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

Quantity: 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
36 used & new from £2.45

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Tell a Friend
The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life and Times of Alex Higgins
 
See larger image
 
The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life and Times of Alex Higgins (Hardcover)
by Bill Borrows (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 10 customer reviews (10 customer reviews)
Price: £16.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item. Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.

36 used & new available from £2.45

Perfect Partner

Buy this book with Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography by Jimmy White today!

The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life and Times of Alex Higgins Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography
Buy Together Today: £22.98

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography

Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography by Jimmy White

4.0 out of 5 stars (15)  £5.99
Eye of the Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story

Eye of the Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story by John Hennessey

4.4 out of 5 stars (7) 
Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World

Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World by Clive Everton

4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £12.59
Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years with Brian Clough

Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years with Brian Clough by Duncan Hamilton

4.8 out of 5 stars (20)  £5.39
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ronnie's Snooker Hotshots

Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ronnie's Snooker Hotshots DVD ~ Ronnie O'Sullivan

4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £14.98
Explore similar items : Books (9) DVD (2)

Product details

Product Description
Rosie Boycott
'Bill Borrows' vividly funny and powerful book brings the man and his chaotic times to pulsating life. I couldn't put it down.'

Barry Hearn
‘I had more fun with Alex than any other player. …He put bums on seats and was great for the game.’

See all Product Description

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

The Murderers' Who's Who

The Murderers' Who's Who by J.H.H. Gaute

Eye of the Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story

Eye of the Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story by John Hennessey

4.4 out of 5 stars (7) 
Pincher Martin

Pincher Martin by William Golding

4.3 out of 5 stars (3) 
Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography

Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography by Jimmy White

4.0 out of 5 stars (15)  £5.99
Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World

Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World by Clive Everton

4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £12.59
Explore similar items : Books (31)

 
Customer Reviews
10 Reviews
5 star: 50%  (5)
4 star: 30%  (3)
3 star: 10%  (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star: 10%  (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Write an online review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic, 18 Jan 2004
By A Customer
I got this book for Xmas and read it in one go. The stories are, in turn, heart-breaking and funny and sometimes both at the same time. The story about him falling past a window as seen by his neighbour on the floor below made me cry laughing. 'I'll have to go,' she said on the phone, 'Alex Higgins has just fallen past my window.' There are laods of stories like this but the book is so wonderfully written that you never get tired of them. You get a real idea of what has happened to the Hurricane. I don't really read sports biographies but this has very little to do with snoooker. It's just the best biography I've ever read. Brilliant!!!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Rivetting expose of a flawed genius, 14 Sep 2003
By kimbofo (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
Let's get one thing straight: I am not a snooker fan. But I've been interested in Alex "Hurricane" Higgins after seeing a TV documentary on him a couple of years ago. He seemed like an intriguing character; a sporting genius who did much to take snooker from the dingy pool halls into the realms of primetime TV but who managed, somehow, to make a fortune and then blow it all on drink, drugs and women.

Borrows' unauthorised book pulls no punches. The opening chapter has to be one of the best opening chapters of any biography I've ever read. It somehow captures the strange world that Higgins now inhabits, his cantankerous and difficult nature, and his sad demise from snooker legend to drunkard and drifter.

If you know nothing about snooker, the book is highly readable and, at times, just plain laugh-out-loud funny, as the following extract reveals: "He took off his hat, pulled a comb out of his pocket, dipped it in a glass of vodka and orange on the table, stood up and then combed his hair in the mirror over the fireplace. It is always the little things which give it away."

In many ways The Hurricane is a bit like a car crash: you know what's coming but you can't tear your eyes away. Higgins' penchant for self-destruction, his flawed genius and his vulnerability make this a thoroughly entertaining, if somewhat sobering, read. My only quibble is that it lacks a glossary of snooker terms. But all in all, you'd be hard pressed to find a more interesting and jaw-dropping sporting biography.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read - buy it!, 29 Nov 2003
Once you start to read the book, literally you can not put it down for more than a few minutes. Whether you're a snooker fan or not you will find this book fascinating. Reading about some of the things Alex got up to on the snooker tour and away from it will make your jaw drop. Buy this book at all costs, it's simply one of the best biographies you will ever read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo (Report this)


Write an online review
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Snooker Icon
A fascinating and at times frightening account of a man, who more than any other, put snooker on the map. Was he a man who could'nt handle success or just a nutter. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Kenneth J. Hodges

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as "A Game of Three Halves"
Modestly entertaining, I guess, but there are better sports books out there. "A Game of three Halves" springs to mind - which you can probably still buy on Amazon and even... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Liam Sluyter

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and realistic look at a troubled sportsman (spoilers)
This is an excellent book from Bill Borrows, following the life of the snooker genius and loutish drunk that is Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins. Read more
Published on 23 Jul 2004 by Alain English

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely disappointing....
When I started reading this book I really enjoyed it but by the end of the first few chapters it was really beginning to drag. Read more
Published on 6 Jul 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book!
I bought this book for my dad’s birthday and by the time he opened it, the corners were dog-eared and the pages suspiciously well-thumbed. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2003 by Gareth Evans