It was Granny Trill's dad who had planted this tree, had thrust in the seed with is finger. I had thought such trees to be as old as the earth, I never dreamed that man could make them. Its trunk writhed with power, threw off veils of green dust, rose towering into the air, branched into a thousand shaded alleys, became a city for owls and squirrels. Its roots clutched the slope like a great hand, holding the hill in place. 'The great beech filled at least half the sky and shook shadows over the house. Try this, young Laurie being told by a local granny that it was her dad who planted a well known local tree: 'My Dad planted that tree, she said absently, pointing out through the old cracked window. Every paragraph is a perfect gem his descriptions of the locals, Cabbage Stump-Charlie, Tusker Tom, Albert the Devil and Harelip Harry had me weeping with laughter and his sketches of his siblings and of course his wonderful and chaotic mother had me in tears. What a joy of a book and what an absolute landmine of language. From the first line onwards it was obvious why it is such a classic that has gone into so many editions. I originally read Cider with Rosie about a squillion years ago and I can remember endlessly reading passages from it to my first wife under the influence of a glass or two, or more often a bottle or two, too many.

I'll paste it in full here, so you can see why. But the thing that most persuaded us at Guardian HQ to discuss Laurie Lee this month on the Reading group was actually a reader comment on our Tips, Links and Suggestions blog. Heck, waking up in the morning is motivation enough for re-opening this wonderful book. That's reason enough for revisiting Cider With Rosie. Last week marked the centenary of Laurie Lee's birth.

Cider with rosie first edition