Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
Price: £2.67

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport [Paperback]

Andy Miller
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback --  
Paperback, 27 Mar 2003 --  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

27 Mar 2003
Andy Miller is a sports atheist. The beautiful game, the roar of the crowd, winning, losing, taking part - these mean nothing to him. But at 30 he is worried. He thinks he's turning into a bit of a crank. So he decides that he must try to love sport - and just maybe it will love him back. He shivers for a season in the stands at QPR, braves the queues at Wimbledon, stays (reasonably) sober at the boat race and gets his money's worth at a WWF event. But to really show his commitment, he takes up the one sport now dear to his heart - crazy golf. Dreaming of putting glory, he heads for Europe and the international circuit. No one can accuse him of being a crank now.

Special Offers and Product Promotions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (27 Mar 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 014029760X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140297607
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 925,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Amazon Review

Tilting at Windmills is the comic odyssey of a meek geek who tries to become one with the sporting life. Journalist Andy Miller is a lifelong sport-phobic who finds himself in a Britain obsessed with the stuff--from the school playing field to the various "hallowed turfs", the seemingly pointless doings have everyone around him mesmerised--and Miller decides to find out why.

A stuttering but almost successful attempt to become a QPR fan, gives way to bold stabs at embracing the totems of British sport--The Open, The Boat Race, Wimbledon--with Miller bent on breaking the "code" that allows others to find passion, drama and fun, where he finds only bad catering, yobs and stupefying boredom.

The investigation is punctuated by the ongoing story of his own endeavours in top-flight international sporting competition, as Miller finds himself drawn to the painted windmills and baffling geometry of crazy golf, pursuing his new passion around the seaside towns of Britain and onwards to European Championships, in Latvia (where he is billed by no less an organ than the Baltic Times as "the Eddie the Eagle of miniature golf").

Miller is the witty, acutely self-conscious traveller at the heart of his own story, but nevertheless pursues serious lines of enquiry into the self-deception and surrender to tribalism that characterise the sports fan, and what underpins his own long-standing resistance to "joining in". No major revelations here, but this is a light, entertaining read that could have even the most unsporty types thinking about grabbing a putter. --Alex Hankin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A heck of a lot of fun ... made me laugh out loud ... Miller may be "anti-skilled" at sport but he sure can write." -- Andrew Martin, Sunday Express

"Brilliantly funny. Not to be missed" -- Sportspages

"It's a hilarious premise, superbly executed by an accomplished comic writer." -- Matt Seaton, Esquire

"One of the signature pieces of modern sports writing, shot through with an eye for comic detail worthy of the young Evelyn Waugh" -- Michael Bracewell, the Observer

"The bravest man in Britain" -- Martha Kearney, Woman's Hour, Radio 4 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth putting action 12 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Andy Miller's book is very funny but it's also suprisingly thoughtful - he appears to change his mind about sport as the book progresses, which is a lot more honest than many writers. His account of his sporting year manages to take in games teachers, QPR, the Boat Race, Jimmy Tarbuck (very funny this bit - Louis Theroux-ish), and an awful lot of crazy golf. And the chapter at the minigolf finals in Latvia is unbelievable!

It's gripping AND humourous AND smart.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars At last, a man who doesn't like sport! 12 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A great read, extremely funny, and the perfect antidote to World Cup fever. Great for those who aren't into sport but sports lovers will also enjoy this book and find it thought-provoking. In fact, I'd recommend it to everyone!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, brave and really, really funny 8 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I was always last to be picked in games too, so this book made me laugh a lot. It was really good to read about horrible sport from the point of view of someone who can't stand it - especially a man (though God knows what other men will make of it!) Plus I couldn't believe that crazy golf could be so thrilling - sad but true. Really though, read this book if you want to know what it's like not to fit in in a ball-shaped world. Funny and clever.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category


Feedback