- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Picador; New edition edition (9 July 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 033036829X
- ISBN-13: 978-0330368292
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,130,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be comforting for Richard E. Grant to know that should his acting career ever take a serious dive (God forbid, darling!), he, at least, has another means of making a living. Grant's second book (the first was his wildly successful autobiography, With Nails), will undoubtedly be bought by everyone who is anyone in the weird and wonderful world of Hollywood--if only to make sure they are in it. Fortunately, as Grant declares on page one, this is guaranteed.
The book's narrator, Vyvian, is a well-heeled, white, African-born man (spookily like the author), whose sexual preference is never totally clear. He and childhood friend Marga, whose teenage acne has scarred more than just her skin, escape the boredom of Africa for the marvels of Sunset Boulevard.
Vyv becomes a designer (interiors, lives, minds, you name it) and professional "friend" to the stars, while Marga, who opts to play life as a deaf-mute, is the celebrities' chosen masseuse. When the Hollywood disaster movie to end all movies goes into production ("The Poseidon Adventure meets Star Wars"), the rich and famous need more than just a rubdown and a sympathetic confidante to whom they can unload their woes. --Carey Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A Hollywood novel about Vyvian, interior designer to the stars; his "sister" Marga, a supposedly deaf-mute masseuse; and "Zeitgeist", the biggest blockbuster ever made.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mr. Grant does not get it quite right in his first work of fiction, but he definitely has the right idea. The zany way he turns nouns and adjectives into verbs - "entouraging", "headless chickening" and the like - perfectly captures life's absurdities. My vocabulary has already been expanded with wonderful words like twaddle, lah-de-dahing, and others that make me laugh when I think of them, especially at "inappropriate" times(like meetings).
While Grant is deliciously fun to read, it is the way he offsets hilarious moments with poignant insights and genuine feeling for various characters, that gives his work its special style. The off-the-wall stories and renditions have an "insider, tell all" quality that is just plain fun. But it's the sympathy and feeling for certain characters and situations that are as or more revealing in their own way. Actually, this is an aspect of his writing that, hopefully, he will develop and build on in future works.
Grant seems to have lost patience or been rushed at the end. But overall, his writing has that magical quality where the reader and the narrator form a bond. One feels the "pain of separation" when the book comes to an end. His unique style and interesting yarns can only make the reader hope he will write again - and soon.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
You can practically hear Grant narate this great read!
This is a great first work of fiction and I'd recommend reading 'With Nails' first - you may well too question whether or not it is all fictitious!
His humour shines through this book that teeters on the ridiculous - but it's got that 'can't put it down' quality.
I loved it.
Format:Audio Cassette
By Design audio is terrific. If you have read the book, you must hear REG read it. It's even better. You can really tell the author is also an actor. The voices and the expression are marvelous, especially Vivian, "she" is just hysterical. My only disapointment is that the audio is abridged and there are some sizable gaps. That being said the audio is still great and well worth the price. Just perfect for curling up and relaxing with. A must for every REG fan.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not Quite Right BUT the Right Idea
Grant does not get it quite right in his first work of fiction, but he has the right idea. His use of the language is wonderful. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2000
Fun, fun, fun
Maybe not the most intellectually challenging book, but it's a lot of fun and leaves you with a smile on your face. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2000 by richard.allan@scotland.gov.uk
hideous and boring
It was very hard finishing this book. I just wasn' very funny and I found the whole story tiresome and very predictable.
Published on 21 Oct 1999
Sharp, hilarious, ridiculous, wonderful!
A story about nobodies who find themselves a lucky break into Hollywood. OK, so the plot meanders along and you can hear the gears creaking on some of the coincidences, but it... Read more
Published on 13 Sep 1999
Fast moving, hilarious, Hollywood at its very worst.
Hollywood through the eyes of one who's spent much time there and obviously gleaned the real side of being in the lime light. Read more
Published on 21 July 1999
Starts out well, then unravels.
For the first two or three chapters, this book is actually very well written and observed and quite funny. Read more
Published on 6 May 1999
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