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The Dog Catcher
 
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The Dog Catcher (Hardcover)

by Alexei Sayle (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre; First Edition edition (19 Jul 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340818689
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340818688
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 864,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > S > Sayle, Alexei

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Product Description

Review
"'An excellent collection of dark, funny and bizarre short stories... brutally, cynically and honestly written... all in all a lot better than anything David Baddeil could ever manage.' Loaded on Barcelona Plates; '14 bleak funny pitiless tales... This is life looked at through the wrong end of a telescope, the vision of Nathaniel West in Miss Lonelyhearts, and to my mind just as good... Inside every fat git there's a poet trying to get out. Well, he's out.' Observer on Barcelona Plates; 'Sayle is a funny man, and these tales of pensioners-turned-hitmen, mysterious white Fiat Unos, and inveterate hypochondriacs defy you not to smile at the incremental absurdity of ordinary life.' The Sunday Times on Barcelona Plates; 'A cracking read.. dense with smart ideas, sour observations and loony rant's Independent on Sunday on Barcelona Plates; "Barcelona Plates will put a smile on your face and a chill down your spine" Time Out on Barcelona Plates; Alexei Sayle's manner on the page is the same as it is on screen and stage: arch, dessicated and menacing... 'The Last Woman Killed in the War' is a thrilling and sensitive meditation on history, race and identity; confirming Sayle as a brilliant chronicler of big stories set in small worlds." The Times"

Review
‘Every piece in Sayle’s marvellous second collection combines strangeness and familiarity to moving and hilarious effect’ (Independent )

'The stories in his new collection, THE DOG CATCHER, won't disappoint fans of Sayle's comedy.' (Metro )

'I read these short stories with real pleasure. A few of them are superb; none is without something to enjoy.’ (Daily Telegraph )

'A finely-crafted blend of perceptive storytelling and acerbic witticism, darkly humorous. Sayle's compassion shines through everything, as the characters seem to head steadily downhill, each as recognisable as they are unforgettable. He lays bare the intirgues of contemporary life with a style and clarity that's impossible to ignore and his penetratingly accurate descriptions prove hima thoughtful commentator on modern life.' (The Good Book Guide )

'The Dog Catcher is filled with the black comedy, biting satire and quixotic characters which are his stock-in-trade.' (Alexei Sayle, ThE Sunday Business Post )

'More twisted but incisive humour from Alexei Sayle in this, his second book of short stories. Savagely and hilariously attacking many of today's 'types', each of these tales are bazaar yet completely believable.' (The Sticks )

‘Dark and unsettling, but leavened with a dry sense of humour’ (Evening Standard ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A dark mix of the bizzare and the hilarious, 19 April 2002
This review is from: The Dog Catcher (Paperback)
After 'Barcelona Plates' I was left feeling that Sayle was in serious danger of being a very credible writer of short stories. In the 'Dog Catcher' he, in my view, cements his reputation.

It is often the case that celebrities who turn to writing trade too much on their fame and not enough on their writing talent. Alexei Sayle, however, has produced a work of such quality that it stands alone from his talents as a comedian and script writer. He still teases his readers; he still launches into scything polemics against despots and people in 'the media'. Yet every story in this collection is carefully crafted & thoroughly researched. None of these stories is dashed off in an afternoon, yet each has a freshness which is more than tinged with danger. Some are downright sinister (the title story, for example) and others are wicked parodies (Clive Hole).

My advice. Read Barcelona Plates first - the stories here, while still dark, are more 'jaunty'. Then brace yourself for 'The Dog Catcher'. Not only will you be shocked and gripped by the characters and the plots, you will be impressed by the way Alexei Sayle has developed into a short story writer of considerable standing. Bring on the next volume!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A 'celebrity' writer who can actually WRITE!..., 6 Feb 2005
By Mr. J. P. Young (Newcastle upon Tyne) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dog Catcher (Paperback)
...Monsiuer Sayle being the only example thereof apart from Stephen Fry I can think of. He's especially valuable when you consider the likes of Ben (shudder) Elton and David (ugh!) Baddiel clogging up the genre...
I've read and enjoyed all his stuff but I think this one might be bestest. It's worth it for "The Mau Mau Hat" alone; a beautifully observed character study with a terrible, lonely undertow. It's about ageing, and inevitably, death, yet crams in a motherlode of salty one-liners as well. The other highlight is "The Only Man Stalin Was Afraid Of", which uses a jaunty, almost simplistic style (something Sayle happens to be very good at - light but knowing, and never patronising) to rip apart the absolutely disgusting individual Uncle Joe really was, with none of the slightly histrionic moralising of Martin Amis' otherwise excellent "Koba The Dread".
My only beef is that the construction - the grammar and so forth - is often shoddy. Believe me, I'm the last person to give a s**t about split infinitives and the like normally, but it's noticeable in Sayle's stuff more often than not, and this is a shame when you consider how otherwise talented he is. The impression given is of someone who thinks for months, maybe years, about the content of his stories, but when it comes to writing them, takes a couple of afternoons at most.
Suggested targets for your next collection/novel, Alexei: Ben Elton, Ricky Gervais, Ariel Sharon, and a story about the BNP might be good as well. Cheers!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, Comic, Fascinating Story Telling, 27 May 2002
By bigcalm@hotmail.com (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dog Catcher (Paperback)
I know it's a cliché, but as soon as I picked up this book, I just could not put it down. In some ways the story telling is reminiscent of Dahl's Tales of the unexpected, in that the stories are dark, comic, and frequently surprising. They're also extremely well written - certain phrases leap off the page at you making (at least me anyway) you wonder why you haven't read any of his stuff before. All of the short stories in this volume are inventive and funny, though the last one (Hillary Wheat) meanders a bit without the characteristic surprise at the end. "Descending" and "Cicely" are simply masterpieces. Two thumbs up!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The best short story collection I have read in a long while!
Wow what a fantastic collection of short stories! My boyfriend lent me this book to read and I'm so glad that I did! Read more
Published 4 months ago by L. Perkins

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Most of these short stories were fab. A couple were abit less enjoyable. Love the way Alexi writes, as soon as I'd finshed this book I wanted to read it again as there is so much... Read more
Published on 9 May 2007 by Love Books

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Being Dutch and living in Amsterdam, I had no idea Alexei Sayle had two volumes of short stories out. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2003 by Eef

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and clever.
Alexei Sayle is a comic genius with a twisted darkside to his humor. I read this book in a couple of days because I just had to see what the next story delivered. Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2002 by T West

4.0 out of 5 stars Story buffet
It's brilliantly written, better than Dahl, and with a way of sidling up on unexpected phrases that fit perfectly that previously only Douglas Adams had mastered. Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2002 by Simon Rockman

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing after Barcelona Plates
Only 2 of the 9 stories barely passed muster for me (Barcelona Plates and The Only Man Stalin Was Afraid of). The others fizzled out in anti-climaxes or non-sequiturs. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2002 by richard@tudor15.freeserve.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent humorous observation of modern life - a must!
Not much can beat Alexei Sayle reading his own short stories. This CD is packed with humorous observations of life today from the angle that only Alexei Sayle can provide. Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars As enjoyable as Barcelona Plates
Another brilliant collection of short stories. Buy it now - you won't be disappointed.
Published on 30 Sep 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Alexi Sayle's narration adds to the tales themselves
I bought this collection of short stories to take on holiday to Northern Scotland. The tape was played on the car stereo whilst touring around the country. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars A real twist in the tale....
Alexei Sayle's latest book 'The Dog Catcher' shows Alexei's great skills with a wide variety of character of both subject and setting -balanced with an often lively, but sometimes... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2001

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