From inside the front cover:

"This is a quite brilliant first novel - the sort of book which we all hoped, and dangerously for the author, expected Fry to come up with... the wit sparkles, the comic set pieces work a treat, an enjoyably penetrating intelligence pervades throughout"

- The Sunday Times.

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" Stephen Fry's autobiographical novel is a magnificent collision between Ronald Firbank and Chapman Pincher..... a geniuinely funny, idyosycratic invention which has his signature on every page"

- The Evening Standard

Have just put this in the post, it's on it's way to torialouise as part of a bookring. (My first!).


This is the ring order so far. If you'd like to join, please just let me know.


torialouise

Holly77 (Book currently living here)

Arrived safely this morning - thank you Spike. Looking forward to getting started!

I really enjoyed this book. It was typical Stephen Fry in that you are never quite sure what is going on until the very end!! The story revolves around the central character, Adrian Healey, who, at the beginning of the story i the quintessential englisg public schoolboy and follows his life to university and beyond. The book is witty, funny and moves along at a pace. A great read - thanks for sharing Spike.

This oine didn't make a big impact on me. Funny in places but the storyline was a bit naff.

being posted to Spike tomorrow

*yay* My *First* Bookring to come home! Ok, so it was only a short ring, but it still counts ;o)

Thank You to torialouise and Holly77 for playing nice, and looking after my book so well.

It still has to go back onto Mt Toobie for now though, so if anyone else does want to borrow it in the meantime, please say.

Started yesterday.

Edit 3/2/07.

I finished it a day or so ago.

What a fantastic book! I admit that to begin with the 'reading voice' in my head was I think, somewhere between General Melchett and 'Jeeves & Wooster'. Almost instantly I was reading as if hearing Stephen Fry himself reading aloud.

It's very very funny, beautifully written, clever - in some places a bit *too* clever for me, and had me reaching for my dictionary far too often for my liking.. - but also clever in terms of the way the plot twists and turns.

I had my usual problems with keeping track of who all the characters were in relation to each other/the story, but I got through ok.

And I'd put money on Adrian being based on Stephen Fry himself. If it was made into a film, he'd definitely have to play the part, in my view.

I'll probably send this on a bookring.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent home

Picked up to read chez Spike a while ago.
Too much sex for me, but it was contorted and interesting and funny and I finished it aaaages ago so I can't remember much else. I've brought it back home several times without journalling it and I am determined this shall be the last.

Whoops. CaterinaAnna gave me this back aaaaaages ago.. I'll probably send this on a Ring.

...or I might release it B-)

I've decided to release this as I'm not sure I'll re-read it anytime soon, so I'm leaving in one of the bookcases here.

I ‘went hunting’ for this book today after receiving the Bookcrossing e-mail this morning telling me that this book had been left at Chapter Arts Centre yesterday! I’m delighted to say I finally found it hiding amongst all the other books on the Bookcrossing shelf. I look forward to reading it. Diolch yn fawr!

Left on Bookcrossing shelf!