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Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World
 
 
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Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World [Paperback]

Harry Thompson
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
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Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World + Rain Men: Madness of Cricket + Fatty Batter: How cricket saved my life (then ruined it)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: John Murray; Reprint edition (5 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0719563461
  • ISBN-13: 978-0719563461
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.4 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 26,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harry Thompson
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Product Description

Review

Praise for Harry Thompson and Penguins Stopped Play:

(. )

'Actually completely brilliant'

(Ian Hislop )

'A real gold standard sense of humour'

 

(David Baddiel )

'Rare, clever, creative ... a maverick, pushing boundaries with outrageous jokes'

(Guardian )

'Crammed with sharp observation, comic and cruel characterisation and a great many very good jokes... Gloriously funny and life-affirming'

(Daily Telegraph )

'Surely the funniest book ever written about the English addiction to cricket...a beautiful tale of classic British humour, self-deprecation, great courage'

(Daily Mail )

'Even people who despise cricket will adore this'

(Times )

'Isn't only a marvellous read but in many ways captures the very essence of the game'

(Observer )

'Very funny . . .he fills his warm-hearted book with a satisfying selection of tales'

(Sunday Times )

'Funny and inspiring...Thompson writes with a novelist's sympathy about a wonderfully mixed bunch of characters' - Hugh Massingberd

(Literary Review )

'As funny as you would expect from the writer of Have I Got News For You'

(Daily Express )

'Harry Thompson wrote with such verve and wit that he could have made a trip round a multi-storey car park into an adventure'

 

(Celia Brayfield, The Times )

'A very funny, peculiarly British travel book'

(Markus Berkman, Daily Mail )

'A rip-roaring and at times touching account of a global tour by a bunch of village cricketers'

(Oxford Mail )

Telegraph

'Gloriously funny and life affirming. Crammed with sharp observation, comic characterisation and a great many very good jokes' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
A hilarious read 22 Nov 2006
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book. From start to finish it holds the reader's thrall. It is well written and engaging whether you like the game of cricket or not, it is a funny account of the experiences of a less than professional cricket XI as they attempt to play the game on evry continent in the world over a limited time. It is worth mentioning however that although it offers much to the general reader, the most satisfaction and enjoyment will be had by those with an appreciation and an understanding of the little nuances, subtleties and terms inherent in the game of cricket, after all "tickling it down to fine leg" and "firing it in just short of a length" is not in everyone's natural parlance!
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Cricket 24 April 2006
Format:Hardcover
Penguins Stopped Play is a remarkable account of the infamous Captain Scott XI which has already featured in 'Rain Men' & 'Zimmer Men' by Marcus Berkmann.

This time the focus is on the over seas tours the team embarked upon and the hilarious, embarrassing and awful situations that followed them around the globe. (I particularly enjoyed the withering attack on BA).

If you enjoy Cricket & travel then this book is a must. It is constantly laugh out loud funny with great stories on travel, sport & friendship. Well written and observant not only on foreign lands & cricket but also on the people that participate and play this silly game.

The books conclusion is particularly moving and poignant with the author facing the challenges of a terminal illness, which is met with much bravery and a straight bat. Penguins Stopped Play is a great book and Harry Thompson will be missed even by those who didn't know him! Thanks Harry!
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
A beautiful read 27 Sep 2006
Format:Hardcover
'Penguins Stopped Play' is an utterly eccentric but delightful tale, filled with humour and pathos. If you want to undertand the mind of an Englishman, this is the book for you.

Driven to make the journey of a lifetime, Harry Thompson and his team conquer the world in pursuit of cricket. There's good chunks of travel writing here, some brilliant characterisation, and a good many jokes. It's a refreshing read, which you'll polish off in a session. The book's haunting ending will remain with you for a long, long time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Penguins Stopped Play
Anyone who has ever played the more casual type of club cricket or who merely loves the game will enjoy this witty, readable book.
Published 1 month ago by Strephon
Thanks Harry
I started to read this book first in 2008, but only got through 100 pages before losing it in a box-o-stuff while relocating contintents. Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Nicol
One of the great cricket books
There are a large number of books about cricket teams and tours, many amusing but often formulaic. This is one of the best but it is more. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ashencrump
One of my favourite ever books
I have read a few similar Cricket books and would strongly recommend this alongside Rainmen and Fatty Batter. But I think this remains my favourite. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. J. Clune
Wonderful book about true to life cricket
I got this book for my birthday yesterday and I finished it today. Maybe that's because I am a die hard cricket fan, or because this book is wonderfully well written, or maybe a... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. M. C. Coombs
Good
I haven't as yet read this book so can't write a proper. However, from it was highly recommended and, from glancing through, I am sure it is going to meet up to expectations.
Published 7 months ago by Sheila
Could do with a few more Penguins
A lovely book which i took on holiday with me. It starts very well and follows the history of a scratch cricket team. Read more
Published 7 months ago by thomastick
What penguins?
Penguins Stopped Play is a energetic look at village cricket, it's foibles and the "characters" who play for many teams. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Matthew Smith
Excellent, easy, read
Great book to read without thinking too much. A genuinely touching and funny take on the world of amateur cricket. Highly recommended for an easy read.
Published 16 months ago by ab
Hmmmm...
I can't be too rough on this book, as it was a posthumous release (the author might have polished it further had it not been for his untimely death) - but I have to say, given the... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Shark Sandwich
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