A Fan for All Seasons

A Journey Through Life and Sport

By: Jon Harvey

Narrated by: Jon Harvey

Brought to you by Penguin.

A BBC Arts & The Reading Agency's Big Sporting Read selection

A hilarious, heartfelt, nostalgia-infused story of sport, loss and the journey of a lifetime.

After the sudden death of his older brother, Dan, Jon Harvey turned to the thing that had provided their strongest connection: sport, in all its myriad sublime and ridiculous forms. He made it his mission to visit as many events as he possibly could in a single year – to build the ultimate season ticket.

A kaleidoscopic twelve months took him from London Olympia to ancient Olympia, from rugby balls to Rubik's Cubes, Wimbledon tennis to Wimbledon greyhounds, from tennis legend Roger Federer to darts hero Martin 'Wolfie' Adams, and much, much more. It's a celebration, of sport, life, and an unbreakable bond between two brothers.

'Warm, sad and funny... There is something very eccentric and British about A Fan for All Seasons' - Sunday Times
©2023 Jon Harvey (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Warm, sad and funny... There is something very eccentric and British about A Fan for All Seasons

Vivid and funny... This is a wonderfully touching book about fandom and grief

Both funny and frivolous, sad and serious… an uplifting book that ultimately serves to help explain and excuse the time we all spend watching sport

The book…[has] honesty and passion at its heart. Jon Harvey is an excellent recreator of the atmosphere at a packed stadium or a hushed theatre… Most affectingly of all, he shows how sport can play its part in grieving

A man with a bin for a face creates an incredible biography.

Am I a sport fan? No. When the book talks about anything but football I go a bit blank. However the text and narration is what makes this truly amazing. It is good comedy mixed with deep personal tragedy with a sprinkle of sport yapping. The book ultimately is biography and by all the gods it succeeds in telling a life story.