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A Good Man in Africa (Paperback)

by William Boyd (Author) "'Good man,' said Dalmire, gratefully accepting the gin Morgan Leafy offered him, 'Oh good man.' ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Price: £9.68 + £0.05 sourcing fee & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • This item: A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Books USA; Reprint edition (Jan 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1400030021
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400030026
  • Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.2 x 2.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 949,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #71 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Boyd, William

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
'Good man,' said Dalmire, gratefully accepting the gin Morgan Leafy offered him, 'Oh good man.' Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Grimly comic, desperately ironic, 29 Aug 2007
By Brian Levine - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: A Good Man in Africa (Paperback)
Morgan Leafy is the overweight and morally questionable first secretary of the British High Commission who suffers from an interminable lack of self-esteem which manifests in himself allowing others to manipulate him until the point when he cracks...

The comedy is wince-making because it is more at Morgan's expense, generally, than any other's, and it is a cynical satirical look at the mess of Africa from the perspective of someone who is paid to understand it but really doesn't have a clue. Bribery, corruption, cuckolding, gonhorrea and pidgeon English meld the story into a tour-de-force of little-mindedness and cowardice, stiff-upper-lipped sacrifice and closed-minded stupidity.

It's just wonderful!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite brilliant, 16 Mar 2005
This review is from: A Good Man in Africa (Paperback)
The only book I have read which had me laughing out loud. The main character grows on you and most of us can probably identify to some extent with the difficulties he experiences in the book. Trying to avoid cliches but (sorry) truly a modern classic.........
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent first novel, 13 Aug 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: A Good Man in Africa (Paperback)
Initially I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book - it began to resemble a Tom Sharpe novel, however the comic situations were entirely more plausible and I defy anyone not to identify with the frustrations and indignities of being a subordinate and having to sort out someone else's problems. Morgan Leafy is a brilliant creation - an anti-hero who wins the reader's heart and sympathy. I look forward to reading more of William Boyd's work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Boyd's work does not fail to impress
The book tells the story of Morgan Leafy, a middle aged, overweight man working at the British High Commission, in the African country of Kinjanjan. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Alexander W. Judd

4.0 out of 5 stars the more you read the better it gets
At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy this book, most of the characters being really hard to like, from the main protagonist Morgan, inefficient, jealous, often mean-minded, to his... Read more
Published 18 months ago by H. Lacroix

5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest book i've ever read
Cannot add any more than has been written in the other reviews. I've nearly read all the author's books, and wish he would write more funny stories.
Published 18 months ago by Secret Squirrel

5.0 out of 5 stars An Imperfect but Hilarious Man
Morgan Leafy works for the Deputy High Commissioner Fanshawe in Nkongsamba, capital of the mid-west region of the Western African country of Kinjama. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2007 by Leyla Sanai

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not brilliant
Highly entertaining, but lacking that certain something that would push it into brilliant to my mind. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2006 by Tom

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent
I read this after watching then reading 'Armadillo'. 'A good man in africa' is a hilarious book, but it is also intellectual too. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2003 by James

4.0 out of 5 stars RAW AND IRONIC
I began disliking the main character in this plot - Morgan - largely beause he was rude about the Welsh - too much of that in the world today. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2002 by Mr Pineapples

5.0 out of 5 stars Wept with laughter at Boyd's tale of life in Kinjanja
Boyd's first novel conjures up life in Africa in a hellhole of a diplomatic posting, with all the expertise of an accomplished Juju man - Boyd was described to me as a magic mix... Read more
Published on 18 April 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent novel
This was one of the first 'adult' books I read, and it made me laugh as much when I was thirteen as it does now. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent novel
This was one of the first 'adult' books I read, and it made me laugh as much when I was thirteen as it does now. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2000

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