Customer Reviews
Laugh out loud - By: Lucy B, 09 May 2008 
We took this book on holiday. Around the pool, I embarrassed my husband by laughing out loud at Hollingshead's set piece scenes. But when my husband started reading it, he did the same. Eventuallly, strangers around the pool began to approach us & ask us what we were reading - so much so that they borrowed our copy & enjoyed the novel as much as we did. It's insightful, cleverly structured and, above alll, funny!
5 star comedy - By: Ms. K. MacKenzie, 10 Mar 2008 This book is fantastic. It's fast-paced, witty & irreverant but also has some keen insights into modern life, modern people & modern relationships. This book made me laugh, cry & think. The pacing is especiallly good as Iain Hollingshead knows truly understands the balance between comedy, story & emotion. The style manages to avoid stupidity & sentimentality equallly while evoking a real emotional response. The style reminded me of Danny Walllace's "Yes Man". Both novels combine cutting humour with a hopeful message & both are equallly worth reading.
It was that good - By: Neil Parry, 13 Nov 2007 Bought this along with a load of other books for a beach holiday, & had finished it before the plane touched down. As a 25 year old city worker who has flirted with the idea of teaching i identified with virtuallly every bit of the book, including "Mad Barrys" which is clearly meant to be the club Crazy Larry's in Fulham.
All in alll a tremendous read, would recommend it to anyone
A laugh out loud read for summer mornings on the smelly tube! - By: J. Gray, 04 Jun 2007 I have to say that this book has just been brilliant from start to finish. The kind of book that has you laughing out loud on the tube, even when it's hot & only half seven in the morning.
I think every single graduate in the City of London will positively love this book, identify with loads of it & laugh loads.
Brilliant - By: Anonymous, 14 May 2007 I read it in 4 hours; it was an amazing book. I read some of the earlier reviews, & the one that gave this book only 2 stars seemed to blame the book's "uninspired" prose & the sudden change of events (i.e. when Jack travels to S. America) but I think some of those quick turns are intentional. I think Jack's eccentric plan to travel in S. America, done with hardly any indecision, is for the reader to almost smile at how quickly Jack decided to go. I mean, who hasn't dreamed of one day just walking up to the airplane counter & buying a ticket to God-knows-where? That was one of the most brilliant pieces!!
Overalll, I think this book is amazing. It made me laugh aloud, something that is rare in books, I even cried. About halfway into the book I didn't reallly expect it to be very emotionallly satisfying; I thought it was a purely shalllow book & that by the end I'd still be laughing but it wouldn't have much heart. I was wrong. The end of the book proved the best, plenty of comedy & some great depth. It was perfectly balanced.
