This is a book that puts

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ONE DEGREE OVER Read extracts

Steve Thomason

There were people gathering in the small, 16^th Century pub in the village (population 450) on the edge of Dartmoor when in walked this retired chemistry teacher, singer, musician and Morris dancer with his battered guitar and concertina; joining the dozen or so others there for an evening of music and song. No, this wasn’t the latest instalment in the ongoing saga of fictional Robert Kiddecott, this was where I managed to pick up “One Degree Over” from the hands of the author, the very same as mentioned above. Introducing a book review this way is to illustrate an important point: this author knows his subject matter inside and out. He’s writing a fictional story but it’s set in an environment with which he’s intimately familiar – and it shows.

It was good to catch up with the exploits of Robert Kiddecott. This book, still set in the mid-1970s, has the same ‘feel’ as the first: gentle humour, engaging characters and slightly bizarre exploits abound. Robert, folk musician and Morris dancer, has graduated from his college and is now employed teaching chemistry, still in mid-Wales. We meet many of the characters from the first novel, including Jacob Moses who continues to stumble, somewhat chaotically, through various schemes involving Robert in such unlikely events as greenhouses on roller-skates and instant ceilidh bands. Having drawn on his own experience of student life in 1960s/70s Wales to provide an authentic atmosphere in the first novel, the author now turns to his knowledge of teaching in the 1970s to produce the same authentic feel. Reading this book I could picture Ian Carmichael’s portrayal of ‘Lucky Jim’ in the 1957 film or his version of Bertie Wooster in the BBC series. You can’t help but like Robert Kiddecott, a decent but accident prone character who stumbles on regardless. I particularly identified with his clash with his Headmaster over unsupervised access to school science laboratories; one I’ve had myself on more than one occasion. It’s yet another indication that the author sets his characters against true to life backgrounds. My only reservation about the book’s authenticity is that, as with Robert’s undergraduate days, he seems to be surrounded by slightly less bizarre characters than I met on my similar path. Perhaps though, no-one would believe you these days if you told the truth about those times! What is true is that this is a book that you can sit down and enjoy. It’s light reading but very well written, gentle and engaging. You could probably read it in one sitting but I dipped into it over several days, so it would make a perfect book to take on holiday over the summer as well as one that could transport you to a gentler and more innocent world throughout a cold and rainy winter’s day.

This is a brilliant story. A "Last of the Summer Wine" for students in the 1970s. The life and dramatic exploits of a farmer's son from Devon is the basis of the book, and his attempts at conquering the opposite sex (always thwarted) provide a great deal of tension and humour.

A gentle, amusing, delightful tale told with great skill, this book is a delight!

Steve Thomason [University of Wales graduate, retired teacher, lapsed Morris dancer]

This is a book that puts, and keeps, a smile on your face. It keeps your interest if you like to sit and read books straight through but, with each chapter relating a self-contained incident, it’s also ideal to read a bit at a time. It would make perfect bedtime reading with its gentle humour and well-drawn characters giving you that warm, feel-good factor at the end of a hard day.

Whilst the students in this book are a little more civilised and hard-working than those I remember, they make wonderfully likeable characters and keep you feeling nostalgic about the “old days”. If you lived through those days then you must read it. Like me, every chapter will have you saying, “Yes, I remember when …”. If you dance or are involved in folk music it will remind you of the days when folk was fashionable and, if you just want a book that you can sit back and enjoy from cover to cover, then this is one for you.

This book has definitely solved my Christmas present list. Go on, read it, I’ll guarantee you’ll do so with a smile on your face and, if you’re of that certain age, with a warm glow of nostalgia.

It was fascinating for someone like me, a former teacher, to hear about
going to college in Wales. The author obviously did attend college in
Wales, a country not many of us on this side of the Pond are very
familiar with. It was a delightful read, full of singing and dancing without
the intrusive emphases of so many novels featuring money, sports,
gratuitous sex and crime. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Columbyne Do you remember what it was like to be a student in Wales in the 1970s? Colin M. Andrews most certainly does, and with great charm his novel recounts three years in the life of a young aspiring undergraduate teacher. For me, episode after episode of delightfully written and often hilarious narrative bring back those times better than any photographs. For anyone who wonders what life was like at that time, this is the book to read! It set me wondering about how different things were then; some things have improved enormously, others have not, but above all I felt that the book vividly depicts how much our lives then were filled with simple, honest-to-goodness fun. The story rolls on, almost like a trip around Wales, and I found that the author never allowed it to stray too far off track. If you are after a "holiday" from all the crime novels and doom and gloom currently on sale, this book makes a refreshing change. Read it!

Colin Andrews' first novel, A Matter of Degree, is set at a teacher training college in North Wales during the mid 1970s.

Colin cleverly catches college life with its segregated accommodation and how to get around it, petty politics of clubs and societies and the sometimes bizarre happenings encountered during teaching practice. The story is written through the eyes of Robert Kiddecott as he works his way through 3 years of college and charts his friendship and escapades with Jake, with whom he shares accommodation. Liaisons with female students abound but, although laced with innuendo, there is no actual 'sex'.

Dabbling into Morris and performing a rag week mummers play are a few examples of the 'folky' influences that interweave throughout the tale, often to good effect. The formation of a Border Morris side gives the opportunity for the group to supplement their bar bills and have a camping holiday together.

This is not a 'weighty tome' and, if you expecting an academic take on folk music and folk arts, this is not the book for you. This is a jolly romp with believable characters who will have you smiling with their gentle humour and student shenanigans.

This book was a pleasure to read. It is very well written and cleverly crafted to take the reader through many amusing and interesting incidents from start to finish. It is light and entertaining, full of useful imaginative descriptions and charmingly real characters. I was sorry to finish it.

Colin Andrews’ first novel, A Matter of Degree, cleverly evokes life in a teacher training college in the mid-seventies, from the queues for the one public phone (no mobiles then!) and the highly segregated college accommodation (including some familiar ways to circumvent it) to the petty politics of clubs and societies and the sometimes bizarre experiences encountered on Teaching Practice.

If, like me, you trained to be a teacher in those days, much of what Colin writes will cause a wave of nostalgia to flow over you again and again as you read this account of student life. Rob, Jake, Dan, Benji, Sunny, Kissy and the others are very believable characters, and their adventures, often caused by the hare-brained schemes of ring-leader Jake, are well-written and amusing.

Colin’s own interest in Morris dancing and the folk arts manifests itself in some of the friends’ activities – the folk club, the mummers’ play and the Border Morris team – the latter of which helps to supplement their bar expenses as well as giving them an opportunity for a camping holiday together.

There is plenty here to entertain, and each chapter stands very well on its own, so the book can be read in chunks, rather than as a straight-through narrative, if that’s what you prefer – though I must admit that I was reluctant to put it down until I had reached the satisfactory (for Rob at least!) conclusion. A fine first novel, and one that I shall recommend to my friends.

With all my clothing and other worldly goods packed into two suitcases and a rucksack, I was leaving home in Hull to attend “The University of South Wales and Monmouthshire” (as it was then called). As the train travelled west along the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel, everyone suddenly started looking out of the carriage windows - and I saw why - the train was passing under the Severn Bridge which had opened less than a year ago. This started people talking, but the conversation soon changed to the terrible disaster at Aberfan, also less than a year ago.

After I reached my destination in Cardiff, I found my digs and then the next day went to the university to register for my course. This was something I had forgotten all about, but was vividly brought back to mind as I read the first chapter of Colin Andrews’s book “A Matter of Degree” -his debut novel. His description of Fresher’s Week also coincided with my experiences that week. but unlike him, I sought out the Welsh Folk Dance Society as that was the only folk dancing I could find. I had previously been a member of an English dance display team that Mike Waterson (of the famous Waterson’s folk song family) had started, and I wanted to continue dancing after changing countries. Although Colin doesn’t admit (in his book) to joining the WFDS, this is where I met him, and our paths overlapped for a year.

Looking back, there were quite a few things we did together. Learning new Welsh dances and ‘dancing them out’, going to parties and singing with some superb singers and musicians. He even took some of us out in his Ford Prefect car (a lovely 1950’s model with real leather seats, which only had 3 gears, but still managed to get up the Welsh hills with 5 of us in it). On one trip to Barry Island while we played cricket on the beach we watched the smoke and flames as many of the chalets at the nearby Butlins holiday camp were destroyed by fire. I shared some experiences with Colin at University but he doesn’t mention them - his stories are far more interesting. They weave the threads of what happened to Robert Kiddecott as he worked his way through university and teaching practice, from the day he arrived at University until the day he gained his degree.

The stories which are all believable, are written through the eyes of Rob as he is “forced” into co-operating with the unexpected ideas of Jake - a fellow student with whom he shares accommodation.. The incidents include amongst others organising a mumming play to make money for Rag Week, through to starting up a Morris team (which obviously dance at local pubs!) ..should keep the folk dancers amongst us happy. His story runs through the holidays - but I won’t mention what happens as I don’t want to spoil the suspense he builds up! And of course, also included are Rob’s liaisons with female students and acquaintances.

Before that though, the story tells of life in the Student’s Union building - the curries I got so used to consuming (student’s basic food - together with a pint of Brains) and also the student newspaper and the folk song club. And then stories about the inter-college eisteddfod - an event that a student going to a Welsh University college could never forget. My only gripe is that his book tells of Rob winning the international folk song competition with Jake, instead of our (Colin and mine) Welsh Folk Dance team winning the Welsh Folk Dance competition for the first time ever! Far more prestigious?

This is a book well worth reading - especially if you were a student in any college or university as it is bound to bring back many (forgotten?) memories. I hope Colin has more ideas hidden away that could lead to a further book. Will Rob tell us more now he is in the big wide world? I hope so.

Anybody wishing to relive those halcyon student days before our country became distinctly sourer, must read and become totally immersed in this, generally happy-go-lucky novel. The Author recreates life when people still mattered in a delightful world before we allowed technology to replace unadulterated humanity which frequently incorporated raucous fun because it usually seemed “like a good idea at the time” ! Nowhere are these values more clearly illustrated than on higher education campuses whereby, apart from those sad souls who preferred to go on political ‘demos’, the vast majority of students just worked hard and played hard – living their youthfulness to the full ! Invariably, this involved copious quantities of beer which was often resulted in spontaneous ‘sing-songs’ of rock/pop or folk music, or otherwise, in College ‘Union’ bars and pubs.

My own College days of the late 60’s were just a shade before the early 1970’s of this book – but the ingredients were just the same. They remained so until the 80’s ‘rot’ transformed Britain from one kind of place to another – where “kill or be killed” seemed to replace compassion and fun. ‘ A Matter Of Degree’ recaptures a student sense of that earlier British ‘wartime spirit’ of sometimes cheeky naughtiness (without any harm meant) and of tolerance towards other people. Above all, it shows young people who interact using social skills that still engage with real life, without a ‘social network’, surfing the net, texting, or living on a mobile phone ! How much nicer and more natural it all was, then.

Despite a few tears, the inevitable boy-girl relationships, with ‘one-night-stands’, romances and break- ups are still conducted with a ‘degree’ of decorum and, apart from frequent innuendo, there is no actual sex – although there is ultimately a huge ‘twist’ ! All of the razzamatazz of earlier University life is here. The novel richly features rag stunts, parties, ‘bops’ and Morris Dances as the hero ‘Rob Kiddecott’ and his Student Teacher mates are dragged through one escapade after another – chiefly instigated by one of them - ‘Jake’, a larger than life coloured lad. My only slight criticism of this unputdownable book is its tendency to ramble in a few places – when you are itching to find out what develops next. Overall, the novel is a nostalgic romp. Enjoy !

I found reading "A Matter of Degree" thoroughly enjoyable. It was easy to love and cry with the characters, and I thought Colin Andrews captured the easy going early 70s very well. The students get up to some predictable and some less common antics and schemes. all very good hearted.
The book will strike a chord with anyone who has fond memories of their student days. There isn't quite a laugh a minute, but there are plenty about. So if you want an upbeat book to help you over a rainy day or are planning a trip to the beach, take this book along and enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the quality of writing and characterisation was excellent. I was thoroughly gripped by the story and the students' exploits.

Brian Tasker (Former Squire of the Morris Ring)The author is an experienced singer, dancer and musician. He lives in Devon and is a member of the Exeter Morris Men and Winkleigh Morris, a mixed border side. “A Matter of Degree”, describes the experiences of a young man as he follows a three year course at a teacher training college in Wales in the early 1970s.
The story chronicles the various activities of the central character and his student friends. It reads very much like an Enid Blyton Famous Five story for adults, but without the dog. Folk is not a dominant theme but it is prominent. The friends get involved in folk singing, perform a mummers play and form a mixed border side. Colin’s experience has enabled him to present an authentic picture of the highs and lows of being involved in a morris side. When challenged on the issue of blacking up the students deal with the problem in a very articulate and effective way which is very impressive.
Colin writes fluently and at length but with little in the way literary depth, so I do not expect the book to be shortlisted for the Man Booker prize for fiction. Having said that, I enjoyed it and found it very readable. Ideal for the plane or the beach.

It would be unreasonable to expect everyone to react the same way to a book, and I accept that A Matter of Degree did not appeal to Pippa Noble. It's also interesting which particular incidents strike a chord with different readers. This, however, is only negative review I've received either written (as above) or verbally from the many people who have purchased the book. She claims that it is a personalised account of my own experiences with names changed to protect the innocent. It is most definitely not ! Apart from a couple of incidents directly based on personal experience, and a few other personal experiences which provided the inspiration for action, the novel is 95% total fiction. None of the characters could in any way be identified with people I knew at college, as my good friends Gwilym & Carol Davies could confirm.

The first,“Fragile”, is a story concerning a headmaster and his missing wife. It starts intriguingly in the past, catching the attention well. We’re left wondering what exactly happened to the wife all those years ago and wanting to get to the end of the story to find out what secret the Head is keeping – although he’s portrayed so sympathetically that it’s difficult to believe the worst of him, even though that seems one possibility you shouldn’t rule out altogether.

The second story “Out of This World” centres around a role play exercise initiated by a young teacher as part of a Current Affairs module of lessons. The story is told from several viewpoints; the teacher’s, one of the students’ diary entries and a narrative of events set in and around the lessons. As the project progresses, events begin to spiral out of control, leading to disaster for many of those involved. You know that disaster is approaching but, even so, it still comes as something of a shock as it finally does unfold. The end of the story brings everything into focus and, although I found that it took a little while to get going, this was probably intentional as it’s the way that the tension is built that is the key to this story. I’m aware that the author is an ex-teacher and that he actually trialled something very similar to this fictional project – with much less dramatic consequences I hope! I was left wondering at some points though whether this story was aimed at “adult” or “young adult” audiences as the diary entries and narrative parts are largely from the teenage students’ viewpoints and the teacher is presented as a lot more naïve, and in many ways immature, than the teachers I worked with throughout my own career. Despite these few reservations, it was, like the first, one where you wanted to find out what happened. Definitely one to read in one go; you don’t want to put it down until you find out what happens.

This book is a wry look at life in verse and prose - a bringing together of bits and pieces of writings over a number of years: an assortment of songs, poems, short stories and comments on a range of different topics.

The song, Who Gives A Hoot, taking us from carrier pigeon to GPS, with the wonderful refrain 'To whit and what tweeteth me. The robin on the blackberry'. The Stranger a cat who came visiting, Stan, rivalry between villagers in the flower and produce show. The Last Bus Is Leaving - a country boy's unrequited love and problems of rural transport.

Stories include The Freeze, significant snowfall in the village and the fun of tobogganing, April Fool, village lads causing mayhem but coming good in the end. Many a morris dancer/musician/follower will identify with the antics in The Dawning. Vegewatch, set in the future with some black humour is brilliant. We adore The Laws A#They Are A Changing, written in 2002 when government proposals required all live performances to be licensed. Credo, Gospel and Knowing Jesus give some thought provoking verses and Eternity is a sheer delight - don't mourn or grieve when someone goes, have a rave and celebrate with song and laughter.

Colin has written several books on various subjects as well as cd recordings. This book is a delight to read- you find yourself returning to it time and time again; a lovely gift for someone or even to indulge yourself.