Description
By: John Ackworth (1854-1917)
Clog Shop Chronicles by John Ackworth is a delightful and heartwarming collection of short stories set in a small village in Yorkshire. The author’s keen eye for detail and ability to capture the essence of rural life shines through in each story, from the quirky characters who frequent the local clog shop to the amusing mishaps and adventures that ensue.
Ackworth’s writing is filled with humor and charm, making each story a joy to read. The characters are brought to life with vivid descriptions and witty dialogue, drawing the reader into their world and making them feel like a part of the village community.
One of the highlights of the book is the sense of nostalgia that permeates each story, harkening back to a simpler time when life moved at a slower pace and neighbors looked out for one another. It is a refreshing and comforting read that is sure to evoke feelings of warmth and contentment.
Overall, Clog Shop Chronicles is a delightful collection of stories that will appeal to anyone looking for a charming and light-hearted read. John Ackworth has created a memorable and endearing world that readers will not want to leave.
Book Description:
John Ackworth was the pen name of the Rev. Frederick R. Smith, a Methodist minister who was born in Snaith, Yorkshire, but spent much of his career as a circuit preacher in Lancashire. Clog Shop Chronicles was the first and most successful of his works. Set in the fictional 19th-century village of Beckside (said to be somewhere between Manchester and Bolton), the book consists of 12 tales of everyday life in a close-knit Methodist community, which continue into Beckside Lights (1897) and Doxy Dent (1899). Based on an entertaining group of characters who gather round the clog shop fire, the stories are sentimental at times, but Ackworth has a nice sense of irony and refrains from Methodist proselytizing. Ackworth was also a student of the Lancashire dialect and the spoken passages in his books are mostly written in a phonetic version of late 19th-century Bolton speech, which I have done my best to reproduce.
