New Boy
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The New Boy of William Sutcliffe's hilariously touching debut novel causes a bit of a stir when he arrives at Mark's posh private school. For a start, Barry is devastatingly handsome and causes girls and boys to buckle at the knees. Mark is more than a little jealous, considering himself to be much less attractive. But he spots an ally in Barry and the two quickly become friends though Mark's feelings for Barry are often confused. For a start, he finds himself lusting after the boy in the showers but refuses to think it's because he is gay. Meanwhile, Barry is getting busy with most of the female population within a 50-mile radius, including an affair with one of his own teachers. Mark quickly realises that if he is ever going to be a hit with the opposite sex, he needs Barry's help. But he learns that Barry is hiding a few secrets of his own.
This wonderfully funny and engaging novel is a fast and captivating read, as Sutcliffe hits so many marks about the clichés of school life. The neurotic teachers, the geeky pupils and the rites of passage will all strike a chord within most readers, and the characters are effectively and warmly drawn. Mark and Barry's relationship is so wonderfully captured; their brief conversations are mainly populated with swearwords and degenerate into arguments by their end. There are examinations of both religion and, more importantly, homosexuality, and it's a comfort to see these issues treated with a respectful sense of humour. In the end though, New Boy isn't so much a novel about being gay, more about being who you want to be. --Jonathan Weir
Product Description
NEW BOY is a dark modern comedy about the hormonal angst of a Jewish lad growing up in north-west London's bagel belt. "Sutcliffe has managed to pull off a worthy British companion to Portnoy's Complaint" Jay Rayner,Observer "Well-written,clever and very funny" Literary Review "Smart,entertaining stuff...somewhere between Adrian Mole and Holden Caulfield" Philip Hensher,Mail on Sunday
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Along with the rest of the staff, the chaplain at my school failed to notice that the place had long since been taken over by Jews and Asians. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Along with the rest of the staff, the chaplain at my school failed to notice that the place had long since been taken over by Jews and Asians. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first chapter of this book had be hooked. It is written in such a way that the narrator is talking to you and knows this is a book (being shown from the 'im finding this chapter very hard'). I must say that this is perhaps the easiest book I have ever read. The language is simple to follow and the sheer enjoyment the prose gave me to dead made this book unputdownable. Except, of course, for the moments in which I had to put the book down becuase I was crying from laughter (which happened several times). I suggest you buy this book NOW. And be prepared for painful sides.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The vast majority of reviews here focus on the comedy elements of this book, but I think they have missed the point somewhat. 'New Boy' isn't fundamentally a comedy, it's the sad tale of a sexually confused adolescent losing his only one true love because he can't come to terms with his emotions and his homosexual tendancies. Ok so it contains a lot of laughs, but can anyone read this book and not feel pity for the main character as he sees others steal Barry away from him? Books such as this and Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' can all to easily be labelled as plain comedies, but they often have a far more meaningful and inspirational subtext. While I would agree that the ending was somewhat rushed, and I wish it turned out the other way too, life isn't always like that, and if you will pardon the phrase, s**t happens! I admire Sutcliffe in a way for creating a slighty shocking, non-sentimental ending, but he really should have used more pages.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sutcliffe is one of the most original, fresh and interesting of the 'new' young British authors.His writing is natural, flowing and honest. His characters are totally believeable and easy-to-identify-with. I've read his 'Are You Experienced?' and LOVED it, and was not disasppointed by his first piece of fiction, as often happens to me with other writers. Wonderful, enjoyable read, DO NOT MISS!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
witty with twists
A great relatively short story. The author manages to engage the reader by both amusing you and keeping you on edge with many twists... Read more
Published 7 months ago by sl90
Good Writing, Funny, But Heavy Going
First I have to say what I love about William Sutcliffe. This is a writer who really does know how to write. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Sir Furboy
The New Boy
Great read. Not often you get hold of a book that you don't want to put down. I found it very amusing, particularly the bit where the 'New Boy' introduced the other guy to his... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2010 by david audit
New Boy
To be honest, this is not the kind of book I'd usually read. The lad-lit cover is fairly off-putting and when it was initially published in paperback the cover was more... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by Rich
' New Boy '
This is well worth purchasing . It is about to be produced on stage in the West End starring Nicholas Hoult . Thoroughly recommended .
Published on 10 April 2009 by G. W. Swift
Very Funny Indeed
I loved this book, every single side splitting page. Not giving this book its due credit because the main character is difficult to empathise with is madness. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2008 by Booklover
A good read
My mistake was going into this book with expectations of eventual events which, hertbreakingly never happened. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2005
New Boy
New Boy is a fantastic book which incorporates realistic characters, a fantastic and believable plot, with the odd twist and turn here and there. Read more
Published on 2 July 2004
One of the best books I have ever read!
I read "New Boy" around two years ago and have just got around to reviewing it. I have never forgot reading this book, I read a few pages of my friends copy and knew I had to buy... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2004
Adrian mole meets South Parks - Very good
The politically incorrect thoughts of a sixth form Jewish Adrian Mole.
Ok, the narrator is a bit simpleminded sometimes and may not at all time be the best of choice as a... Read more
Ok, the narrator is a bit simpleminded sometimes and may not at all time be the best of choice as a... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2004
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