What happened next
Cider with Rosie is about Laurie Lee’s early life in the village of Slad. He went on to write two more autobiographical books. The first, As I Walked out one Midsummer Morning, starts as he leaves Slad one Sunday in June at the age of nineteen determined to see something of the world.
If you enjoyed Cider with Rosie, why not try the opening pages of As I Walked out one Midsummer Morning? The first chapter is about how Laurie Lee walked from Gloucestershire to London. He saw the sea for the first time and learnt to make money busking with his violin. Later parts of the book describe his travels through Spain in the 1930s.
You might like to compare the very beginning of As I Walked out one Midsummer Morning – when Laurie Lee describes his mother standing in the long grass waving him goodbye – with the opening of Cider with Rosie when he remembers being lost in the long grass at Slad when the family move into their new cottage. You might also like to think about how Lee describes details of everyday life in both books. Was the past always a better place?
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the the comments at the bottom of this page.
Walk with Laurie Lee
Cider with Rosie is filled with Laurie Lee’s memories of growing up in the village of Slad in Gloucestershire. You can discover Slad yourself by walking the Laurie Lee Wildlife Walk, a six mile circular walk around the Slad valley, named after the local author. The route follows ten poetry posts each of which features one of Laurie Lee’s poems inspired by the Gloucestershire landscape.
The Laurie Lee Way map is available to buy from Stroud Tourist Information Centre, Stroud Bookshop, Stroud Valleys Project in Stroud, The Woolpack Inn in Slad or direct from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust on 01452 383333. You can find more details at the Visit The Cotswolds page here.
If you have ever visited, share your experience of Slad in the the comments at the bottom of this page.
More about Cider with Rosie
Cider in bohemia: Take a closer look at the manuscript of Cider with Rosie.
The Secret Life of Books: Find out more about the other books in the series.
Rate and Review
Rate this activity
Review this activity
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Activity reviews