In his clever second novel, the author of The Liar introduces readers to Ted Wallace: failed poet, failed theater critic, failed father and husband, shameless womanizer, and self-confessed alcoholic. When Ted invites himself to the country estate of his beautiful and mysterious godson under the pretense of writing a family history, the result is "a deliciously wicked and amusing little fable" (New York Times).
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
What I love most about the British is...:
What I love most about the British is their unapologetic irreligiosity. This irreverent and highly entertaining novel is a good example of what I mean. The story is simple. An aging alcoholic poet with plenty of failings but a basically kind heart is given an absurd mission and has funny adventures and insights along the way. His task is to investigate some alleged cases of miraculous healing in a friend's family. His friend hopes that they will be proven authentic, the skeptical poet simply goes along for... more info
Solid:
I'm a big consumer of comedy, and as such I've seen about everything with Stephen Fry and read a couple of his books as well, this being the first. I must admit, that I had no idea what it was gonna be like with "The Hippopotamus". I thought it was gonna be a laugh, and oh my was it ever a laugh... The character of "Tedward" is absolutely brilliant. His musings of this and that and everything in between made me laugh out loud, which I very rarely do. The other characters are perhaps not that well developed,... more info
Fantastic:
I hihgly recommend getting this book in audio format. To hear Stephen read this book or any of his books is a rare treat. You cant help but fall in love with cantankerous old git, Ted who for all his faults sees humanity at its best and worst but always summerized in caustic honesty. `Mother Mills` of the `wit tied up in frilly bows` is an amazing character (again, more fun to have Stephen read this to you then to read to yourself). I love this book and listen to it often. Hurry and write another Stephen!!
THEOREM:
This novel, published in 1994, has reminded the critics of certain other writers. I can myself see a resemblance to the narrator of Kingsley Amis's The Green Man in this story told by an ageing, bibulous, randy has-been putting up a show of curmudgeonliness much as Amis himself liked to do. I suppose there are distant echoes of Waugh too, the Waugh of the Diaries and Brideshead Revisited. On the other hand, readers of the Guardian newspaper around 1994 will remember a character created by the clever and... more info
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