- Hardcover: 300 pages
- Publisher: bluechrome Publishing (15 Nov 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1906061505
- ISBN-13: 978-1906061500
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 14.6 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,055,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
This book contains a 21st Century tale of celebrity-obsession, identity crisis and personality disorder. Ben Tippet's "novel autobiography" is ostensibly a self-portrait, but the arsonist's tale takes broader strokes, painting the landscape of a contemporary world hooked on sex, fame and fortune. Nuanced with literary and pop-cultural references, it explores universal themes of love, loss, sex and death.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Its Incendiary,
By Emma "Emma" (South East England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Portrait of the Arsonist as a Young Man (Hardcover)
Really agree with the previous reviewers. I loved this book and I loved Ben Tippet. Its an energy packed 300 pages. Its really fast and very funny in places, but really moving too. The storyline is a bit of a roller coaster through Ben's life. It is deceptively complex, and when I got to the end I felt like I'd read a much bigger book: it kept turning over in my mind for days. I can't recommend it highly enough. I think if you enjoy a good read you'll like this book, whatever your fictional prefences are.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So hot its cool!,
This review is from: A Portrait of the Arsonist as a Young Man (Hardcover)
I read loads of books but don't really do reviews. This time though, I decided to write one, because this book is fantastic. I couldnt put it down. Ben (the narrator) is an accomplished liar, so as the story teller he spins a great yarn that twists and turns and pulls some big suprises. In that sense, the book works brilliantly as a straightforward, unputdownable narrative novel disguised as memoir. The really clever thing is that when you peel it, what lies beneath the onion skin is layer after layer of other narratives, other meanings, stories only hinted at and references to a lexicon of world literature that you can easily miss - and in a sense it doesnt really matter if you do because its still a great read; but if you catch them (and I bet I missed as many as I found) they really add to the depth and texture of the story and the characters. If all this sounds a bit too 'literary', don't be put off - this books is funny, it flows really smoothly, its easy to read and its compulsive... If you start it, I defy you not to get to the end in record breaking time. And the ending, for all Ben's silver tongued charisma, reminded me of TS Eliot's Prufrock, ....and then I found another ending, the real ending. I think...
As soon as I'd finished I went back onto Amazon to buy more by the writer, and was amazed to find out that this is Andrew McGuinness's only novel - so I'm assuming its his first, which is amazing because its really accomplished. So, bitten by the fire bug I'm about to start reading An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England instead. Looking at the blurb it seems similar, but it starts sort of where A Portrait of the Arsonist ends..so I'm really interested in making a comparison
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Try it - it is different,
By Campbell79 (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Portrait of the Arsonist as a Young Man (Hardcover)
I took this book on holiday with me - it was an impulse buy but certainly not a regrettable one. Think that I finished this book in 2 days; which is quite good for me.
The book is intriguing from the start and makes you want to read and read (which is annoying at bed time!). I must admit that it seemed to lose its way a little bit towards the middle but it soon picks up again. I would recommend this book as I found it easy and interesting to read and got to like the characters. Makes you think too, which is always a good thing.
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