Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
51 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Refusal Shoes (Five Star Paperback)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Refusal Shoes (Five Star Paperback) (Paperback)

by Tony Saint (Author) "Henry Brinks goes in to work the back way ..." (more)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
24 new from £0.01 26 used from £0.01 1 collectible from £3.95
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (1st edition) 52 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Refusal Shoes (Five Star Paperback) + Blag + The ASBO Show
Price For All Three: £22.17

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Refusal Shoes (Five Star Paperback) by Tony Saint

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Blag by Tony Saint

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The ASBO Show by Tony Saint

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Blag

Blag

by Tony Saint
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.99
The ASBO Show

The ASBO Show

by Tony Saint
2.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.19
The Passport

The Passport

by Lloyd Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.19
Shame

Shame

by Jasvinder Sanghera
4.5 out of 5 stars (30)  £5.49
Mad Men - Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007]

Mad Men - Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ January Jones
4.5 out of 5 stars (71)  £9.98
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail (10 Jun 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1852427736
  • ISBN-13: 978-1852427733
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 263,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
"'Refusal Shoes comes on like a cross between Airport and League of Gentlemen... Saint writes some very funny dialogue and offers sharp observation' Independent on Sunday; 'Part thriller, part expose, Refusal Shoes is refreshingly politically incorrect and wickedly funny' Observer; 'An amusing satirical thriller that provides an eye-popping glimpse behind the immigration desks at Heathrow. It shocks in more ways than one' Sunday Telegraph"

Product Description
Immigration Officer Henry Brinks likes to keep out of trouble, but when he unwittingly stumbles onto a scam to smuggle Chinese crooks into the country he discovers that his colleagues are the last people to turn to. Refusal Shoes is a blackly comic novel based on the author?s years of working for the Immigration Service. Set in the Immigration Office of a major UK airport populated by a group of idiosyncratic, superbly drawn characters, Refusal Shoes offers an insider?s view into the secretive and surreal world of passport control. If you?ve ever been on the receiving end of an immigration officer, know someone who has, or are just curious about what they can (and do) get away with, then you must read this hilarious novel. Once you have, going through passport control will never be quite the same again!

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Henry Brinks goes in to work the back way. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Just like on Airport?, 14 Jun 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Refusal Shoes (Paperback)
Well, no frankly. I read the book as someone who worked with the author at Heathrow and whilst I enjoyed recognising 'aspects' of certain former colleagues, I'm not convinced the plot itself is that strong. The tail revolves around a disenchanted and depressed immigration officer, based on Saint, who inadvertantly gets caught up in the smuggling of Chinese crooks into the UK. The whole sub-plot of the Chinese murderer going about his business seems bolted on rather than an integral part of the action. It could almost be dropped and the book repackaged as a short story. The portrayal of the service is bleak with absolutely none of the characters seemingly having any redeeming features! Shades of Irvine Welsh. There are a few immigration service 'legends' in there such as using the photocopier as a lie detector and making sure the number on your stamp didn't come out - all based in truth but not really reflective of the service as it is today. I would be interested to read a review by someone with no knowledge of the immigration service - I enjoyed it mainly because it was a satirical swipe at that which is familiar to me. Not sure how well it will do with the mainstream reader. Will probably sell well with immigration officers checking to see that they aren't in there.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Broad Bureaucratic Farce, 28 Dec 2006
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
The old adage that a beginning writer should "write what you know" certainly applies to this debut comic crime novel by former immigration officer Saint. He uses his decade of experience on the front lines to paint a surely exaggerated portrait of what happens in the immigration halls of Heathrow Airport. The story follows Henry, a college-educated five-year veteran who hates both his job and pretty much everyone he works with. After an initial orientation to Terminal C and his job, things get rolling when a grim looking Chinese man lands with no visa and Henry detains him. But when a superior shows up and whisks the Chinese man away just before some Special Branch police show up with "Wanted" fliers with his photo, leaving Henry to wonder if he should report the matter.

What follows is a pretty simple tale of corruption and CYAing, as Henry desperately tries to avoid getting framed and/or killed in a scheme orchestrated by higher-ups. Although every move he makes seems to only worsen his plight, once a video camera is introduced about halfway in, you know salvation is at hand. In stories like these, the video camera is like Chekhov's gun, you just sit back and wait for it to be used. In any event, Henry's plight is of less interest than the insider's view of the immigration service. No matter where one stands on the immigration debate, there is plenty to shake your head at. From the legions of Nigerian imposters to the racist immigration officers, Saint lays out the full spectrum and even though it's broadly farcical, it's also rather depressing. Forgery, bribes, sham marriage, refugees of all stripes, rhyming slang, vicious office politics and sordid romances, it's all here. At times, the nasty colleagues all start to run together, as does some of the passenger bashing, and the plot is very thin, but it's generally entertaining enough to warrant a mild recommendation.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Fun., 12 Sep 2004
Who'd have thought a story based around an Immigration Officer could be so well done, and even funny.
Refusal Shoes, well have you smiling all the way through, be it at the characters, the situations they get in, or the ways in which they do there job. Who knew an Immigration Officers job could be so interesting.
Tony Saint writes with obvious inside knowledge, which makes you think that characters like these could actually exist...scary thought!
I read this book in two days flat after not being able to put it down, and hopefully you'll enjoy it just as much.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Refusal Shoes
Not a bad book. Perhaps not as enjoyable a read for me because as an employee of a Government Department, I could see too many parallels to my own work life - although hopefully... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Allen Tsui

4.0 out of 5 stars A counterfeit book
A funny book. The style is ok but the subject matter is funny and scary. Our borders policed by such a motley crew.
Published on 17 Mar 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
On reading the first few pages of this book I thought it would be a page turning thriller about organised crime and illegal immigration. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2004

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment
I was really looking forward to this book; I thought an indepth look at the immigration service, by a former employee, was a great idea and a fascinating subject. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this one down!
I read this book in a day and a half on holiday and became completely engrossed in the underworld of airports and customs officers. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2003 by ktb75

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this! An amazing debut from Anthony Saint.
*****
For those who sleep easy at night feeling that the country's borders are being carefully watched, Tony Saint's hilarious first novel, "Refusal Shoes" should tweak your... Read more
Published on 30 Jul 2003 by Alec Steinwall

5.0 out of 5 stars Daring to be different
At a time when all first time authors are referred to as “the new ....” Tony Saint’s debut is incomparable to anything that has gone before. Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2003 by MR I P TARKENTER

1.0 out of 5 stars A total duffer
Having read an interview Tony Saint gave to talk up his novel I thought I would give Refusal Shoes a try. I wish now I hadn't bothered. Read more
Published on 3 Jul 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Kafka meets Amis in Heathrow
This is a brilliant book. Saint's depiction of Heathrow is darkly hilarious. His writing is crisp, unaffected and very funny. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2003 by Tim McGrenere

5.0 out of 5 stars Daring to be different
At a time when all new authors are referred to as the new “whoever”, Tony Saint is incomparable to anything that has gone before. Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2003 by MR I P TARKENTER

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

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


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

›Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (72)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (460)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (162)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates