Book review: He by John Connolly

He was part of one of the greatest comedy couples ever to grace the screen. And he was born in Lancashire.
He by John ConnollyHe by John Connolly
He by John Connolly

Arthur Jefferson was born in Ulverston and went on to become the thin part of the famous duo Laurel and Hardy.

Many books have been written about the comedians, but the latest by John Connolly is a bit special.

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It is not just a book of facts, instead it gives a real insight into Laurel, who might have looked light hearted, but his life was anything but, with broken marriages and great heartache suffered by this great man.

And all the time, he depended on his great chum Oliver Hardy to keep the laughs coming. It was Laurel who worked the hardest, while Hardy played on the golf course, but the couple couldn’t succeed without each other.

Connolly has won awards for his work as an author and it shows through this book which shows how Laurel and Hardy survived, despite their very different lifestyles.

Stan Laurel was fiction, not the comedian’s real name and his performance on stage was fiction. Connolly’s book delightfully and sympathetically dissects their lives and gives the reader the truth behind the smiles.

He by John Connolly, £16.99, published by www.hodder.co.ukTwitter: @Emojiadventurer

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