T’ree Tins of Turpentine by Tim O’Sullivan
On Tour 19th – 21st April 2023
Publication Day: 19th October 2022 by Long John Publishing
Go on, say “T’ree tins of turpentine!”, you bogtrotter!” was one of many jeers towards Irish families in Leicester in the 1950s, and is the inspiration behind the title of Tim O’Sullivan’s debut book.
In 2008, after realising how much people enjoyed his stories at family gatherings, weddings and funerals, Tim picked up a dictaphone and began verbally recording his memories. Originally a passion project destined to be read by the wider O’Sullivan family, Tim was inspired by his son, Ryan, to publish his memoir.
Tim’s anecdotal accounts give harrowing and humorous insights into life as a marginalised child in the 1950s. Born to a dirt-poor Irish mother, Tim weaves rich tales of living in extreme poverty on the unforgiving Mowmacre Hill council estate. This book will strike a chord with baby boomers and entertain any reader looking for first-hand nostalgic recollections of post-war, poverty-stricken Britain.
From narrowly avoiding sexual abuse at a children’s home, becoming a teenage father and enduring two prison sentences, Tim’s life is a rich jigsaw of highs, lows and laughs. He recounts his mother’s struggles at single parenting while avoiding destitution and the shock return of his biological father after being estranged for 17 years. Tim’s brotherly bonds are brought to life with stories of John – the brother Tim didn’t know he had for the first few years of his life and the tragic addiction-fuelled unravelling of his sister, Mary.
Tim’s determination to rewrite his childhood narrative resulted in a rock-solid marriage to his wife, Pam, unshakeable devotion to his children, and numerous business ventures that accrued great wealth.
T’ree Tins of Turpentine encourages you as a reader to think about your own stories and how they will be passed down to your future generations.
Tim’s work is an inspirational reminder that no matter how hard you experience childhood suffering, with faith, love, hard work and a lot of laughter, it is possible to overcome adversity.
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Meet Tim O’Sullivan
Tim O’Sullivan is a lifelong Leicester resident who was born to Irish immigrant parents. Living in Mowmacre Hill, Tim, and his family, experienced prejudice from a young age. Once his father left, things became even more difficult as his mother found herself managing the household and raising three children on the single wage of a cleaner.
While their mother worked hard to provide for her family, Tim and his siblings had a wild childhood in which he experienced his first taste of criminal behaviour – stealing from toy shops. His childhood also saw Tim narrowly escape being sexually abused at a residential summer holiday camp.
Tim became a father at the age of 16 and went through numerous jobs before he became involved in a plot to rob a jewellery shop. That led to his first stay in prison, during which the mother of his child left him for his friend.
Tim later met and married his wife, Pam. By this time, he had found work with a refrigeration engineer. The second of his two stays in prison saw him lose his job, and it was after this that he decided to set up his own business, going on to establish a successful refrigeration and air-conditioning company.
Tim went on to have two more children, Ryan, and Kelly, with Pam and reconciled with his eldest son, Lee. He later built a property portfolio and is now the owner of The Addies Pub in Leicester.
Tim picked up a dictaphone and recorded his memories for over a decade. He was encouraged to turn the recordings into a book to be enjoyed for generations. His memoir encourages us all to think about the stories we pass on to our own families that shape who we are today
Tim’s Links
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Book Tour Schedule
| April 19th | April 20th | April 21st |
|---|---|---|
| Just One More Chapter…Book Blog | book_a_holic_17 (IG) | bianca_reads_books (IG) |
| Paulalearmouth (IG) | Fantasy Book Nerd |
