- Paperback: 359 pages
- Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (Jun 1 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0552770906
- ISBN-13: 978-0552770903
- Product Dimensions: 2 x 1.2 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 254 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,987,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Taking its title from a British euphemism for "managing people," this rather disjointed new lampoon by the author of Big Spender was originally published in 2003 in the U.K. to rave reviews. Unfortunately, the story is so heavily salted with Britishisms that most of what is perceived as high humor in England will very likely be lost to the American reading public. Tim Power, proprietor of the only advertising agency in Taunsley—a hidebound little city about two hour's train ride from London—is struggling to keep his business afloat in a setting in which 12 of his 17 clients insist on using "Simply the Best!" as their slogan. Since his fiancee, Zoe, is currently on a world tour with her girlfriend to put their commitment to "the ultimate test," his romantic life is not much better. To make matters worse, in a misguided effort to help him, Zoe refers Tim to her uncle, Barry Dinsdale, a time and motion expert, who advises him to take in a boarder while Zoe is gone. Factor in a bungling burglar hired to incriminate the rival of a local business executive, a phony ad campaign for a counterfeit product, an inept boozy reporter out to expose the criminal chicanery of the town's rival meat packers and the unexpected romance between Tim and his new boarder, a libidinous Ph.D. psychologist masquerading as an M.D. Progressing as haphazardly as an old Marx Brothers burlesque, Tim's life is just beginning to show promise of improving when things take a predictable turn for the worse. Regrettably, McCabe's quixotic hijinks don't quite translate into laughs for American readers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Readers are unlikely to meet a wackier, more demented bunch of characters than those in McCabe's latest novel. At the center of the story is Tim Power, who has left his job as a London advertising executive for life in Taunsley, the epitome of small-town mediocrity. The place is driving Tim crazy: his ad business is about to go under; he has the hots for his female lodger; and his girlfriend, Zoe, has taken off for a three-month, round-the world trip after making Tim promise to remain celibate until she returns. Other characters include Alastair Smythe, the town's resident skinhead, and Derek Gribben, Taunsley's one-armed pork producer. The plot, which has mostly to do with the deep-seated rivalry between the town's two pork factories and Tim's efforts to get his life organized, is less important than McCabe's offbeat humor, bizarre characters, and keen-eyed commentary on the more outlandish aspects of life. While his push-the-envelope style won't be to everyone's taste, he is just the ticket for those on the lookout for up-and-coming cult favorites. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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1.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
didnt like it, July 1 2010
By That Girl "geek who lives to read" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Herding Cats (Paperback)
i found this novel to be lacking...something. something important. it seemed so TEDIOUS to me! i actually put it down w/o finishing it, & plan to donate it to a used book store. i did not find it humorous, it was boring. granted, i did not get more than 20-30 pages in, but sometimes, you just cant get into a book. you might like it, i didnt. i didnt feel it was particularly well-written, & seemed on the mundane side to me. yes, that was it" mundane. if you want a funny fiction novel, something completely not serious & with ridiculous characters, plot & situations, try carl hiaassen's work, & if you like sci-fi fantasy comedic novels, try the discworld series. this herding cats book was definitely disappointing. sorry i spent the money on it & on shipping. perhaps if i had kept at it, it would have gotten better, but it is just not my style.
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