- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; New edition edition (21 July 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007127685
- ISBN-13: 978-0007127689
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 114,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fans of Matt Beaumont's hilarious first novel will pick up its successor The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt with some trepidation (can he pull it off again?), but rarely has a follow-up been so sharp and enjoyable. And not only has Beaumont triumphantly bucked the "disappointing second novel" trend: this sardonic and grimly funny book many not be as innovative as its predecessor, but it's every bit as cutting-edge, with just as diverting a cast of larger-than-life characters.
The central premise here is the following of one week in the filming of a tyre commercial. Greg Fuller has negotiated the dangerous waters of the ad business for some time, and he's convinced that the script he has come up with to sell his client's round chunks of black rubber will blow everyone away (not least as he has been setting up some prestigious Hollywood stars to appear in the ad). But (of course) things quickly go pear-shaped. The director is a volatile primadonna, the client is as much of an idiot as everyone who has hired Greg in the past, and the two stars, a much-loved TV couple, cordially detest each other. The recipe for disaster is in place, and, boy, does Matt Beaumont deliver. Ten years ago, readers turned to Tom Sharpe for the kind of bitter, sexually graphic humour that informs every paragraph here. But Beaumont is Tom Sharpe for the modern age: his cold-eyed, all-stops-out vision of the media world and its denizens is an absolute scream. And how many books can boast a talking foetus? --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Beaumont is the sort of writer you wish would knock books out quicker.' CLOSER
‘Beaumont…is a technical whiz at his craft…He succeeds. Humour, feelgood factor, mild suspense…it is one airport novel that is definitely designed to take off’ Guardian
‘Delicious knockabout comedy…this is funnier [than e] and easier to follow’ Bookseller
‘This is Jeffrey Archer with irony…you’ll be highly amused.’ Daily Mail
‘Toe-curlingly good…makes you laugh out loud’ Campaign
‘It’s very funny from first to last. Infectiously enjoyable and energetic’ Time Out
Praise for ‘e’
‘A brilliantly plotted comic novel…it gave me more sense that literature is alive and kicking than anything else I’ve read in these 12 months’ Humphrey Carpenter, Sunday Times Review of the Year
‘Lively, viciously funny and about as switched on as a novel can be’ Mirror
‘Hilarious’ Cosmopolitan
‘The key characters are beautifully crafted. This is a fantastic read’ Marketing
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've read all of Matt Beaumont's previous stuff - his original novel 'e', and the followup 'e before christmas'. They were superb - novels written in the form of collected emails. THIS book, however, is apparently Matt's first attempt at a traditional novel, but in fact he retains a very similar structure, as it's all in first person, and changes viewpoint from character to character every few paragraphs - not much different than email really!
The story is, well, not all that relevant, but it's a good framework for Matt's characters to run around in, get into trouble, and generally get up each others' noses (when they're not stabbing each other in the back!).
He's lost none of that vicious wit that made his two previous books so funny - as before, I laughed so hard it got a little embarassing! The characters vary from very human and a little imperfect to cartoonishly drawn sinners with little to redeem them - an explosive mix. (in joke: just one character turns up briefly who was in the original 'e' but I think it's just a nod to those who've read it). Otherwise the characters are a completely new bunch.
The story is, well, not all that relevant, but it's a good framework for Matt's characters to run around in, get into trouble, and generally get up each others' noses (when they're not stabbing each other in the back!).
He's lost none of that vicious wit that made his two previous books so funny - as before, I laughed so hard it got a little embarassing! The characters vary from very human and a little imperfect to cartoonishly drawn sinners with little to redeem them - an explosive mix. (in joke: just one character turns up briefly who was in the original 'e' but I think it's just a nod to those who've read it). Otherwise the characters are a completely new bunch.
BUY THIS BOOK - if you liked his previous stuff, but if you haven't read it - BUY IT ANYWAY!! you don't need to have read the previous novels as this story is completely new. I can't recommend it highly enough - it will cheer up the most depressing day!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Another insight into the world of advertising by Matt Beaumont. This book is funny, and, like 'e' i read it within a few days. Unfortunately, it is not as funny as 'e' or 'The e before christmas.' It seems as though some of the characters introduced in this book are reincarnations of characters the author has used before. This book is enjoyable but if you expect the same hilarity as the other books, you will probably be a little disappointed!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a book that was on my shelf for quite along time before holiday time came around and im very glad i came across it now. Yes it has a very outrageous storyline and the characters are a bit far fetched but over all this, matt has slipped in some very funny laughs and i was so hooked on it for the first few days of my hols all i did was read. So if you like funny but far fetched books id very much recomend it !!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
More fun than watching the ads ...
From the author of e and e2, this book is written in the format of a continuing series of thoughts from people connected (even somewhat remotely) with the goings on at an ad... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Keen Reader
Hard to stomach!
Really poor and frankly a boring waste of time. Full of weakly invented stereotypes and a plot that is as daft as the title suggests. Read more
Published 21 months ago by comm88
Makes you feel very normal....
Loving Matt Beaumont's books...great reading about all these freaks - it makes your workplace seem almost normal....
Published 22 months ago by Bunny Abroad
It's not E but very funny all the same
After reading E: A novel, I wasn't sure what to expect from this offering from Beaumont. My initial thoughts after the first few pages was that I wasn't going to like it, however... Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2007 by Goldfishrock
Not as good as e
I loved e - and wasn't sure whether this book could live up to it. The book is written as the first person from each of the main characters point of view, switching every... Read more
Published on 4 May 2004
Just fantastic
I was eagerly awaiting this book after reading "e" and "e before Christmas".
Quite simply it is the funniest book I have read for a long long time. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2004 by J. Templeton
Disappointing
Some reviewers say that this is a very funny book, one in the laugh-out-loud category. I have to disagree. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2003 by SimonH
easy to read, good stuff
i read E last year and thought it was very clever and witty. the author uses a similar technique here by writing in short segements all in different voices. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2003 by H. Roberts
Don't bother.
Outdated stereotypes wrapped in a bland plot. The witticisms and humour pointed to on the cover failed to materialise. Read more
Published on 9 July 2003
Funny, Funny, Funny!!
I cannot explain how funny this book was, it was laugh out loud hilarious! One of those books that you just cannot put down! Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2003 by "gingernut51"
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