- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Arrow; New Ed edition (2 Sep 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0749322330
- ISBN-13: 978-0749322335
- Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 3.1 x 17.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 503,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Gobbler
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Julian Mann, the hard drinking, preening, and sexually provocative star of the TV sitcome Richard the Nerd, feels caught on the horns of a dilemma: should he be concentrating on his career, which is on the slide after an unseemly bout of fisticuffs at the BAFTA awards; or following his baser instincts and bedding every young girl in sight?
His twin dreams of comic immortality and a penthouse flat full of booze and young models seem to be frustrated by his wife and children; by Tom, his wife's best friend from university days, a pretentious 'National Theatre Player' who appears to be competing with Julian on the small sreen and in the bedroom; by the tax man, who's chasing him for sixty thousand pounds; and by Lillith, a psychotic fan, and member of a strange Herculean cult whose eight-year cycle of death and regeneration might augur Julian's imminent nemesis...
About the Author
Adrian Edmondson, the son of a peripatetic geography teacher, was born in Bradford in 1957 and brought up in Cyprus, Bahrain and Uganda. After studying drama at Manchester University he moved to London where he became one of the leading lights of the burgeoning comedy scene, helping to establish the reputation of the original Comedy Store and Comic Strip clubs.
Starring as Vyvyan in the award-winning television series The Young Ones, he was also one of the original The Comic Strip Presents ... team, notably creating the spoof heavy metal band Bad News. He starred in two improvised films for television, Honest, Decent and True and Newshounds, winner of the 1990 BAFTA for best single drama, and played Brad in the West End revival of The Rocky Horror Show, and Estragon in the first West End production of Waiting for Godot.
In 1991 Adrian teamed up once again with his longtime comedy partner, Rik Mayall, and created Bottom, their most popular sitcom to date.
Adrian Edmondson is married to Jennifer Saunders, lives in Richmond, and has three children.
The Gobbler is his first novel.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thought that the book was terribly easy to get into, which is always a sign that the writer characterises well. I also thought that the story panned out nicely. People should take this book for what it is - a good, non thought provoking book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book on holiday and was very pleased thatr I read it. The writing style is very easy and flows particulairly well. There are also some hilarios slap stick scenes which read as if they had come straight from a "Bottom" script.
I thought Julian was a great character as was Tom , the pretentious thespian. You certainly get an insight into the world of a BBC actor and you have to wonder how many of the scenes have been taken from Edmunson's own life.
In conclusion then a hilarious read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys their humour in the style of Bottom and the The Young Ones.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Kudos to Ade Edmondson for writing this. I found it to be well-paced, with decent characterisations and wonderfully crafted surreal comedy moments.
This book excelled at the comedy moments. I usually consider "laugh out loud" and "I was on the floor crying" in reviews to be overblown statements that clearly aren't true, but I have to admit there were a good few occasions where what I was reading got a genuine laugh out of me. The highlights for me being the ever increasing list of injuries to Julian, the "Exorcist" scene and a situation that should've been simple going from bad to worse to catastrophic. Some of the surreal moments reminded me of the best moments of One Foot In The Grave, where believable things frequently turn into out of this world situations.
Another strong point of this book was the characterisation. Julian is the perfect anti-hero. You're genuinely on his side and want him to turn up good, though he will frequently let you down. Just when you think the character is beyond redemption, something happens to make you root for him again.
His wife, Wendy is equally believable and you generally want her to have a happy ending. And Tom is worth every bit of contempt Julian has for him, a true comedic villain.
The ending did get a little wacky, and me being slightly prudish, I thought certain descriptions were a little graphic, but all this aside, it was a damn good read and was genuinely funny. I'm surprised and a little disappointed to see Mr Edmondson hasn't tried his hand at novel writing again, because he's definitely got a talent for it in my opinion.
This book excelled at the comedy moments. I usually consider "laugh out loud" and "I was on the floor crying" in reviews to be overblown statements that clearly aren't true, but I have to admit there were a good few occasions where what I was reading got a genuine laugh out of me. The highlights for me being the ever increasing list of injuries to Julian, the "Exorcist" scene and a situation that should've been simple going from bad to worse to catastrophic. Some of the surreal moments reminded me of the best moments of One Foot In The Grave, where believable things frequently turn into out of this world situations.
Another strong point of this book was the characterisation. Julian is the perfect anti-hero. You're genuinely on his side and want him to turn up good, though he will frequently let you down. Just when you think the character is beyond redemption, something happens to make you root for him again.
His wife, Wendy is equally believable and you generally want her to have a happy ending. And Tom is worth every bit of contempt Julian has for him, a true comedic villain.
The ending did get a little wacky, and me being slightly prudish, I thought certain descriptions were a little graphic, but all this aside, it was a damn good read and was genuinely funny. I'm surprised and a little disappointed to see Mr Edmondson hasn't tried his hand at novel writing again, because he's definitely got a talent for it in my opinion.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Goes Down Well
That Adrian Edmondson wrote a novel in the mid nineties was a bit of a surprise considering that his writing until that point had been in collaboration with Rik Mayall for The... Read more
Published on 23 May 2008 by Ian Wood, Author of 'Here's 2 Absent Fathers'
Gobble gobble....
'Write what you know' is the standard advice for new authors, so perhaps it's no suprise that Adrian Edmondson's debut novel revolves around the misadventures of a TV comedian,... Read more
Published on 25 April 2007 by Jane Aland
The Gobbler
This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. It had me laughing out loud and I didn't want to put it down.
Published on 5 Nov 2004 by "mrfitzy"
More amusement from Ade...
I personnally think this book is one of the best thing's i've read.
It may not be to a lot of people's tastes, but if you like the sort of humour that Adrian is into,... Read more
It may not be to a lot of people's tastes, but if you like the sort of humour that Adrian is into,... Read more
Published on 21 July 2003 by "disintegration_thecure"
amazing book
I found this book highly amusing and was laughing all the way through. Julian Mann is a great character, who is arrogent, yet lovable. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2003 by "disintegration_thecure"
refreshingly realistic
Once you have read this book you will find that the main character has a part of someone you know in him. The hardest part is finding yourself. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2002
Aptly named turkey
The only book I have ever read where I wanted the central character to be killed after three pages. There is no story worth commenting on. Overall a poor effort.
Published on 5 Dec 1999
Dreadful
Hopefully the first and last novel by the author. Predictable and childish plotting. Badly written. Absolute tosh. Read Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller to see how it should be done.
Published on 10 Nov 1999 by Andrew Hines
Sophisticated 'Bottom' humour? Well, he gives it a go.
Think Eddie from 'Bottom' as a TV presenter with problems in all parts of his life. A vaguely cultured alcoholic with a liking for kinky sex...it works, more or less. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 1999
The gobbler - slapstick humour and Edmondson's tortured mind
A very funny book, but don't expect the Mayall mayhem to be present. This is well structured, albeit a little laboured. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 1998
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