Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

19 used & new from CDN$ 0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Stars' Tennis Balls
 
 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Stars' Tennis Balls (Hardcover)

by Stephen Fry (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


2 new from CDN$ 49.99 15 used from CDN$ 0.01 2 collectible from CDN$ 8.84

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Liar

The Liar

by Stephen Fry
4.3 out of 5 stars (32)  CDN$ 12.41
Making History

Making History

by Stephen Fry
4.1 out of 5 stars (57)  CDN$ 16.02
The Gun Seller

The Gun Seller

by Hugh Laurie
4.0 out of 5 stars (24)  CDN$ 12.78
› Explore similar items

Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

Ned Maddstone has it all. He's handsome and talented; he has the love of a beautiful woman and in 1980, he stands at the brink of a glittering future. He rounds off an outstanding public school career with a sailing trip to Scotland, which is where his fortunes enter a terrifying tailspin. Determined to honour the dying wish of his sailing instructor, Ned returns to London, where the schemes of jealous classmates catapult him into a 10-year nightmare. Confined to a solitary Hell, believed dead by all those who loved him, Ned transforms from a terminally nice guy into a creature bent on revenge, a revenge both satisfying and apocalyptic.

Few writers can deliver so much in one package, but here Stephen Fry combines a riotous satire of the privileged classes with elements of the darkest thrillers. While the plot bounces from the sublime to the surreal, his characters remain acutely real. Ned's classmates, slow-witted hedonist Rufus Cade, and the Machiavellian climber Ashley Barson-Garland--who is aroused by the sight of straw boaters--are masterful creations. This novel has nothing to do with tennis, and everything to do with the cruel logic of Fate. Game, set and match to Mr Fry. - - Matthew Baylis



Review

"The Stephenesque ... a national as well as a family treasure." -- "Guardian"

"It is impossible to be unimpressed by Stephen Fry's writing." -- "Scotland on Sunday"

"No one can make you feel quite like Stephen Fry can." --"Time Out"

"Stephen Fry is one of the great originals." -- "Financial Times"

See all Product Description

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

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

The Stars' Tennis Balls
44% buy the item featured on this page:
The Stars' Tennis Balls 4.3 out of 5 stars (7)
Moab Is My Washpot
42% buy
Moab Is My Washpot 4.6 out of 5 stars (17)
CDN$ 11.32
The Liar
14% buy
The Liar 4.3 out of 5 stars (32)
CDN$ 12.41
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
3.0 out of 5 stars The Stars Tennis Balls, or the Count of Monte Cristo, Oct 14 2003
This review is from: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Paperback)
I read the book a week before watching the 1970s film of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, with Pleasance and Chamberlain. I don't want to give anything away but there were so many similarities of plot that I wondered why the book wasn't advertised as an updating of a timeless classic. At the risk of boring you, I found (1) The two heroes carry a letter to an unknown (to them) character who politically is dangerous and are dealt with by an influential policeman who knows the addressee, whom he wants to protect, personally. (2) Both almost marry a woman whose son "could have been" theirs, and who attempts to avenge their actual fathers. 3) Both these actual fathers, rivals for the woman's affections but only able to marry her when the hero conveniently vanishes, have committed rape in Africa, and in both stories the victim comes back to confront them shortly before their deaths. (4) Both heroes meet mentors during their long absence from society, and these mentors educate them in all kinds of ways, philosophical and practical. (5)Both heroes take their mentors' place in identical situations. (6) The heroes, armed with information from their mentors which will make them multimillionaires, come back to take appropriate revenge on each of the four who have destroyed their lives and counts them off each time. (7) The heroes end their tales avenged but unfulfilled and heading back to islands.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a ride!, Aug 13 2003
This review is from: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Paperback)
I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up, other than it was written by the actor/comedian who played Oscar Wilde. Based on the first few pages, I thought it would be a fun, witty story about some young people in prep school, their romantic entanglements, with a bit of British politics thrown in. And for a while it is this--a nice light satire.

Then this novel takes an amazing radical turn and becomes harrowingly serious in a vivid description of a kidnapping and confinement. Then it turns once again to be a suspenseful escape story, and finally a step by step "Count of Monte Cristo" revenge story (the latter of which is a bit unsatisfying as the main character becomes an efficient revenge machine and we lose the sense of him as a person that the middle of the book had so wonderfully built).

Still, Fry is an excellent writer to be able to pull off all of these tones in a single book. It is a great read, and it makes me want to seek out other works by Stephen Fry. Recommended!!

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4.0 out of 5 stars The Stars' Tennis Balls, Jun 29 2002
Hi, I read this book while I was in my sickbed and it really made me feel a lot better. The story was very gripping, but I got confused at the beginning about who the main character was, Ashley or Ned, until it became clear that it was Ned. I agree with the other reviewer Bettina that the book would make a great movie. I've read another Stephen Fry book, the Liar, and this was much better. I think the ending was a bit weak, which was something I noticed about the Liar too. Anyway, I would definitely recommend it!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Stars' Tennis Balls
Hi, I read this book while I was in my sickbed and it really made me feel a lot better. The story was very gripping, but I got confused at the beginning about who the main... Read more
Published on Jun 29 2002 by Gemma Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars perfect for making a movie out of it!
Why this book is not available as normal quick-to-ship-paperback by AMAZON is beyond me (it doesn't even pop up while searching for Stephen Fry stuff), but anyway: this is a... Read more
Published on Jun 16 2002 by B.Friendly

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!!!!
The Stars' Tennis Balls is an amazing read. Ceaselessly entertaining, this somewhat twisted modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, as seen through the deliciously clever... Read more
Published on Jun 6 2002 by Elizabeth Weigle

5.0 out of 5 stars Shining Spectacular Fun!
The Stars' Tennis Balls is an amazing read. Ceaselessly entertaining, this somewhat twisted modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, as seen through the deliciously clever... Read more
Published on Jun 6 2002 by Elizabeth Weigle

Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject









i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

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

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

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