Last but not least on the blog tour 🙂 Welcome to my review of The Race by Roy Peachey.
3 Things: Running / Family / Determination
Running, yes as you may have guessed, this is a story about running. But it’s not that simple. 12 year old Lili is a fiercely dedicated runner with the aim of winning sports day. Not only is arch nemesis – Tom competing (who is a real piece of work!) But the Queen will be there as well.
Family, what this book does brilliantly well is demonstrates the importance of a strong family network and the massive impact it has on a young persons life. With the right backing you really can achieve anything, be anything, do anything. And can I just say ‘Gran’ is an absolute treat.
Determination, Lili would not be the runner she is without huge amounts of hard work and a will to win. To be the best you have to train like the best, and that means dedicating time to training after school as well as time at home. Reading this book made me want to go for a run!
This certainly isn’t a long a book but wow there’s so much inside! We follow the life of Lili who was born in China and adopted by her Scottish Mum and English Dad, as well as her also adopted sister from Kazakhstan.
Also parallel to the life and story of Lili we follow Eric ‘Chariots of FIre’ Liddell. Much like Lili, Erics’ parents put him and his siblings first. He was born in China but had Scottish parents, and was the first Chinese athlete to win a medal.
The book is written with a double narrative which is tremendously well done and just adds even more to an already fascinating story.
Faith also plays a huge role in both the lives of Lili and Eric. Lili is from a family of churchgoers whose parents always go to church on a sunday, even if there is an athletics competition on. As her dad explains, what matters in life is who and what we pay attention to.
Eric gave up the chance to win a gold medal in his main event, the 100 metres, because he refused to run on the Sabbath.
I’d like to take this time to appreciate Lili’s Gran who is a fantastic character. She is full of quirks and sports a ‘who cares’ attitude. Here’s a couple of quotes I really enjoyed to give you a hint…
Some people say that you gain wisdom with age, Gran simply becomes more irresponsible.
The Race by Roy Peachey
and another one…
Gran started picking her nose. There was nothing she enjoyed more than not acting her age.
The Race by Roy Peachey
Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book…
To train properly you’ve got to be disciplined. You’ve got to keep at it. You’ve got to train when your competitors can’t face it. And that means going out in all weathers. I go running in sun and rain, in wind and snow. If it’s cold and dark I get up and go out anyway. If it’s raining sideways, I still drag myself out through the front door. I have to keep going because taking a break for bad weather means I’ll slip behind my competitors.
Lili
I haven’t got time to waste on disliking my competitors.
Lili
He won’t be used to someone being nice to him and trying to beat him at the same time. People like Tom don’t realise that being nice isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.
Gran giving Lili some worldly advice
I read this in one sitting, and even if I didn’t have time to read it in one… I would have found time. It’s excellent, definitely one I will read more than once and one I will get my own kids to read as well. Author Roy Peachey has sports in his heart and it really does seep out of the books pores.
Special mention to some wonderfully named (geordie) ferrets as well 😉
This book got me pumped! It’s seriously good. Buy The Race by Roy Peachey and let me know in the comments below what you thought.
Happy Reading and remember ‘all will be well’.
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