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Briefs Encountered [Hardcover]

Julian Clary (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 29 Mar 2012

Whoever said the afterlife would be easy...

Noël Coward is the toast of twenties society...a brilliant playwright, composer and entertainer whose witty songs and pithy lines don't quite tell the full story. Goldenhurst, his house in Kent, provides a place where he can be himself. And more importantly where he can be with his lover, Jack, without fear of arrest or judgement...

But their romantic idyll is ruined, first by the arrival of Noel's demanding relatives and then by a mysterious death...

Many years later, film star and Coward fan Richard Stent buys the house from its current owner. But Richard has problems of his own. Goldenhurst is supposed to be a respite from all his worries but this is a house with a very rich and not always pleasant history. And more than one thing is about to go bump in the night...

A haunting tale of love, obsession and a house full of spirits, not all of them blithe...

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Briefs Encountered + A Young Man's Passage + Devil in Disguise
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press (Fiction) (29 Mar 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 009193883X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091938833
  • Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 3.4 x 24 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 151,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Briefs Encountered is quite as hilarious, clever, stylish, charming and wickedly witty as Noel Coward... It would easier to stab a puppy or slap a baby than to dislike such an utterly lovable book.' (Stephen Fry 20111208)

Julian Clary is a smart and as funny as ever...a delicious airy treat (Elizabeth Buchan Sunday Times )

So clever, so funny, so romantic, and scary too. I don't know how she does it! (Fay Weldon )

So funny ... Clary switches effortlessly between eras and demonstrates an inspired eye for comic detail. (Daily Mail 20120330)

Clary has produced a surprisingly complex, artfully constructed and mostly very convincing novel, which isn't bogged down by its intelligence or his obvious research. Indeed, it's all dressed up in delightfully accessible, sharp prose that's full of gags. (Daily Mirror 20120330)

Book Description

Noel Coward meets Julian Clary in this dark and wickedly funny ghost story!
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny,a bit outrageous, a really good read 21 Feb 2012
By Mrs. T. SALMON TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This book is a compedium of different things, it is funny, it is a bit sad, it has a dark side and a fluffy light side, it is a love story and a ghost story, it is the past and the present. It is a bit saucy but as Julian Clary wrote it what can one expect,in fact I was supprised it wasn't a bit more outrageous. The house is the star where everything happens, it has a personality of its own. Julian Clary appears in the book as himself and he is very good at sending himself up. I really loved it and found it a book I didn't want to put down.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The dying art of the witty novel 25 Feb 2012
By David Spanswick VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
After the recent deluge of "grimlit" it is so refreshing to read a new book that channels the joy and humour of a Wodehouse, Coward and early wits while also enjoying its own pleasure as a rather naughty gay romance ~ do Mills & Boon have such a category? I rather think not.

Mr Clary is certainly getting into his stride with this new novel that runs parallel stories about a single, and very significant house that has initiations rites for any new tenants. The earlier tenant none other than Sir Noel Coward, though then an aspiring young playwright, still haunts the walls and gardens though Julian Clary ~ the nerve of the gent writing himself into his own novel ~ lives just down the road and makes several walk on cameos as the novel progresses.

The current occupant Richard Stent, thespian and lover is not only haunted by spirits past and present but is wickedly punished for his lascivious misdemeanours by his author taking revenge, or so it would appear, on his good looks and fortune.

The book has everything ~ romance, intrigue, mysterious death, more romance and should satisfy any reader with its wit, charm, romance, more romance and carefully hand-picked innuendo and double entendres that we have grown to know and love from this bastion of gay and camp culture.

Clary is almost single-handedly (pun intended) sustaining the brittle wit and skilful observation of the Master he so duly honours here. The only other contender is one Mr S. Fry may they both live and prosper
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, well written book 28 Feb 2012
By P Campbell VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I've never read any of Julian Clary's other books, but I will after reading this one. I read it in three nights and didn't want to put it down. Clary can certainly write and the book is sad, emotional, happy, camp, smutty and funny. I like the style of the writing and the way the story pulls you in.

Ostensibly the book is about the current owner of Goldenhurst Manor, he's an actor called Richard Stent, who is gay and a fan of Noel Coward, (who used to own this property and lived there for 30 years). Stent buys the property off a rather coarse and seedy Julian Clary (who in reality IS the current owner of the manor and not living in a bungalow down in the village, as is told in this tale.) The house is the key player in the book as it spans centuries and is haunted by several ghosts (as seen and heard by Clary, in real life), who make their presence known with noises and strange happenings. All the 'goings o' in the book are related to the house, as though it is a living breathing entity and seems to pass judgement on any shenanigans, as well as its dislike for certain people who enter there-in.

The gay love affairs are contrasted between the time of Noel Coward, in the 1930's when homosexuality was outlawed, to the current situation with Richard Stent. As with life there are ups and downs and times of sadness and joy. Clary brings together all of the events beautifully and at once you feel something is going to happen and another moment you can laugh-out-loud; which I did on many occasions. I like all of the sub-plots with deranged employees, forbidden lust, nutty parents etc. I like the way Clary pokes fun at himself through Stent, by showing himself to be a 'has-been' and vulgar. Clary is neither of these things and this books shows him to be a witty and talented writer. His descriptions of events are very well written and I got a feel for the setting of the whole book and the characters, beautifully.

Well worth a look, as I learned a something interesting about Noel Coward, which was very entertaining and the nature of relationships whether gay or not. There is always a needy, yet fragile side to any long-term romance and this tale handles the emotion very well. The humour is frequent and well played out. I recommend this whole-heartedly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
I loved this book! Julian Clary has a unique style and a way of writing which keeps the reader engaged
Published 15 days ago by ray millross
5.0 out of 5 stars Briefs Encountered
With a blend of here and past times it was a very good easy read which I thoroughly enjoyed x
Published 22 days ago by Moira Fairbrace
4.0 out of 5 stars Will the real Julian Clary please stand up?
Well this was unexpected. A long time ago I read Julian's autobiography, "A Young Man's Passage", and found it hugely entertaining and full of his trademark camp and outrageous... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Peter Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
I gave this book 4 stars.

I liked the characters, especially Noel coward. The story lines held my interest. Funny in places.
Published 25 days ago by Kay Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars A revelation.
Julian Clary was not on my reading list. But I loved the cover of the book and someone said it was a really good read. They were not wrong. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Booklover Joseph
3.0 out of 5 stars Wittily written but uneven
Flitting between the present day and Noël Coward's story in the 1930s, this is wittily written story - though hugely overblown in terms of plot and rather uneven. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Roman Clodia
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and Uninteresting
Gave up on it after about 25% into the book. The characters are uninteresting - they all seem like some sort of cardboard image of what people think these people are or were like. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Adi Shtamberger
4.0 out of 5 stars Success
Bought it for a friend for Xmas as she really enjoyed JC's show. Even better she has now leant it to me!!
Published 3 months ago by Jo G
5.0 out of 5 stars Briefs Encounted
A brilliant read congratulations mr Clary ,i would recomend people from all walks of life to read any of Julians books contents being so varied and contain laughter,murder love... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Leanne Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars not the faint hearted!
really good book. running in 2 time zones it gets a little complicated at times, and I tended to forget who was with who, but really an excellent read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Yvonne
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