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Man and Boy [Paperback]

Tony Parsons (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (250 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Aug 2008

A fabulously engaging and exciting novel about a man who has to learn about life and love the hard way.

Harry Silver has it all. A successful job in TV, a gorgeous wife, a lovely child. And in one moment of madness, he chucks it all away.

Man and Boy is the story of how he comes to terms with his life and achieves a degree of self-respect, bringing up his son alone and, gradually, learning what words like love and family really mean.

It is very well written, pacy, funny, and heart-breakingly moving.

Frequently Bought Together

Man and Boy + Man and Wife + Men from the Boys
Price For All Three: £17.97

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  • Man and Wife by Tony Parsons Paperback £5.99
  • Men from the Boys by Tony Parsons Paperback £5.99

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; (Reissue) edition (4 Aug 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0006512135
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006512134
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (250 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Tony Parsons Page
Tony Parsons
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Product Description

Amazon Review

"Some situations to avoid when preparing for your all-important, finally-I-am-fully-grown thirtieth birthday.
Having a one-night stand with a colleague from work.
The rash purchase of luxury items you can't afford.
Being left by your wife.
Losing your job.
Suddenly becoming a single parent.

If you are coming up to 30, whatever you do, don't do any of that.
It will fuck up your whole day.

So begins Man and Boy, Tony Parson's foray into fiction. Or non-fiction. Rumoured to be a roman à clef, the well-known journalist and broadcaster writes the story of a successful TV executive who brings up his child alone after a failed marriage--much like Parson's own life.

Harry Silver, the book's anti-hero, has it all: a beautiful wife, an angelic son and a high-paying job. His life is just about perfect, until one night he casually sleeps with a slim redheaded coworker who has "that kind of fine Irish skin that is so pale it looks as though it has never seen the sun". After the fateful night, his life falls apart. He loses his job and his wife in rapid succession, and finds himself a single, unemployed parent. It is an excellent education for a man who up until now has been immature and irresponsible, and Parsons has some strong points to make about the puerility of far too many contemporary males: "Being a man is like being chained to the village idiot." At times he piles on the disasters and plot-twists a little too thickly, but the ending is wildly romantic, redemptive and optimistic. In other words, Harry grows up. -- Christopher Hart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

‘Wistful, touching and funny, it looks back at the glory days of the family without losing hope for the future. In the end, it is a deeply touching book: a love letter to a son from his father, and to a father from his son’
Mail on Sunday

‘One of the finest books published this year… Hilarious and tear-jerking in turns’
Express

‘Parsons has written a sharp, witty and wise book straight from his heart. His characters are all nitty-gritty, bounce-off-the-page, real people; his dialogue is brilliant’
Daily Mail

‘A touching novel… full of quiet tenderness, and written from the heart’
Independent

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Slightly flawed in places but packs a strong emotional punch 23 Aug 2000
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Having finished this book I was left with mixed feelings. Whilst it started promisingly enough, the development of some of the characters seemed to stall a little midway through. I was left slightly confused by the actions of Gina, who claimed to be so opposed to any infidelity that she willingly threw away an apparently happy 7 year marriage, yet still felt comfortable in getting involved with a married man. I would also have expected Harry to fight a little harder to save his marriage than he actually did and the time scale in whih everything happened (just over 6 months) seemed unrealistically fast. However I still found this book to be funny, endearing and very very touching. The high point was most definitely Harry's relationship with his Father which was beautifully written and had me in floods of tears far more times that the 4 promised by a reviewer on the jacket. I've always thought of Tony Parsons as a somewhat cynical writer, so this aspect of the story came as a very pleasant surprise.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars a turgid kramer vs kramer without the flares 9 Jun 2000
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I am a great fan of tony parsons - hence the more reason why i was terribly disappointed with the book - despite what others say i was more likely to laugh (or cry) witnessing the political angst of the teletubbies than reading this story of father losing wife, is unable to cope with job and son, loses job, boy has minor accident whilst father is mildly involved with other woman, father and son find themselves.....(fell asleep at this point).... HAven't we heard it all before?
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Simplistic and insubstantial 9 Aug 1999
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
It is always surprising when someone you consider to be bright and having lived an interesting life produces such sentimental nonsense. The book offers no insights into the subject; a family break up. The characters generate no strong feelings and by the end, I was glad to be shot of them.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars It's worth reading it to the end
I got this book from a friend of mine. I wasn't expecting anything after seeing quite a few negative reviews and rating here, but it turned out to be really good. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Serena Liu
1.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Drivel
An important subject for any single parent family, unfortunately treated in a banal and pointless fashion. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Piano
2.0 out of 5 stars A waste of time
I am glad I read this book as I don't read modern fiction usually and now I realise I am not necessarily missing much. Read more
Published 6 months ago by ray
5.0 out of 5 stars i cried!
Touched my heart strings. A man made a very stupid mistake and tried to rectify his marriage, failing! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. Mm Hall
1.0 out of 5 stars What the...?
I purchased this 'bestseller' after reading some of the rave reviews. It sat on my bookshelf for about six months whilst I finished other books, then I tucked in expectantly... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dontcallmetaffy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This is a great book with a good story i eally enjoyed it nice plot on the whole it was a really good buy.
Published 12 months ago by Mr. Alan P. Gibson
3.0 out of 5 stars Superficial connections between characters
Slightly mixed feelings about this novel. Most of the connections between characters are a bit superficial. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Melvin
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
I have read this book about ten years ago when i was in college. I remember reading it on the bus home and i was so into reading that i have missed my bus stop. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Agnieszka Moczadlo
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me...
I quite liked this book, but it really annoyed me. Every other page is either filled with "the pieces of our broken little family," Cyd's "wide-set brown eyes" or the fact that Pat... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Sophie Cross
3.0 out of 5 stars Contradictory Storyline (spoilers)
I am coming to the end of Man and Boy and wanted to put down my thoughts so far.

The plot centres around a guy called Harry who is married to Gina. Read more
Published 21 months ago by CC
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