50 People Who Buggered Up Britain: Amazon.co.uk: Quentin Letts: Books

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Review

[Quentin Letts] discharges his duty with flair and tracer precision...an angry book, beautifully written
-- The Spectator, 8 November 2008

Book Description

50 savage and witty pen portraits of those responsible for destroying Britain by the Daily Mail's star sketch writer, Quentin Letts.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some of his 'targets' are very poorly chosen., 2 Dec 2008

By	Drambuster (UK) - See all my reviews

Letts' book comes from an interesting perspective; acerbic and amusing pen pictures of those who, as the title tells us, have not made such a positive contribution to our national life. All well and good if the target is a pompous and hubristic politician whose words and actions fail to match, or some greedy business person who puts profit above humanity. But to target someone because of how they look or the way they speak is not only cruel but cheap and lacking in imagination.

In places, the book is amusing but too many pieces have a sense of the school bully about them. Picking on someone whose only apparant failing, according to Letts, is that they are on TV or that they choose to dye their hair is childish. Such writing becomes a cheap shot and as such, lacks any credability.

There is a smug attitude to much of Letts' writing. This is a pity because those targets deserving of scrutiny also deserved more of the authors attention at the expense of those who simply annoy him.

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62 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, 27 Oct 2008

By	B. Cook (Surrey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love a good, light-hearted rant - who doesn't? - so I had high hopes for this book, having recently gone through a couple of Charlie Brooker's finest.

And what a let down it proved to be.

Wielding a clever turn of phrase is usually a good thing, but in this case it feels less like an intelligent use of the English language, and more like a smug way of belittling the proles, who could never hope to master or understand such eloquent diction. This has the effect of almost completely preventing the reader from "warming" to the author, and therefore finding it fairly difficult to sympathise.

Secondly the humour, which is distinctly lacking - yes, there are some clever and amusing sections, but for the most part it's just fairly unremarkable, which is a shame.

Thirdly, the whole thing is just far too political - and I mean that not in the sense of making fun of and ranting about those in the political spotlight (and therefore marking themselves as fair game), but because of the barely concealed political leanings of the author. One of the selected fifty is baroness Thatcher - surely one of the prime examples of an individual to whom the title of the book applies. Sadly, the pages devoted to her read more like a defensive Conservative PR document than a red-blooded rant. To put this into perspective, the next individual in the list is Alan Titchmarsh, which seems slightly unfair on poor Alan!

It isn't often that I struggle to finish a book, but on this occasion I really had to try, and sadly, the effort invested in reading from cover-to-cover was in no way justified by the enjoyment derived from it.

I'd give this book one star - there is the occasional laugh, but you have to work very, very hard to get there.

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39 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny. Great Idea , 17 Oct 2008

By	David L "Daf" (London) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book a lot and just wish I had thought to write it first.
As well as the top fifty berks, Letts also mentions by way of quick one liners, the many others berks now bubbling under, including the likes of Tescos Corporate Robot Terry Leahy and Pouting Essex Dimwit Posh Becks (or whatever she calls herself).
I'd love to see another update with another 50 "buggers" who must have surely now have to include faceless bank chiefs like Andy Hornby and Fred the Shred Goodwin who are so clearly responsible for the latest mess we are in as a reult of buggering up the banks.
I particularly liked the way Lett's lets the likes of sainted figures like Sir Paul Macca and Diana get the full treatment.
Letts says of His Paulness "Stop dying your hair man" and he "deserved Heather" Spot on, sir. Very funny.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Poor Britain
A pithy record of how prominent people have brought the country to the state it is today.
Well written

Published 3 days ago by Michael A. Hill

4.0 out of 5 stars buggered up book?
I bought this for my mother and she ranted about it SO much that I just had to have one!!! ;-) Arrived in good condition too!

Published 29 days ago by J. Gannon

3.0 out of 5 stars Good in parts...
The trouble with any book of this nature is that the content is somewhat subjective and very much the author's choice as is ably demonstrated in this book. Read more

Published 1 month ago by TheGerbilTamer

1.0 out of 5 stars Not clever. Not funny. Rather dull, I'm afraid
There is nothing like a witty book that pokes fun at pomposity and points out inconsistencies and vanities with ascerbic logic. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Maria Stegenwalner

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, cynical and delightfully un-PC
Great entertainment from Mr. Letts who is a fine sketch writer. He has most of the people I would have included, some I don't think are that important, some I would have added... Read more

Published 2 months ago by J. Weeks

5.0 out of 5 stars Quinten Letts
Nice book. Was given it for Christmas and liked it so bought another one for a friend on his birthday

Published 2 months ago by H. G. Britten-austin

4.0 out of 5 stars 50 out of several hundred
Loved the book and Quentin Letts style.Do not necessarily agree with the 50 chosen. There are several hundred buggers you can choose from, but a good number of them deserve to be... Read more

Published 3 months ago by M. T. Leigh

5.0 out of 5 stars 50 people who buggered up Britain
A most entertaining read, and so well written. You find yourself agreeing with most of what he writes.[[ASIN:1845298551 50 People Who Buggered Up Britain

Published 9 months ago by Angela Knapp

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift
This book lives up to its title and surely deserves a sequel each and every year. Its a lesson to 'know it all' figures in every walk of life and in some instances a sad... Read more

Published 9 months ago by M. Kaye

5.0 out of 5 stars 50 People Who Buggered Up Britain
It was a present so I haven't read it - the title caused much amusement when it was opened

Published 9 months ago by Mary I. Deeks

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50 People Who Buggered Up Britain (Hardcover)

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