning to train as a journalist with weekly newspapers in the South Wales valleys. He spent most of his working life with BBC Wales in Cardiff as a radio and television producer and director.

He began writing fiction after taking early retirement. His work has been published in magazines and on-line, and in 2017 he won the Writers’ and Artists’ Short Story competition. ‘Jake’s Progress’, based on his time as a trainee reporter in the valleys, is his first novel.

David now lives in Penarth, just outside Cardiff, with his wife Mary and an irascible cat, Mrs Grumpy. Much of his time is spent in the service of his two daughters and three grandsons or rowing on the River Taff.

You can follow David here: Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to David Simmonds and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour!