Clive Dunlop was a masseur of exceptional talents. His 'services' were much in demand amongst the great and the good and after his untimely death at the age of 34 they - the film stars and politicians, the writers and publishers, the TV pundits and celebrity chefs - are gathered for his memorial service. The conduct of the service is a great worry for the priest taking the service but it proves to be a test for the congregation. This is Alan Bennett at his absolute best with an exceptional satire. It is a perfect work of fiction but it will give readers the extra frisson of pleasure of identifying many of the characters, including even the masseur. This is a small masterpiece.
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Amazon Review
The Laying on of Hands is vintage Alan Bennett, who has clearly mastered the art of the funny, wise and moving story that stands somewhere between a novel and a short story. The story revolves around the funeral of Clive Dunlop, a young man who has died in Peru under mysterious circumstances. As Father Geoffrey Joliffe prepares to lead the funeral, it seems "hard to say what Clive was, for instance, though taking note of the numerous celebrities who were still filing in, 'well-connected' would undoubtedly describe him". As Father Joliffe begins to speak, it soon emerges that the TV stars, politicians, singers, writers, and even the priest himself, who have gathered to mourn Clive were all beneficiaries of his "healing hands". Clive was a gifted masseur, although for many of his clients massage "was just a preliminary to a more protracted and intimate encounter and one which might, understandably, come a little dearer".
Under the disapproving eye of one of his church superiors, Father Joliffe allows the funeral to descend into a free-for-all as Clive's friends and clients try to understand who he was, and worry over the nature of his mysterious death. Beautifully written in Bennett's laconic, adroit style, The Laying on of Hands suddenly creeps up on the reader as a funny and wise meditation on the big issues of sex, death, religion and HIV/AIDS. --Jerry Brotton
Review
As memorial services go these days it had been billed as "a celebration", the marrying of the valedictory with the festive convenient on several grounds. For a start it made grief less obligatory, which was useful as the person to be celebrated had been dead some time and tears would have been something of an acting job. To call it a celebration also allowed the congregation to dress down up not down. Clive Dunlop was a masseur of exceptional talents. His "services" were much in demand amongst the great and the good and after his untimely death at the age of 34 they - the film stars and politicians, the writers and publishers, the TV pundits and celebrity chefs - are gathered for his memorial service. The conduct of the service is a great worry for the priest taking the service but it proves to be a test for the congregation. This is Alan Bennett at his absolute best with an exceptional satire. It is a perfect work of fiction but it will give readers the extra frisson of pleasure of identifying many of the characters, including even the masseur. A small masterpiece.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By R T Beck
Format:Audio Cassette
This is Alan Bennett at his delightful, humorous and poignant best. The story never ceases to fascinate in its convoluted structure, and Bennett's reading of his own work is, as ever, a joy. There are few writers who manage at the same time to be intellectually satisfying, funny, and yet moving, but Bennett is one of them. Never was Keats' famous line 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever,' more applicable to a work of literature. It cannot be too highly recommended!
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Alan Bennett's latest is a typically engaging, character based story. The opening drama is set at a memorial service for a young masseur. The congregation being liberally sprinkled with minor and not so minor celebrities - all of whom have had some encounters with the young man, many being of a sexual nature.
Bennetts reading gives voice to these characters including the vicar, though it is a far cry from his original vicar in Beyond the Fringe. The Laying on of Hands is a superb analysis of the shadows or truth that many have in their lives and their reactions when these secretive elements look likely to be uncovered in an all too public forum. The shadow of AIDS hangs over this piece almost as a threat of the result of promiscuity, though the results are anything but.
Bennetts reading gives voice to these characters including the vicar, though it is a far cry from his original vicar in Beyond the Fringe. The Laying on of Hands is a superb analysis of the shadows or truth that many have in their lives and their reactions when these secretive elements look likely to be uncovered in an all too public forum. The shadow of AIDS hangs over this piece almost as a threat of the result of promiscuity, though the results are anything but.
Highly recommended.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By doreen gibbs
Format:Audio CD
this must be the funniest thing i have ever listened to, it is side splittingly hilarious and the most observant and accurate description of all manner of people, all of whom we recognise somewhere in our lives. I have listened to it countless times, and it is a staple painting, gardening and odd job friend. Just watch you don't drop your brush or fall off the ladder.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
It creeps up on you
I loved this book. It starts you off gently, in a Church , at a memorial service.
As you read on you are given a picture of the deceased's life and his various, male and... Read more
As you read on you are given a picture of the deceased's life and his various, male and... Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2011 by cross
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great , buy it !
Another great one from Bennett, and read by the man himself . Enjoy: I did !
Published on 20 Sep 2010 by Ricardo lorenzo Flamenco
2.0 out of 5 stars
Alan Bennett, radio collection
I was soooo disappointed with this Alan Bennett CD. I adore his work ordinarily, but for some reason this one fell short of the mark. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2010 by Rip Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mr Ollie
Yet again Mr Bennett does not disappoint he keeps your attention through out, I well recommended it.
Published on 31 Mar 2010 by Mr Ollie
5.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable story
an absorbibng and comic story, well read and a good companion whilst I was gardening!
Published on 12 Jun 2009 by Dr. Herbert Goodwin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle smiles
I'd endorse everything everyone else has said here, though I didn't find it side-splittingly funny -- more gentle smiles at Bennett's observation, so beautifully crafted into... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2006 by Gary
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Melange of Bennettian Characters
I first heard this book read by the author on 'A Book at Bedtime'; sleep not coming any easier afterwards in the light of its telling. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2002 by Mr. SM Stewart
4.0 out of 5 stars
a witty miniature from Bennett's increasingly reluctant pen
I first saw "The Laying On Of Hands" not on Amazon but in the spiritual surroundings of the bookshop beneath St Martin in the Fields. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2002 by Michael Gray (meagray@yahoo.com)
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