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Unfinished Agony: Sykes

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Unfinished Agony: Sykes

By: Jamie Boyle
Narrated by: Craig Hannaway
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About this listen

Paul Sykes, from Lupset, near Wakefield, died aged 60 in Pinderfields Hospital from pneumonia and cirrhosis of the liver. He was a man whose life might have been changed by success in the boxing ring, but despite contending for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Titles, he sank back into old habits. It heralded a return to the self-destructive course of his life.

By 1990, he had spent 21 out of 26 years in 18 prisons and even as recently as 2006 he was still coming to the attention of the law. His years in prison were not entirely wasted. He earned an Open University degree in Physical Sciences, and his book Sweet Agony, which was re-released in 2015, earned the Arthur Koestler prize for prison literature.

This audiobook is my journey to find out what happened to Paul Sykes between the years after his 1990 cult classic documentary Paul Sykes at Large aired on the First Tuesday programme and his eventual tragic demise in 2007. I’ve interviewed many people that knew Paul both personally and professionally and I have tried to achieve a balanced view of who he was and what he was about.

As someone who set out, just out of interest, to find out what happened to this character after the limelight had left him behind I’m satisfied that as well as many stories from his younger days I’ve managed to piece his last 17 years together.

This audiobook has caused a bit of controversy as it doesn’t shy away from the truth and it hasn’t always been easy to hear people’s points of view about Paul but I hope it gets across his huge personality both the good and bad.

It’s been a roller-coaster to say the least.

©2017 WarCry Press (P)2020 Gadfly Press
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What listeners say about Unfinished Agony: Sykes

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Sykes

Great book real enjoyed reading balanced views on this multilayered character and his colourful life , Jamie writes in a very accessible way and Craig brings it to life on Audible

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Outstanding!

Rollercoaster of opinions off the man.

At times I disliked what he did but, at times I laughed my head off.

Whether good or bad, his name will be in folk law for many years to come.

RIP!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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pooly narrated

I'm only three chapters in and will continue to listen, but must say the narration is not great. Craig Hannaway does not appear to pause after a full stop. He just continues to read in one continuous motion without coming up fro breath unless it's a new paragraph.

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Sad end to a eventful life.

The thing I like about this book is you hear both sides of the mans character, the witty intelligent msn and the sadistic evil bully, Paul sykes should of been sectioned early in his life and maybe proper medication would of helped.

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paul sykes

love it. as I no the man.. same street as a kid...
Nice to here some good things about him. as well as bad

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Fascinating accounts by those who knew the man

Really good accounts by those who knew
Syksey, Good narration as well. Well put together by Jamie Boyle. I will be purchasing the other ones too.

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Good man

I met Paul in Blackpool years ago and had a great laugh with him he disappeared one day and that was it, typical in Blackpool for people to just dissappear but what an interesting character, everyone remembers him

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Quility

Horrible ending to a hard misunderstood man who in this day and age would of definitely been sectioned

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Great book

Great book buy Jamie Boyle love he’s working and would highly recommend this book .Paul Sykes love him or hate you will always be talking about him

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Excellent, informative and gripping account of P.S

A great in-depth account of Paul Sykes by those who knew him. This audiobook is a fantastic follow up to Sykes’ own Sweet Agony. Unfinished Agony sees a series of interviews carried out by the Author, Jamie Boyle with people who knew Syksey well or came across his path, and no stone is left unturned. Sykes was more than just a mindless thug, and this book helps to build a clearer picture of the complex world of a man firmly set to self destruct. Great narration by the voice actor too. I believe a film is being made on the Wildman of Wakefield, and if this book has anything to go by, it will be an instant British cult classic.

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