- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo; TV Tie in Ed edition (6 Oct 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006388574
- ISBN-13: 978-0006388579
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 301,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
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Product Description
Review
‘This is the grunge version of Melrose – the characters move speedily from one bed to another in Birmingham’s share-house hell… Not recommended for landlords’, Kathy Bil, Editor, Rolling Stone
‘You’ll read it with horrified amusement and, if you’ve ever shared a flat, the occasional wince of recollection’, Terry Pratchett
Product Description
Here for the first time is the full horror and madness of sharing a house, told by someone who’s been there. Birmingham pulls no punches: from dead rats in the kitchen to tent-dwelling lodgers in the living room, you’ll run for the safety of living alone.
‘A rat died in the living room at King Street and we didn’t know. There was at least six inches of compacted rubbish between our feet and the floor. Old Ratty must have crawled in there and died of pleasure. A visitor uncovered him while groping around for a beer.’
Tales of debauchery, drugs, flatmates from hell and nasty things lurking in the kitchen sink abound in Rolling Stone journalist John Birmingham’s hilarious account of sharing houses in Melbourne and Brisbane. He Died with a Felafel in His Hand makes Withnail & I look like a lesson in clean living.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first picked up this book a few years back on one of the many occasions I was locked out of my house I found myself in the tiny local library seeking shelter from the rain and Uni lecturers. I was seduced into removing it from a shelf of dull looking educational literature and novels you have to be over 75 to read. The gorgeously grotesque cover was enough to lull me into a false sense of security thinking I would only spend a few minutes reading it while waiting for my flatmates to arrive. How wrong I was this book is amazingly funny material and John Birmingham is a legend!! If there was a literary god of humour he would no doubt be..... Australian, and be full of 'life experiences' I kept turning the pages and before I knew what time it was I was being chucked out by a librarian (never thought I'd actually say those words). However it was incredibly difficult to get hold of a copy at the time, then in my quest to make it my own discovered a sequel 'Tasmanian Babes Fiasco' Again Fantastic!! Even better than the original!! I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of 'Weapons of Choice' & Dopetown. I know they won't disappoint. Can't praise enough!!! BUY! BUY! BUY!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The title of this book may be deceptive. This is not a murder, nor a horror story. It is a humorous, fast paced collection of student living stories. John Birmingham lived in a number of student houses in various Australian cities with a fantastic variety of people, most of whom had interesting and some might say frightening idiosyncrasies, which makes for some hilarious stories. Birmingham cleverly captures the mood of student houses where a bunch of young, poor, different and supposedly intelligent people have come together to live under one roof. Inevitably there are differences of opinion, some problems with hygiene and people who can't/don't pay the rent. The book also illustrates the lengths to which students will go to entertain themselves when they are sick of daytime television. Watch out especially for the tale of the cocktail party held by the pretty Tasmanian girls up the road, and the days of preparation that go into having one hell of an evening. A really good read for anyone that likes a good laugh.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
i had this book forced upon me a by my best mate, i loaned him some CDs and he gave me this in return, i wasnt interested, but he implored me to read it. after reading a few pages i was absolutely enthralled, the story outlines the experiences of a guy in australian shaehousing up and down the east coast throughout the 80s/90s and is set out in the form of a group of short stories that all tie in with one another, he even has anecdotes from former housemates that share or dispute his claims as well as giving accounts on different events from their own experience. i have read the book over and over as it is such a great read. get a hold of it somehow and see for yourself, pure brilliance
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An easy read
Great fun and easy to read. Full of peps and sexy, funky anecdotes about flatsharing. A good laugh, but all this is supposed to be realistic and based on real life experiences!
Published 20 months ago by cmarielle
Makes you grateful for the houseshares you've had...
This second hand book arrived complete with crumbs between the pages, which only added to the experience of reading it! Read more
Published on 29 May 2009 by H. Townley
amusing but patchy
An amusing account of housesharing in Australia. You may find yourself questioning the stories from time to time, since the same thing happened your best friend's brother's... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2001
Laugh out loud funny in a gross way!
This book made me howl with laughter in parts and in others made me feel physically queasy. It brought back some nasty memories of house sharing that would have been better left... Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2000 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
Funny book, made my current house-share life seem better
Picked this book up at Dillons, during a touring visit of the UK. Very funny, especially since it helps me put my current housemate-from-hell problems in proportion. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2000 by _
Nothing but hilarious
If you think your flatmate comes from Hades (as I did with one of mine), read this book. I'm sure you'll be a bit more appreciative (or you're just unlucky). Read more
Published on 12 April 2000
Funny as!
Hilarious! Felafel is a classic! HOWEVER, don't bother with the sequel "Tasmanian Babes", it stretches the joke a little too far.
Published on 30 Jan 2000
Absolutely hysterical.
The intruiging title of this book led me to purchase it during a trip to Australia last year. The story deals mainly with losers sharing grotty housing in Brisbane, but sloppy... Read more
Published on 20 Nov 1998
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