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Review
"Humorous and original. This is one of those crossover books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
-"Daily Mail"
"The story is quirky and despite obvious plot similarities to "Hamlet," it is highly original."
-"Nottingham Evening Post"
-"Daily Mail"
"The story is quirky and despite obvious plot similarities to "Hamlet," it is highly original."
-"Nottingham Evening Post"
Easy Living
full of poignant insights and literary in jokes, plus the author does a nice line in grim hilarity
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved his first book and tried to read this a while ago, and couldn't get into it.
Spurred on by another recommendation, I got this back out of the library and I'm glad I did.
Set in unglamourous Newark, this tips a wink to the story of Hamlet (Phillip's dad has died and is appearing as a ghost, and says that uncle alan, who is after Phillip's mum and their pub, killed him, and Phillip MUST seek revenge), which is clever and interesting, but what really made me love this was Phillip and his view of the world.
When you become an adult, I think you forget how simple and strange the world seems to a child, and his observations of sex, aerobics and relationships had me laughing out loud.
Haig plays about with language, marking pages with one word occasionally, and getting colloquial accents just right, and his writing feels very special and I implore you to read this.
Spurred on by another recommendation, I got this back out of the library and I'm glad I did.
Set in unglamourous Newark, this tips a wink to the story of Hamlet (Phillip's dad has died and is appearing as a ghost, and says that uncle alan, who is after Phillip's mum and their pub, killed him, and Phillip MUST seek revenge), which is clever and interesting, but what really made me love this was Phillip and his view of the world.
When you become an adult, I think you forget how simple and strange the world seems to a child, and his observations of sex, aerobics and relationships had me laughing out loud.
Haig plays about with language, marking pages with one word occasionally, and getting colloquial accents just right, and his writing feels very special and I implore you to read this.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
as "the last family in England".....definitely worth reading however and very easily digested with matt haig's style of short chapters.....I hope he continues the series of updated shakespearian dramas and the next one will be hopefully worth 5 stars again
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Both the author and the plot were completely new to me as I must be one of the 1% of the population who hasn't read or seen Hamlet.
This isn't a drawback though, it was just a fresh new story for me, which I thoroughly enjoyed picking up.
Eleven year old Philip Noble has recently been bereaved. His dad Brian has died in a car accident...but when he appears to Philip he tells him he was murdered and needs Philips help to avenge his death before it's too late and he's doomed to experience 'the terrors' forever. "If the Living don't take Revenge in the No Time the ghosts stay ghosts forever".
I really enjoyed the 'normality' of the situation; Philip's tropical fish, and that he finds parallels between the Roman History he's learning at school and his own life.
Even in death, the ghosts of dads in Newark meet near the pub 'The Castle and Falcon', where Brian was landlord (and Philip lives) because it's the oldest pub in town and most of them went there in life. As we read further, the story takes a more sombre turn and questions the fragility of the mind when bereaved.
Intelligently written it is both humourous and poignant and the author illustrates the story brilliantly with cleverly chosen words.
This isn't a drawback though, it was just a fresh new story for me, which I thoroughly enjoyed picking up.
Eleven year old Philip Noble has recently been bereaved. His dad Brian has died in a car accident...but when he appears to Philip he tells him he was murdered and needs Philips help to avenge his death before it's too late and he's doomed to experience 'the terrors' forever. "If the Living don't take Revenge in the No Time the ghosts stay ghosts forever".
I really enjoyed the 'normality' of the situation; Philip's tropical fish, and that he finds parallels between the Roman History he's learning at school and his own life.
Even in death, the ghosts of dads in Newark meet near the pub 'The Castle and Falcon', where Brian was landlord (and Philip lives) because it's the oldest pub in town and most of them went there in life. As we read further, the story takes a more sombre turn and questions the fragility of the mind when bereaved.
Intelligently written it is both humourous and poignant and the author illustrates the story brilliantly with cleverly chosen words.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An eleven year old Hamlet
Philip Noble is eleven when his Dad, who owned a pub in the East Midlands, is killed driving his car because the brakes failed. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Ralph Blumenau
Well written
I read `The Dead Father's Club' when it was released in paperback in April 2007 and decided to have a reread. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2010 by Weave
Disturbing reworking of Hamlet
I came to this book in a rush , in the library, knowing nothing of the author. I wasn't sure if I'd picked up a children's book or an adult book. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2009 by K. P. Corrigan
You either love it or you hate it.
I loved this book, from start to finish. But i can see why some people don't, its not as good as The curious Incident but its worth giving a try, but I do admit that the use of no... Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2008 by alice
Hamlet re-hashed!
I like Matt Haig and admire his experiements with genre and style but I agree with some other reviewers that his rendition of the teenage psyche is poorly and, irritatingly... Read more
Published on 31 July 2008 by The Engager
Disgraceful
I read Haig's last book and enjoyed it but what is he doing with this narrative? As one who lost her father I find it offensive that he has pulled a cheap trick with the appalling... Read more
Published on 28 April 2008 by Isabelle
Pure voice in a boldly written tale sparks magic
Loved it! Once started, it was one of those books I really looked forward to the time I could spend enjoying it. Haig's way of letting Philip tell his tale is bold and refreshing. Read more
Published on 29 July 2007 by perrygirlblue
Disturbing
Having loved "The Last family in England" which I found witty and clever, with a believable perspective on a family from an unusual viewpoint, I was really looking forward to this. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2007 by J. E. A'LEE
IMAGINATIVE, HUMOROUS, AND TOUCHING
British writer Matt Haig makes his American debut with The Dead Fathers Club, a story that owes a bit to Shakespeare (Hamlet) and a great deal to Haig's fertile imagination, humor,... Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2007 by Gail Cooke
Too long, too unfunny
At the beginning, I found this slightly humorous. Then it got repetitive and I skipped bits. It might have provided insight into a certain sort of child. It lost all humour. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2006 by Barry Rosenberg
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