The Stars' Tennis Balls
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Ned Maddstone has it all. He's handsome and talented; he has the love of a beautiful woman and in 1980, he stands at the brink of a glittering future. He rounds off an outstanding public school career with a sailing trip to Scotland, which is where his fortunes enter a terrifying tailspin. Determined to honour the dying wish of his sailing instructor, Ned returns to London, where the schemes of jealous classmates catapult him into a 10-year nightmare. Confined to a solitary Hell, believed dead by all those who loved him, Ned transforms from a terminally nice guy into a creature bent on revenge, a revenge both satisfying and apocalyptic.
Few writers can deliver so much in one package, but here Stephen Fry combines a riotous satire of the privileged classes with elements of the darkest thrillers. While the plot bounces from the sublime to the surreal, his characters remain acutely real. Ned's classmates, slow-witted hedonist Rufus Cade, and the Machiavellian climber Ashley Barson-Garland--who is aroused by the sight of straw boaters--are masterful creations. This novel has nothing to do with tennis, and everything to do with the cruel logic of Fate. Game, set and match to Mr Fry. - - Matthew Baylis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"'We are merely the stars' tennis balls, struck and banded / Which way please them' (The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster)"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The stars' tennis balls,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Paperback)
This was my first attempt at reading a book by Stephen Fry although he already has converts in all my family, and I'm now seriously concerned it might have spoilt me for any other book. It is a gripping, engaging, erudite book from cover to cover and I couldn't put it down. Yes Ned turns from pathetic wimp to revenging angel, but who wouldn't under the circumstances ? And Neds' final action tells of his painful ending. Big words and all I couldn't put it down; I found it one of the most complete stories I've ever read. Bravo.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Revenge isn't always sweet ... but do read this novel!,
This review is from: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Paperback)
Note: `Revenge' is the same novel as `The Stars' Tennis Balls' re-titled for the American marketYou can't go wrong with Fry's novels: his plots are unpredictable, his writing style is witty, intelligent and captivating, and his (dark) humour is ever-present ... what more could you ask for?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fry wins, but were we watching, or being watched?,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Hardcover)
Is this book very very clever, or is it trying to make us think we are clever? There are a lot of distinct literary balls lobbed during this novel. Every major writing style, ditto. The school boy bit mimics the style of novels aimed at kids during a certain period; the characteristation of the hero (its the only word that applies) pre-island, is one dimensional, as though written by Adrian Mole. Even the source material (Othello, the Count) reminds me of what I read at that age. This is deliberate; Fry even lists the source material by name, hinting that he is up to something bigger. But what? We are gieven a clue in the desciption of the inmates angered by the invisible playing board. In this scene, the clever prisoner plays a mind game which maddens the mad. is Mr. Fry playing clever tennis with his readers? The second half of the book, right down to the German, Dutch and Swiss locations is straight spy thriller stuff. And the end? Jeffrey Archer meets John Webster? Is this post post-modernism? Is it pretend post-modernism? Or is the whole smoregesboard simply playing with post-modernism, as does with so many other genres? Its the best Stephen Fry book by far, a Gullivers Travels for the third millennium. Hold onto your first editions...
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