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The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Bloomsbury Classic Reads)
 
 
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The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Bloomsbury Classic Reads) (Paperback)

by Bruce Robinson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (5 Jul 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747574588
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747574583
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.4 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 100,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #3 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > R > Robinson, Bruce

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Product Description

Review

'Magnificent intensely funny' Empire 'My favourite book of all time simply amazing. He is such a brilliant, funny writer and I buy it for as many friends as I can' Kellie Shirley, EastEnders actress, Sunday Express 'Beautiful Almost every passage of this book hums with particularity and vision' Observer 'A strange, unsettling book which is, by turns, grotesque, lyrical, touching and darkly comic' Spectator


Independent on Sunday

‘Profoundly moving … far too clever, too assured and too damn good to be a first attempt’
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Bloomsbury Classic Reads)
79% buy the item featured on this page:
The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Bloomsbury Classic Reads) 4.6 out of 5 stars (29)
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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (20)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Well, four and a half, really., 11 Dec 2002
By Robert Johnson (The Remote Parts of, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Paperback)
If you know "Withnail and I" (or the excellent interviews "Smoking In Bed") you may have an idea of what to expect.

However, did you know that Robinson is fixated with Dickens? And it shows.

It has been a long, LONG time since I have read a book with such a gleeful, inventive and precise control of the English language.

But, aside from Robinson's written-voice par excellence, the author also reveals himself as a beautifully controlled narrator and handles this rites of passage with such delicacy that you'd be a fool to not have a knot in your chest come the final pages.

"The history of its meat clung about this house like a climate."

Excellent!

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars strange but wonderful, 4 April 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Paperback)
An enthralling read. The lack of any discernable plot is made up for with wonderfully vivid style. Read it, your conscious deserves it!
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly personal experience, 14 Feb 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (Paperback)
The overall feeling this book leaves is one of yearning and of being on the edge of one's own self-discovery, with all of its tears, hopes and pains. Everyone has experienced childhood moments of extreme vulnerability, and it is a credit to Bruce Robinson, in the guise of the highly individualistic Thomas Penman, that he managed to get through such a protracted and troubling time without losing his mind. Tales of crabs, home-made rockets, Charles Dickens and pornography show the lengths to which he needed to go in order to survive. Exquisite language, touching observation and characters that really breathe. This is what art is all about. Read and weep.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Thoroughly enjoyable read. very sad to finish it. One of the only books with genuine laugh out loud factor.
Highly recommend.
Published 15 months ago by MikeF

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprising
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Its notorious reputation is based largely on those first few chapters, which concentrate in some depth on Thomas's unsavoury toilet... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2007 by Right_Riveting

2.0 out of 5 stars A difficult read and ultimately unsatisfying (review contains some spoilers)
This book was not what I expected and I was really pleased to just finish it.

I suppose that I should have known that the writer behind Withnail And I would not be... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2007 by quippe

5.0 out of 5 stars Surreally superb
Peculiar is right. Apparently this is autobiographical, which may just go to prove the truth is stranger than fiction thing all over again. Read more
Published on 15 April 2007 by S. Bailey

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest book I ever read
A truly great book .. I wish he would write more ! I read the book in a few days and have never ever regretted it. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2006 by portly_p

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope to the hopeless
This is the tale of a seemingly inadequate young man's first and perhaps most important sexual encounter butressed with secrets, lies and ultimately the truth, a compelling... Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
If you loved Withnail & I, you'll love Penman. No more needs to be said.
Published on 8 Oct 2004 by GeeBee

5.0 out of 5 stars funny and touching
This book is fantastic, I loved it so much, I felt sad when I had finished reading it.
Published on 24 Jul 2004 by Laura

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Probably the best book i will ever read! Fantastic
Published on 12 Jan 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A voueristic journey into a little boys heart and mind.
We catch Thomas at an awkward time in his life: the onset of puberty. But while he experiences the poisonous joy that adulthood brings, things around Thomas grow complex. Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2002

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