One Fine Day
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'Bloody marvellous' Nicholas Lezard, New Statesman
'Marchant conspires with his diarist ancestor to bring to life the eccentricities and the importance of the early eighteenth century. Elegiac, consistently funny, deeply moving' Richard Beard, author of Sad Little Men
One day Ian Marchant, acclaimed author of books on music, railways and pubs, decided, as all men of a certain age must, to have a dig around his family history. Surprisingly quickly, a web search informed him that his seven-times-great great-grandfather, Thomas Marchant had left a detailed diary from 1714 to 1728. So far, so jolly...
Life-loving diarist Thom - who liked a drink and a game of cards - feels recognisably Marchant to Ian. With fascinating detail we learn about Thom's family farm and fishponds; about dung, horses and mud; about beer, the wife's nights out, his own job troubles and their shared worries for their children. But as Ian digs deeper beyond the Sussex diary's bucolic portrait he discovers a subtext - a family descended from immigrants, with anti-establishment politics, who are struggling with illness, political instability and cash crises - just as their country does three centuries on.
Book details
- Format
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781914613555
- Published
- 15 February 2024
- Pages
- 364
- Duration
- Dimensions
- 129 x 198 mm
- Genre
- History
- Imprint
- September
Reviews
'One very fine book'
'Marchant is infectiously curious and impetuous... a delightful thing'
'Ian Marchant is one of England's most original writers. One Fine Day is a masterwork'
'Bloody marvellous'
'This book is too engaging, in both senses of the word, to be anything but loved... wonderful'
'I enjoyed it hugely, and was strangely moved. By bringing his long-ago ancestors to life, Ian Marchant has done a rather miraculous thing - we feel his family stretching out their hand from the depths of the past, and drawing us in. It's wide-ranging, informative and often very funny'
'Original and entertaining'
'Extraordinary... A highly entertaining and often deeply sensitive account of a man and his ancestor, thought-provoking and often moving'
'Deeply enchanting and fully fanged... Marchant's book made me laugh out loud in many places. He also moved me to tears... He is humane, invigorating company, and a joy to read'
