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The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper
 
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The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper (Paperback)

by Robin Cooper (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
Price: £7.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper + The Timewaster Letters + Return of the Timewaster Letters
Price For All Three: £18.27

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Sphere (2 Oct 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0751540218
  • ISBN-13: 978-0751540215
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
'Addictive ... This is Mole's diary style given a deft and thoroughly imaginative update' Metro 'The serial timewaster catalogues his completely absurd and amusing life in his debut novel' Heat

HEAT
'The serial timewaster catalogues his completely absurd and
amusing life in his debut novel' **** --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper
54% buy the item featured on this page:
The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper 4.2 out of 5 stars (19)
£7.99
The Timewaster Letters
21% buy
The Timewaster Letters 3.8 out of 5 stars (88)
£4.79
Return of the Timewaster Letters
18% buy
Return of the Timewaster Letters 4.0 out of 5 stars (16)
£5.49
Dear Customer Services: Letters from the World's Most Troublesome Shopper
4% buy
Dear Customer Services: Letters from the World's Most Troublesome Shopper 4.1 out of 5 stars (8)
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very, very funny, 29 Dec 2007
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley "katywheatley" (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper (Hardcover)
I bought this book because I had already read The Timewaster Letters and Return of the Timewaster Letters, both of which are hilarious. I also had the great good fortune to catch some of the Radio Four serialisation of this book with Paul Whitehouse as Robin Cooper, and it had me in stitches.
The book is a lovely thing. It starts where the Timewaster Letters finishes, with Robin being sacked from his job for writing letters on company time. It follows his trials and tribulations through the year, attempting to get a new job, exchanging visits with his Swiss German pen friend Gunther, and dealing with his mother's fling with an explorer called Gerald.
I thought it was a little weaker than the letters books, mainly because it was the serious replies in the letters books that made them so sublimely funny and you don't really get any of that counterpoint here. It is however, well worth reading and in places had me absolutely crying with laughter.
The episodes with Smithie the wood pigeon were particularly wonderful and turn into one of the key themes of the book, along with Gunther and his mysterious 'house handles'. I also loved that we got to meet more of the other characters in Robin's surreal world, his wife, Rita, his friend Tony and Millie the tramp to name but a few.
I hope there are more diaries to come, and this was well worth the investment.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Funny, 2 Aug 2007
By Bookbot (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper (Hardcover)
Deserving of six stars out of five if not seven, The Timewaster Diaries is a wonderfully funny, sweet and likable story of failed inventions, broken ankles and very cheap beer. Like the best of the comic diary genre countless jokes are laid out and pay off wonderfully over the twelve months. Would make a great present for anyone with a shed or anyone who enjoys laughing.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, Inventive, Sweet and Warm, 13 Aug 2007
By Darren Dutton (Nottinghamshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Timewaster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper (Hardcover)
In this book we get inside the head of Robin Cooper for one year in his life- a Man with strange ideas and obsessions. A Man who makes lists of the contents of his shed. A Man who counts the greenfly in his bin at work (some dead some alive) and then puts them in an envelope to take home to feed the bird he keeps secretly in his loft.

I found this book special because even though many of the hilarious inventive comic ideas in it are quite eccentric, odd and unusual (I've successfully resisted the word 'quirky' here), it maintained reality and remained truthful to the character throughout. For me this made it even funnier and gave it depth and I found myself growing fonder of Robin as the book progressed.

The book cleverly weaves in and out of many different story threads, each leaving the reader wanting to find out more. As well as being hilarious it is also a warm and very sweet book which I heartily recommend for you to buy. Then buy another copy for each room of the house.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very funny
Funny, surreal, silly - what's best of all is the straight-laced replies from companies and societies who don't know they're being sent up. A cracking read.
Published 4 months ago by The Cheerful Teacher

2.0 out of 5 stars Silly but diverting
For the most part, I found the Timewaster Diaries to be a mildly diverting, occasionally humourous read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Carolyn O'brien

4.0 out of 5 stars Like an old friend
This book became like an old friend for me. I didn't want it to end because it provided some really light entertainment. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Peter Steward

3.0 out of 5 stars It was OK
Having just finished this book, I don't feel the same as most of the reviewers here about it. I found it OK. It was an easy read, and one you could pick up and put down. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sally Pearson

5.0 out of 5 stars Im a timewaster too
The Time waster Diaries: A Year in the Life of Robin Cooper
I spent a couple hours a night reading this book in my shed with 5 toffee s per night , and i loved every page... Read more
Published 7 months ago by a Stockdale

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish himself look with the book
I loved the The Timewaster Letters and Return of the Timewaster Letters. Read and re-read them many times. Loved them. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jim Pie

4.0 out of 5 stars Running gags aplenty
If you enjoyed the two volumes of the Timewaster Letters, then you will enjoy this (if you haven't read those, read those first), though you won't necessarily love it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Stuart Bruce

3.0 out of 5 stars Largely creditable fleshing out of the infamous timewaster
Robin Cooper is such a great character! So fastidious and eccentric. As with his letters the humour is gentle (some people call him "sweet") rather than satirical or sarcastic... Read more
Published 14 months ago by happyreviewer

1.0 out of 5 stars What it says - a waste of time
I didn't expect to be the first to review this book negatively and was quite hesitant to disagree with someone as brilliant as Stephen Fry whose "magnificent" is quoted on the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jon Freeman

4.0 out of 5 stars Made me laugh
Very funny, but in a nice, gentle way. No spite or malice here - just surreal and silly stuff.
Published 21 months ago by Chris

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