- Hardcover: 145 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books; 1st ed edition (26 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1843543575
- ISBN-13: 978-1843543572
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 293,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Product Description
The advent of the home computer has made Christmas round robin letters ubiquitous. Where once the hot news about Tamsin's A levels would be sent in a short note, now it's not unusual to get a letter that includes several pages of misery - emergency operations, dead relatives, sackings, rainy holidays and so forth - decorated with jolly snowmen and smiling Santas. Some people go further and send out whole booklets. Computers have also made it possible to include photographs of the family eating pate in their Provencal garden, or sitting in a hot tub in California. Simon Hoggart gets hundreds of round robin letters sent to him every year and has collected the funniest, most irritating, most surreal extracts into this hilarious short book. Along the way he considers why people hate these letters so much and what they tell us about the British middle classes. What, exactly, lies behind the impulse to write about Roger's decision to cycle to work for health reasons, or Jeremy's trip to Tasmania, or the replacement pet rabbit?
About the Author
Simon Hoggart writes a weekly diary for the Guardian, for which he also writes a daily parliamentary sketch. He also writes about wine and TV for the Spectator and is chairman of BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tell it as it is, Simon!,
By
This review is from: The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round Robin Letters (Hardcover)
Simon Hoggart hits the nail squarely on its head in this very funny assault on 'round robiners', as he calls those peculiar people who feel the need to bore the world with even the dullest news of themselves and their offspring.Especially funny are some quite surreal extracts from the many round robins he has collected over the last few years: those where, for example, news of a close relative's death occupy less space than news of a holiday or recently acquired appliance. I'd like to think that this book will shame all round robiners into desisting from their Pooteresque annual habit....but I doubt it.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh-Out-Loud Hilarious,
By littlemissme (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round Robin Letters (Hardcover)
I made a complete fool of myself in a London bookshop by reading this book: I laughed so hard I almost fell over. If, like me, you're infuriated every year by the fact that people really seem to think that the results of the dog's hernia surgery and Chloe's Grade 8 contrabassoon will interest their friends, you may fall over too. If you are a round-robiner, on the other hand, this might shame you into giving up or at least being less economical with the truth. Either way, it's a very good buy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Hate Round-Robins, Too!,
By Paul Scoby-Smith (Middlesbrough, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cat That Could Open the Fridge: A Curmudgeon's Guide to Christmas Round Robin Letters (Hardcover)
Recently, I heard a tale of someone sending one from her and her husband. He'd died since she wrote the newsletter, but she sent it anyway, mentioning his demise in a scribbled note at the bottom. These things are beyond parody, and well-done Simon Hoggart for showing them up for what they are. But having said they are beyond parody, "Noel & Ellen's Weird and Wonderful History of the Dreaded Christmas Newsletter" does a pretty good job, and is another barbed present to give to those who are not yet shamed enough!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
