Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett is the author of Writing Home, The Madness of George III, Talking Heads, The Clothes They Stood Up In and much else besides. Miss Shepherd lived in a Robin Reliant opposite Bennett's house in Camden Town. After a series of attacks on her van, he suggested she move, with her van, to his front drive. Initially reluctant, she agreed - and Bennett landed himself a tenancy that went on for fifteen years. The Lady in the Van is probably Alan Bennett's best-known work of non-fiction, and follows his other little blockbuster The Clothes They Stood Up In.

The Lady in the Van

“I was born a tragedian,”she says, “or a comedian possibly.One or the other anyway. But I didn't realize it at the time. Big feet.”

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Sweet, funny, and absolutely heartbreaking at the same time. The fact that this story is based on real events felt indescribably sad to me. However, despite the clear tragedy of the circumstances of Miss S., it is hard not to be charmed by her unexpected, truly eccentric character. She is inspiringly brave and confident in the face of the incessant difficulties of living out on the street: cruel disturbances by passersby, dealing with the police, exposure to nature, the lack of hygienic facilities, and unhappy neighbors. Yet, she is adamant about having her own way, proudly asserting her choices, views, wishes to the world without backing down. And to top it off, the images scattered throughout the book really give life to Miss S. and her unique ray of light.

I have also found out that this book has been turned into a movie starring none other than Dame Maggie Smith, whom I ADORE. I honestly cannot think of anyone else who would do the role of grumpy, mysterious, sassy, charming Miss S. justice as Maggie Smith can. Off to the streaming services I go.

Jen Casey

I am a huge fan of the gorgeous Maggie Smith and cannot wait to see the movie. This book left me feeling sad at how people can slip through the cracks with government services. This book can be read in one sitting I still found it to be quirky and funny with Miss Shepherds strategies on how she deals with day to day living and her relationship with Alan Bennett.

Shelby Doherty

** spoiler alert **
           Likes:
- Great audiobook narration - full cast of characters
- A truly crazy "true" story - I cannot believe that the author dealt with this lady for 2 decades!
- Super quick, breezy read

Dislikes:
- It is a true story but heavily relies on dialogue (which I feel cannot be the true exchanges that occurred). Miss Sheppard is so wacky that it is hard to believe at times.

Elize van Heerden

I adored this, the collection of stories of the eccentric old woman who lives in a van in the others front garden. 
Beautifully written and makes you chuckle about all the exchanges that happened between Bennett and Miss Shepherd.

Bilge Ince

Corrine Sing

Yasmin

Hanna Tillmanns 

Gavin

Clodagh Nolan-Smith

Hannah Pilling

Mary Baldwin

Deborah Meades

Film tie in edition of Alan Bennett's classic memoir. For fifteen years, the recalcitrant Miss Shepherd lived in her broken-down van on Alan Bennett's driveway in Camden. Deeply eccentric and stubborn to her bones, Miss Shepherd was not an easy tenant. Bennett, despite inviting her in the first place, was a reluctant landlord, never under the illusion that his impulse was purely charitable. This account of those years was first published in 1989 in the London Review of Books. The play premiered in 1999, direct by Nicholas Hytner and starring Dame Maggie Smith, who reprise those roles in this new film adaptation. Shot on location at Bennett's house, Alex Jennings plays the author, alongside household names including James Corden, Frances de la Tour, Jim Broadbent and Dominic Cooper.

The Lady in the Van

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