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Brendan Gisby
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The Bookie's Runner Kindle Edition

by Brendan Gisby (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 143 ratings
Bob Dylan wrote the classic song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and thereby unforgettably marked the passing of an otherwise insignificant character in the movie "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid".

Brendan Gisby has written this utterly beautiful novella to honour the short life of his father, a man of seemingly as little significance.

The story is narrated with haunting subtlety, rhythm and depth of feeling by his teenage son as he takes a bus ride back to school for the first day of a new term, where he will have to announce his father's sudden death and deal with the resultant reactions without bursting into tears. He also has to come to terms with the fact that, on reflection, there is a huge amount he doesn't know about his father and that all he is really left with are snippets of personal memories.

Make no mistake, THE BOOKIE'S RUNNER is a modern masterpiece. In writing it, Brendan Gisby has not only honoured his father, he has ennobled him.
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  1. Print length
    114 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    28 Jan. 2013
  5. File size
    314 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

About the Author

Brendan Gisby was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, halfway through the 20th century, and was brought up just along the road in South Queensferry (the Ferry) in the shadow of the Forth Bridge. Retiring from a business career in 2007, he has devoted himself to writing. Brendan has already published two novels, 'The Island of Whispers' and 'The Olive Branch', and has written many short stories, including 'Ferry Tales', a collection of stories about growing up in the Ferry during the 1950's and 1960's.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B7H5KE6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McStorytellers
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 28 Jan. 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 314 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 114 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 143 ratings

About the author

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Brendan Gisby

Brendan Gisby

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Brendan Gisby was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, halfway through the 20th century, and was brought up just along the road in South Queensferry (the Ferry) in the shadow of the world-famous Forth Bridge. He presently lives in splendid isolation in the wilds of Strathearn in Scotland.

Retiring from a business career in 2007, Brendan has devoted himself to writing. To date, he has published four novels, four biographies and several short story collections, details of all of which can be viewed on this site.

Brendan is also the founder of McStorytellers (http://mcstorytellers.com), a website which showcases the work of Scottish-connected short story writers.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
143 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read, with a poignant and heartwarming narrative that spans the whole spectrum of emotions. Moreover, the story receives positive feedback for its great biography, with one customer noting how it documents ordinary yet characterful lives, while another describes it as a touching tribute to a lost father. Additionally, customers appreciate the book's pacing, with one review highlighting its moving story of grit and determination.

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20 customers mention ‘Writing quality’20 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as a beautifully written tale that is easy to read, with one customer noting the author's flowing style.

"...of pain and vividness of emotion and yet all of that is controlled, constructed and managed with a level of reflective awareness that is little..." Read more

"Enjoyable book although sad. Well worth a read and would definitely recommend it. Author has a flowing style which makes the book hard to put down." Read more

"...The writing is good, compelling, and absorbs the reader into the story: it's difficult to put this book down once you start and it stays with you..." Read more

"...Short book." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Emotional depth’14 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's emotional depth, finding it poignant and heartwarming, with one customer noting how it spans the whole spectrum of emotions.

"...for being able to tell this story with the power of pain and vividness of emotion and yet all of that is controlled, constructed and managed with a..." Read more

"...That's something I can relate to on a personal level. Told with deep feeling and consummate skill this is a book that deserves to be read both as a..." Read more

"...It's a short read (less than an hour), well written, emotive and provides a snapshot in time and for that alone, I'm giving it 5 stars." Read more

"I enjoyed this short story, was very easy to read. Sad at times. I Would recommend this book to others." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Story quality’14 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's story quality, appreciating it as a great biography that captures memories of the author's father. One customer notes how it documents ordinary yet characterful lives, while another mentions how it brings readers back to their time.

"...It's brave, honest, open, poignant and compelling..." Read more

"...The writing is good, compelling, and absorbs the reader into the story: it's difficult to put this book down once you start and it stays with you..." Read more

"Good biography of the writer's dad and the harsh reality of life in Edinburgh during 50's & 60's. Short book." Read more

"...in that it utterly grips the reader whilst documenting ordinary yet characterful lives. Not many writers do this so well...." Read more

10 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and brilliant, with one describing it as an absorbing and genuinely moving celebration.

"...Structurally the work is understated but very clever...." Read more

"Enjoyable book although sad. Well worth a read and would definitely recommend it. Author has a flowing style which makes the book hard to put down." Read more

"An enjoyable read with Brendan Gisby's emotional account of his father's life, drawn from his childhood memories...." Read more

"...But could I do better? No I certainly could not... This is one fabulous & accomplished writer & I challenge any reader to begin this biography..." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Pacing’7 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book moving, with one customer describing it as a tale of grit and determination, while another notes how it absorbs the reader into the story.

"...It's not just what he writes about it's how he writes. It's brave, honest, open, poignant and compelling..." Read more

"...The writing is good, compelling, and absorbs the reader into the story: it's difficult to put this book down once you start and it stays with you..." Read more

"...What I got was an incredibly compelling read about a hard working, ordinary man struggling to provide for his family...." Read more

"...Ultimately it's a sad tale of hardship and loss but also a tale of grit and determination. Another gem from Brendan." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • C. Wight
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes you can trust reviews.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2012
    Verified Purchase
    It's not that I doubted the reviews. People whose opinion I respect have raved about this book. It's not that I doubted Brendan's talent - in one week I've consumed his short stories and family saga and been deeply moved by both.

    It's just that I couldn't begin to imagine what one could write about such an ordinary dad. Brendan admits it, more than once `he was just my dad.' Not a hero. Not unusual in any obvious way, `just my dad.' So I found it hard to imagine what could make any book on the subject as good as people have said about it. That's why I didn't read it sooner. I should have. I started reading. I was choked by paragraph 2. Lesson 2 learned. It's not just what he writes about it's how he writes. It's brave, honest, open, poignant and compelling

    By Chapter Two I already knew I had to give this my full and undivided attention - and expect to cry. And I don't do crying. Especially not about fathers. Having long since had mine abandon me, I tend not to think that fathers can be heroes.

    But this is Brendan's story, not mine. And a fifteen year old Brendan narrates his thoughts on the longest bus journey on earth - his first day back at High School after the death of his father. Each chapter is another story in the course of his dad's life and it works so well because the adult holds himself in the background, while offering a subtle awareness of the depths beyond the boy's immediate grief. He shares the reflexive stance of the reader and draws our empathy not only to the boy but to the man the boy became. It is man and boy telling the story.

    The 15 year old feels raw emotion and unbridled hatred for a world which has treated his dad so unfairly and everyone (including himself) who has ever wronged his dad are the target of his furious grief. The tribute to the adult is that he has channelled this into a story which is a true tribute to his father.

    F.Scott Fitzgerald said `write because you have something to say, not because you want to say something. Gisby wants to say something - boy and man - but he also HAS something to say. Something very important about human relationships and interaction. About truth and lies and trust and failure and love.

    The boy experiences hopelessness and vows never to be as gentle and soft as his dad.

    `Who can you trust?' is his dad's poignant question and Gisby learns that you can't trust anyone -except your dad. And without him, you have nothing left. I empathise with that feeling.

    Structurally the work is understated but very clever. One doesn't find out the full symbolic importance of the bus journey until well into the book and it hits one as yet another sideswipe. You want to go and wring the neck of the woman who cheats them at their gardening job. You want to hunt down the Bookie who cheats them (I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler) It isn't though because the episodes themselves, well written, remembered with the rawness of real emotion, are the stepping stones towards the greatness of the story which is a picture of how `ordinary' people become what they are. The hopelessness. The fierce determination not to be cheated or lied to or tramped on are vivid and real. After finishing this I have the deepest respect for Brendan Gisby. I mourn for the boy he was and the dad he lost and I hope that he got the life he deserved. He certainly deserves the utmost respect for being able to tell this story with the power of pain and vividness of emotion and yet all of that is controlled, constructed and managed with a level of reflective awareness that is little short of incredible
    One person found this helpful
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  • Arturo N
    4.0 out of 5 stars A nice absorbing story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyable book although sad. Well worth a read and would definitely recommend it. Author has a flowing style which makes the book hard to put down.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • F.Z.Flynn
    5.0 out of 5 stars An axe for the ice
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I read somewhere that Kafka said that a book should be an axe for the frozen sea within all of us and anyone who has ever picked up a pen and tried to break through that sea will immediately recognize the real human and artistic quality of "The Bookie's Runner". The first thing that jumps out at you in this book is the narrative voice. And then the subtle narrative eye. Together they paint a poignant and beautiful painting of a moment in time. Together they take you on that bus journey with the teenage narrator and back into the world of working class life in Edinburgh in the 50's and 60's, into a working class experience that anyone can relate to, making this story a truly universal experience. This is the story of the writer's father's sad and all too short stay in this world. The writing is good, compelling, and absorbs the reader into the story: it's difficult to put this book down once you start and it stays with you for weeks after finishing it. Weeks after you are still thinking of the injustices done to Derry McKay and feeling the pain of the writer who experiences that "big emptiness" and who over forty years later still thinks "I miss my dad so much". That's something I can relate to on a personal level. Told with deep feeling and consummate skill this is a book that deserves to be read both as a work of literature and as an historical document of Scotland in the "days of consensus". I wholeheartedly give it five stars as a way to help all of us to break through the ice of that frozen sea.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Grandad.Baloo
    3.0 out of 5 stars The bookie's runner by Brendan Gisby
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Good biography of the writer's dad and the harsh reality of life in Edinburgh during 50's & 60's. Short book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • col2910
    4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt memoir of a much-loved father!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 May 2017
    Verified Purchase
    An enjoyable read with Brendan Gisby's emotional account of his father's life, drawn from his childhood memories.

    Shared experiences of a man he loved but didn't have the chance to really get to know. There's the pain and love and resentment and anger that is present in all families.

    The Gisby's were poor. The father worked a couple of jobs while the mother exhibited a blatant disregard for budgeting. Money was spent faster than it was earned. We join Brendan and his father searching the beach for Forth Bridge money thrown off the passing train by passengers for good luck.
    Scrubbing the coins later at home and the tsk'ing of his mother, with his father proclaiming there's no shame in being poor.

    Other memories......... a gardening job with his father and the humiliation Brendan felt at his treatment by the lady of the house and the innate understanding his father had for his feelings; the raging toothache and pain his father felt and the "miraculous" finding by his sister of the money to pay for treatment and the days as a bookie's runner, filling in for his dad while he lay in a hospital bed; finally the end and the passing of his father and the way he dealt with adversity.

    3.5 from 5

    Brendan Gisby has been read and enjoyed before - The Burrymen War was a powerful read.

    Read - April, 2017
    Published - 2013
    Page count - 90
    Source - purchased copy an Amazon FREEBIE
    Format - Kindle
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • TaraM'liss
    5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional and heart warming!
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 July 2011
    Verified Purchase
    WHAT A BOOK!!!

    I honestly felt the emotions and frustrations that Brendan Gisby relays to us in this wonderful book! I don't think there could possibly be a person out there who didn't relate to his story in some manner. But Brendan takes us there in a magical way! I swear I could smell the scents, feel the breeze, hear the creak of the gate...I WAS THERE! My heart ached when his did and I felt the pain of a young boy who couldn't change the outcome and circumstances of life, and would have given anything if he could. I highly recommend this book!!
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  • clg
    4.0 out of 5 stars hard to put down
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 February 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book, I know he thought his father was too nice and easy going which he felt was his downfall, but I believe we can be the best we can be and still have a successful God fearing life. It was a touching story, I am glad I read it.
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  • Noel Venter
    3.0 out of 5 stars This was a sweet story about the tragic life of a man who ...
    Reviewed in the United States on 31 August 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This was a sweet story about the tragic life of a man who lived a hard life amid the harsh times of a depression. Despite the many problems that beset him, he kept bouncing back with a smile on his face, both a disappointment and an inspiration to his son. An unusual story about not much, but nevertheless it was worth reading I think, I am glad I read it!
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  • Rosemary Pooser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gisby never disappoints
    Reviewed in the United States on 28 January 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Gisby never disappoints; that should be the title of his autobiography. What a perfect homage to his father. The prose, as always, is rich and dripping with delicious melancholy. If the author was present at the completion of this read, I would have given him a hug. Were I to compile a bucket list, one of the items would be to read everything Gisby has ever put out. Scratch that, I will read all of it and more. It would be to become as gifted an author as he is.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good read.
    Reviewed in the United States on 7 May 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Pretty interesting, but you just want to slap his Mama and cry hysterically for his Daddy.
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