Product Description
A number one bestseller in Britain that topped the lists there for months, Stephen Fry's astonishingly frank, funny, wise memoir is the book that his fans everywhere have been waiting for. Since his PBS television debut in the Blackadder series, the American profile of this multitalented writer, actor and comedian has grown steadily, especially in the wake of his title role in the film Wilde, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and his supporting role in A Civil Action.
        
Fry has already given readers a taste of his tumultuous adolescence in his autobiographical first novel, The Liar, and now he reveals the equally tumultuous life that inspired it. Sent to boarding school at the age of seven, he survived beatings, misery, love affairs, carnal violation, expulsion, attempted suicide, criminal conviction and imprisonment to emerge, at the age of eighteen, ready to start over in a world in which he had always felt a stranger. One of very few Cambridge University graduates to have been imprisoned prior to his freshman year, Fry is a brilliantly idiosyncratic character who continues to attract controversy, empathy and real devotion.
        
This extraordinary and affecting book has "a tragic grandeur that lifts it to classic status," raved the Financial Times in one of the many ecstatic British reviews. Stephen Fry's autobiography, in turns funny, shocking, sad, bruisingly frank and always compulsively readable, could well become a classic gay coming-of-age memoir.Amazon.com Review
Stephen Fry is not making this up! Fry started out as a dishonorable schoolboy inclined to lies, pranks, bringing decaying moles to school as a science exhibit, theft, suicide attempts, the illicit pursuit of candy and lads, a genius for mischief, and a neurotic life of crime that sent him straight to Pucklechurch Prison and Cambridge University, where he vaulted to fame along with actress Emma Thompson. He wound up starring as Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde, costarring in A Civil Action, and writing funny, distinguished novels.

This irresistible book, the best-written celebrity memoir of 1999, concentrates on Fry's first two tumultuous decades, but beware! A Fry sentence can lead anywhere, from a ringing defense of beating schoolchildren to a thoughtful comparison of male and female naughty parts. Fry's deepest regrets seem to be the elusiveness of a particular boy's love and the fact that, despite his keen ear for music, Fry's singing voice can make listeners "claw out their inner ears, electrocute their genitals, put on a Jim Reeves record, throw themselves cackling hysterically onto the path of moving buses... anything, anything to take away the pain." A chance mention of Fry's time-travel book about thwarting Hitler, Making History (a finalist for the 1998 Sidewise Award for Best Alternative History), leads to the startling real-life revelation that Fry's own Jewish uncle may have loaned a young, shivering Hitler the coat off his back.

Fry's life is full of school and jailhouse blues overcome by jaunty wit, à la Wilde. The title, from Psalm 108:9, refers to King David's triumph over the Philistines. Fry triumphs similarly, and with more style. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

Don't touch the organ's presets!
I had never heard of Stephen Fry before I got this autobiography as a gift almost a decade ago. I finally got down to reading Moab is My Washpot, Fry's personal story up until the age of twenty, and it was one of the most enjoyable autobios I have ever encountered. Fry grew up in British prep and boarding schools and his tales of all-boy antics and pranks had me laughing aloud, even while reading Moab on the subway. Fry's writing style is stream-of-thought, and although the pages may be at times solid blocks of text, the flow is so rapid, even with elongated tangential clauses (and sometimes even parenthetical asides) that I found that I could read everything in one attempt, not having to go back and reread the passage as I obsessively do in order to make sure I understand everything.

Fry grew up a lying, pranking, thieving urchin. He stole frequently from his schoolmates, teachers and from strangers, and I won't spoil the end of Moab by revealing what the consequences of his thievery had in store for him in his late teens. His school pranks had me snickering out loud and it is not often that I am vocal while I read. My favourite prankish tale was his readjustment of a church organ's preset buttons, and the on-the-floor uncontrolled hilarity that ensued when Fry and his friends heard the organ "fart out of tune" the following Sunday.

Stephen Fry grew up gay and, except for a brief moment of rebellion in his late teens when he dated and lost his heterosexual virginity to one (and only one) girl, was only interested in boys. He was enraptured by a boy named Matthew (lovingly nicknamed Matteo) and his stories of being unrequitedly in love with him will have bittersweet memories for all of us who have ever had feelings of attraction unreturned.

Near the end of Moab is My Washpot we learn of Fry's suicide attempt and his successful rehabilitation. Not a long portion of the book is devoted to his suicide attempt, and one is not led to believe that it was forthcoming. Fry's suicide attempt came after a failed academic year and a life of thieving and self-perceived failure. Once he was released from the hospital he didn't turn his life around--not yet anyway. More thievery was in store for Fry, and he had the time of his life doing it too, living a life of luxury until...

At the end of the book Fry alludes to writing a second instalment of his life story from age 21 to 40, but has not done so yet, however an Internet search shows that volume two is in the works. I can't wait for it.

Absolutely Splendid
I'll make this brief:
I personally love Stephen Fry's work, be it in television, literature or social work.
The book is filled with witty remarks and really does carry a personal touch (as it should) from beginning to end.Parts of it are very quotable and tackle head certain issues which society tends to consider controversial (ie: homosexuality).

Read it, you have nothing to lose :)

Excellent listening
The first part of Stephen Fry's autobiography, describing his life until the age of twenty. The book I already owned (and loved) in paper, and I wanted to listen to it as well. The tapes were actually plan B, as I couldn't find mp3-s anywhere. His story is funny, colourful, and painfully honest. Stephen Fry has an excellent reading voice,and knowing that he reads his own childhood memories adds to the listening experience. I would recommend this to any Fry-fan. Shame about the format though. I had to convert the entire set to mp3 and that is, well, not very 2010. For the fans: NOW (= March 2010) Stephen Fry is writing the next part of his autobiography. Can't wait.

best autobiography ever
As a long-time admirer (adorer, really) of Mr. Fry's, I have read his autobiography more times that I can remember.It reads like an enthralling work of fiction (comedy in many parts) without being at all sensationalist or self-serving.

Apart from the tender and eloquent portrayal of Stephen's first love "Matthew", this autobiography offers a first-hand glimpse into the world of English boarding schools, fagging, rugger practice, beatings, etc; a mysterious world which most of its readers never experienced --for better or worse-- due to gender, age or location.A thoroughly delicious read from start to finish.

Crude for dedicated fans only
If you had really liked the man before reading this your estimation of him will sadly deteriorate after reading it . I just wish he hadn't bothered. ... Read more

Product Description

Britain's best-loved comic genius, Stephen Fry, turns his celebrated wit and insight to unearthing the real America as he travels across the continent in his chariot of Englishness, a black London cab.

Customer Reviews (11)

Such a wonderful pleasure!
Stephen Frey has a charm in his writing that brings his wit in conversational format to the reader.I have laughed so in reading this book that others wondered what could possibly be so funny about travel in the United States.My only regret is that I did not meet Mr. Frey when he travelled to Florida as I would have welcomed the chance to show him around our state's capital city!

Funny, funny book!
Amazon.com knows me. With Magic Cookies it keeps track of

what I look at and buy, so it can suggest OTHER books for me to

buy. What a thoughtful company!

That's how I discovered the book, "Stephen Fry in

America."

"That's a familiar name," I thought, but who he was stayed

perched on the far edges of my mind, where the deer and the

antelope play.

And while I busied myself with other things, my brain was

flipping through its files, searching for "Stephen Fry." Right

in the middle of eating a coldcut sub, Eureka, it came

to me. Of course! Stephen Fry was half of "Fry and Laurie,"

that wonderful British comedy team of the 1980s and 1990s! Stephen Frye

went on to write this highly entertaining

book. His partner, Hugh Laurie, came to America to star in a

TV show called "House," and was never heard from again.

"Stephen Fry in America" isn't exactly a travel book. It's

more than that. Mr. Fry visits each state, avoiding the usual

tourist attractions. He holds up a mirror to ourselves in

this book full of wit and humor.

Best of all, Fry tells what he thinks of the people and

places. He talks with Morgan Freeman in Mississippi, joins

Zulus in a Mardi Gras march, drums with the Sioux Nation,

celebrates Halloween in Salem, goes to a club for failed

gangsters in Brooklyn.

He even tries his hand at some of their jobs. Lobstering

in Maine, for instance. He's amazed at the amount of hard work

it takes to get these aggressive crustaceans into the boat. And

his opinion of lobsters? "...simply giant marine insects. Huge

bugs in creepy armour. Look at a woodlouse and then at a

lobster. Cousins, surely?"

In West Virginia he joins workers at the Kanawha Eagle

Mine. When they're deep into the mine, he panics. "I am hating

this. I want to escape, NOW, right this minute please, but I am

too much of a coward to let anyone see what a coward I am...I

add miners to the list of people I tremendously admire but

would rather die than emulate."

In Wisconsin---"You should know by now that I love,

respect, venerate and adore most things American...so much here

is of abiding value, charm, beauty and quality. But not the

cheese...the most hideous orange melted gunk...with a processed

liquid substance which is closer to a polymer than a

foodstuff."

Montana is smaller than only Alaska, Texas and California.

Didn't know that.

Fry visits the Montana-Canadian border. Well, not all of

it; the border is 550 miles long. It's heavily policed, now.

In this fourth-largest state, he visits the biggest

landowner in America, aside from the federal government. He's

"an extraordinarily generous and, some would say, eccentric

philanthropist."

Fry's visit with Ted Turner is friendly and fascinating.

At the end of it, Fry writes, "A likeable, stylish individual

who seems to have got more pleasure from his money and done

more with it than most."

Tennessee---ah-ha! My home! Fry goes to Townsend to hear

bluegrass, which he's always loved. At the Rocky Branch Club,

he wanders "from room to room dizzy with delight."

He then goes to Memphis to see the famous (in Memphis,

anyway) ducks. At the end of this part, he writes, "Duck poo,

unpleasant as it is, has great appeal when compared with what

awaits me further north in the city of Knoxville."

W-E-L-L!! I turn the page, feeling personally insulted.

And there it is, in large letters---"CADAVERS!" He's writing

about the Body Farm!

It was not a pleasant visit for him. His descriptions are

very graphic. "For all my age and experience, there had still

been some sweet, small, shy flower of innocence inside me when

I arrived at the Body Farm. By the time I leave, it has gone

forever."

If memory serves me correctly, and half the time it does,

Fry deeply dislikes only one state, New Jersey. Sorry, Boss.

The words printed under "New Jersey" are "And so I find

myself driving into hell." That "Garden State" motto does not

fool him one bit.

He dislikes only one city, Waikiki. "What a horrible, what

a grotesque, what a SHATTERING disappointment. Of all the

unspeakably vile tourist hells I have ever visited, this has to

be one of the worst."

(Tell us how you REALLY feel, Mr. Fry!)

At the beginning of each state's section, there is a

sidebar called "KEY FACTS." State nickname, flower, bird, well-

known residents/natives. Under the last heading, for New

York State, he writes, "That would be unfair on the other

states. There are thousands." The "be unfair ON," rather than

"TO" the other states, is because Fry writes this book in

English-English. At the back of the book he lists 68 "American-

English" words for his British readers.

Fry, this funny fellow, ends the book by writing, "I loved

America before this trip and I love it now more than ever...I

met very few fools on my travels, save perhaps the British I

encountered who thought themselves naturally superior: I still

shiver with embarrassment at the memory of their imbecile

arrogance. America is not perfect, and I do not love Britain

any less for loving America more."

He loves us! And you'll love him and his book! It's good-

sized, with photographs on almost every page.

Know NOT America
Urban redneck and low class snob came to mind when I read this book. Mr. Fry's take on the states is full of tired old stereotypes and cliches. He repeats the same old rhetoric that people who have ever drove through an interstate sums up a state in a paragraph. Take New Jersey where he shreds the state apart and reduces it to dumb class of Jersey boys and girls and describes how ugly it is. Sorry Mr. Fry you don't know New Jersey and it's beauty or it's people. New Jersey is per capita the richest state in the union. Princeton University is here among other prestigious institutions. I don'tthink that class of people would live there if it was such a terrible place to live. This book should not be taken seriously. I couldn't even donate this book so I put it in it's rightful place , THE TRASH.

In Fry I Trust
In 2008, the quintessential Englishman, Stephen Fry, traveled across the entire United States to experience what each individual state had to offer.
What I liked about this book is that Fry stayed away from popular sites e.g. Times Square, and instead chose to visit more colorful & interesting locales. To a non-American, it would probably seem like the states have their own flavor, but we do have a common ingredient that can be found across the entire nation & Fry usually was confronted with it when he read our state mottos, slogans, & even watched commercials all of which declare the unique attitude & culture of where he was at the moment.To the next state, it seemed to be repeat itself & Fry took it all in stride, seeming to enjoy it rather than ridicule it for all its worth. (I know I would have done it, given the chance.)

I'm only giving the book three stars as I thought each state's section was too short & yes, Fry predicted that Americans would be dissatisfied with their own state's portrayal which I will confirm that for me (as an Okie) that I was a bit disappointed with what he included.But maybe I'm just being cynical, after all he did show Okies as being charitable & enjoying the pastime of rodeo, which isn't a bad depiction in the least. Fry could have easily made a book about how there is more bad than good in the US & it would have been easy to do. It was nice to read a book filled with the more positive elements of our society: hardwork, community, indigenous cultures, & the ability to drive a car on the beach (well, two of them).

Bonuses: All of that trivia & history! Also, the beautiful photography & Fry's British wit & humoUr.

SHIPPING
The book was a gift and I trust it was a good read; he is a good reader. My problem was determinig the delivery date.It is very difficult to know when arrival and delivery will occur, given the intentionally very broad guestimate of delivery date. ... Read more

Product Description
Fry's hilarious novel has won praise from critics everywhere, and it hit the very top of bestseller lists in England. Its bisexual hero is a diabolically brilliant pathological liar with the wit of a Truman Capote and the moral compunctions of an amoeba. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (45)

high-brow humour & homoeroticism!
I'm so in love with everything Mr. Fry does and could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this particular work, especially since having read Moab is my Washpot, where he referred to The Liar as being highly autobiographical.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it and several pages had me laughing out loud.The author is truly a gem.

This story has it all... humour, homoeroticism, high-brow wit, all the H's (tee hee)!And like all of Stephen's work it was brilliantly written and positively dripping with linguistic cleverness while still remaining immensely entertaining.

This is definitely going to be one of those books I grab off the shelf again and again.

typical Fry!
I'm so in love with everything Mr. Fry does and could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this particular work, especially since having read Moab is my Washpot, where he referred to The Liar as being highly autobiographical.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it and several pages had me laughing out loud. The author is truly a gem.

This story has it all... humour, homoeroticism, high-brow wit, all the H's (tee hee)! And like all of Stephen's work it was brilliantly written and positively dripping with linguistic cleverness while still remaining immensely entertaining.

This is definitely going to be one of those books I grab off the shelf again and again

Charismatically Witty
This book is fantastic!For an intellectual read with a sociopathic twist this book is great.

Pretty good, but...
The book in it's own right is pretty decent, although it had a few too many attempts at sounding hi-tech and that has dated rather badly. It's just that compared to the Count of Monte Cristo, it's barely an appetiser. Amusingly in the final notes by Fry he explains that he had never read The Count until after he has already written a portion of this book.

Worth a read if you like Fry, and who doesn't?

Good but i prefer Making History
This book deserves 4 Stars at least. It's definitely worth a read for the fact alone that Stephen Fry is a fairly legendary British comedian and known for his intelligence.
His imagination and attention to detail in this book is quite impressive. Although the book does take a little while to get going the end quarter of it, i felt is worth it for sheer the sheer unexpected twist in the story. As for the confusing mini-chapters scattered through the book i'm not sure what to think. I thought it was bad writing to do that but it also made me want to carry on to find out what it was all about.

Beware though; this book has fairly frequent flights into occasionally graphic homosexual-university-student-casual-sexual-goings-ons (which i found annoying, not the homosexual part just that after a while i was kinda 'yeah okay we get the point, they're randy!') and the odd rude word.

But it is a good book, obviously well thought out. I personally prefer Making History one of his later books (i've yet to read The Hippopotamus which i hear is possibly his best one).

... Read more

Product Description
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). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Annoying and Boring
Stephen Fry demonstrated he had talent to re-write classics in his very entertaining "The Stars' Tennis Balls," and his good friend and colleague Hugh Laurie proved that actors could in fact spell and punctuate in the competent and entertaining "The Gun Seller."Because of the two books I decided to read "The Hippopotamus," hoping to be entertained.

The back of the cover reads:"Ted Wallace is an old, sour, womanising, cantankerous, whisky-sodden beast of a failed poet and drama critic, but he has his faults too."This is the best writing you will find in this book, which is to say there isn't any good writing in the book.It feels long and ponderous, and there really isn't a plot -- just a lot of that annoying British self-mockery that wears out its welcome by page 10.

Worth It For The Wordplay Alone
The plot is a little weak, but you're not going to be reading and enjoying this book primarily for the plot anyway. Not that it's bad by any stretch, it's just that what will keep you moving through the book (and like all Fry's work, it is a quick and highly enjoyable read) is the amazing faculty he has with the language. Not a paragraph goes by without some turn of phrase, some peccadillo of thought, some left-field insight into how his thought process works, that will stop you for a moment and make you wonder if he really said what he just did, and more to the point, how did no one ever say what he just said like that before?

So yes, the mystery angle of the story itself is more than a bit contrived, but the deftness of the prose and the immense mental faculty upon which Fry leans will be more than enough to propel you through the book. Well worth the read.

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, but it dosen't really matter. They bring a couple of laughs here and there and, I guess, acts more as framework for our drunken poet Edward to unfold within. The story is fairly simple and yet sports a couple of very odd and very unforseen twists, that are absolutely hillarious while at the same time being, if not outrageous, then at least quite interesting.

Very highly recommended. Especially the audiobook version read by the author is very good.

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 wicked cartoonist Posy Simmons who is very similar indeed to Fry's Ted Wallace (the hippo in person) - struggling writer and schoolmasterish spelling pedant in addition to the characteristics already mentioned. That resemblance, whichever way the influence worked, is altogether too close to be coincidence. I sensed another possible influence too, from 25 years earlier. There is an odd film by Pasolini 'Theorem' about a young man who exerts untoward sexual influence over all around him, and for all the countless differences of tone and style from this book I can't help suspecting a kinship with that too.

The theorem here is one that perms situations of, shall we say, a kind we don't much encounter in our humdrum daily lives. It is not about characterisation at all. The characters are a harlequinade of weirdos, meant as vivid and not as realistic. The revelations they seem to take in their stride without missing a step are surreal, but I actually think I'm even more amazed by the mental agility, not to say the emotional pliancy, that they display at the end when Ted himself (either stepping out of character or reverting to his earlier persona briefly mentioned in a previous chapter) explains all. What it all seems to me to come down to is this - if someone is as brilliantly witty and ingenious as Stephen Fry is, then his novels will be more about a peacock display of the wit and ingenuity than about anything else. The phrase-making is coruscating, the eye for people and the ear for the way they talk are acute, and the repressed but desperate sense of how ridiculous everyone and everything are pervades chapter after chapter. As you might expect, there is a darker side to a personality like this, and that comes through explicitly in the scene in nazi Germany. It also comes through in the incident of the boy and the horse, but if that stops you in your tracks I urge you to continue, because you will get not one subsequent surprise but two.

The final surprises come, hardly surprisingly, at the end. You would never guess the real situation, but there is no inevitability to it. It is just dam' ingenious, and it's about being ingenious and nothing else, not even about being convincing. A hundred other endings would have done just as well, provided they were clever enough. It's not hard to hear the black dog of depression baying through the music of this elegant masked ball, but if you have a good ear for overtones I believe you ought to hear something else as well. There is a real tone of human sympathy and downright kindness in Fry. It's something I sense in his public persona as an actor and entertainer, and something I sense in at least some of his novels. I won't say that it's what I read them for, because I read them for the brilliant chatter more than anything else, but there is an odd but agreeable aftertaste to it all, strange as it may be at times and of course strictly not for the Moral Majority, at least not when they are in full moral mode. I have a hunch that the poet (whom I adapt with apologies) spoke for Fry before Fry was born

The stars did not deal him the worst they could do:
His pleasures are plenty, his troubles are two.
But O, his two troubles, they reave him of rest,
The brains in his head and the heart in his breast. ... Read more

Product Description
What if hitler had never been born?

In Stephen Fry's most seriously ambitious novel to date, he creates a futuristic fantasy that becomes a thriller with a funny streak. Tackling one of history's darkest episodes, he poses the question: What if Hitler had never been born? An unquestionable improvement, no doubt. Michael Young, an earnest young history graduate student, has just finished his dissertation, an exploration into the roots of evil and the early life of Adolf Hitler. When he meets up with an aging German physicist, they concoct an idealistic experiment that involves time travel to prevent the conception of the Fhrer. It will change the course of history, but will it create a better world? With characteristic brilliance and wit, Fry presents a thought-provoking alternate history that is both trenchant and deeply affecting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

Making History
Just a fun book.If you are an alternative history fan, this book is a must read.

Leave science fiction to the pros
When mainstream authors tackle science fiction themes like time travel (e.g. Michael Crichton) they're usually reinventing the wheel in some ways while bringing arguably stronger talents in other areas.In Making History, a Cambridge graduate student in history with a grudge and a physics professor with guilt team up to manipulate the past so that Adolf Hitler was never born.Naturally, the results aren't what they hoped.

My favorite parts were Fry's satire of the English middle class and university life, and his satirical but also haunting depiction of an alternate present at Princeton.Parts that were exasperating include anything related to science fiction, such as the time-changing machine and the logic of its application, and Fry's poorly formulated rules of time travel.Stephen Fry is probably best known as Hugh Laurie's co-star before House, when Laurie (and Fry) were funny.Making History is an amusing beach read for an Anglophile who doesn't take his or her science fiction too seriously.

Interesting read
The story was interesting and had a lot of great real historical references in the beginning. The personal ending for the main character was a great choice in my opinion although the historical, moral one was of course somewhat questionable - without me wanting to tell you too much about it. It is definitely worth reading, I still remember many of the quotes and refer to the book continuously in various conversations and even quote it in my master thesis on theater (! - yes it contains a great quote on that...)!

It is for sure one of the books you will talk and think about, therefore definitely worth reading!

A Sloppy Alternate History Novel
I stumbled across this book in an online review named something like "The Ten Best Alternate History Sci-Fi Novels".Since I pretty much had all the others this one stood out, and I ordered it shortly thereafter.

In retrospect I kinda wished I'd kept my money.The subject matter is intriguing (what if Hitler had never been born?) but beyond that the book is rather sloppy and hard to follow at times, particularly in the beginning.Once the storyline gets moving there's a sudden "reset" (can't say too much without revealing the plot) and you get to re-read big chunks of almost-the-same-but-subtly-different history.It frankly wasn't all that well written the first time around.

For die-hard alternate history fans only, or folks who just love Stephen Fry's works.

Making History
It was to be rather a long time before I finally got my hands on Stephen Fry's "Making History", and I must admit, although I'm a big, bordering on huge, fan of Fry, that I found it to be less than what I had expected.

While the idea of time travel and/or alternate realities is definitely a highly interesting one, and with the help from Stephen Fry's famous wit and enourmous intellect, should be a definite winner, it somehow falls short of the mark. Many other reviewers before me have mentioned the lack of pace in the book, which, in conjunction with the somewhat easy/smooth/naive way order is restored to the universe in the end of the story, just seems to make the story a lot less compelling, a lot less interesting, a lot less Fryish , indeed a lot less... well, a lot less.

Despite beeing a bit uncomplicated, simple even, it is still a well written and well presented book. We still get to enjoy some of Fry's great sense of humour and his love of language. Although inferiour to the authors other works, it is still worth reading. No doubt about that. Just don't expect literary heaven.

3,5 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
This brilliant recasting of the classic story The Count of Monte Cristo centers on Ned Maddstone, a happy, charismatic, Oxford-bound seventeen-year-old whose rosy future is virtually pre-ordained. Handsome, confident, and talented, newly in love with bright, beautiful Portia, his father an influential MP, Ned leads a charmed life. But privilege makes him an easy target for envy, and in the course of one day Ned’s destiny is forever altered. A promise made to a dying teacher combined with a prank devised by a jealous classmate mutates bewilderingly into a case of mistaken arrest and incarceration. Ned finds himself a political prisoner in a nightmarish exile that lasts years, until a fellow inmate reawakens Ned’s intellect and resurrects his will to live. The chilling consequences of Ned’s recovery are felt worldwide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

S. Fry Re-writes Monte Christo. Sort of.
First off, let me get my mandatory fangirl squeeeee out of the way: Stephen Fry is a god. Not just a minor Hollywood-type tinsel god, but the real classical deal; he's an ancient Greek god. Possibly Bacchus.

Ok, maybe he's not a real deity, but at the very least, he's kissed the Blarney stone. This is a wonderful book. If you're thinking it's an exact modern-day rewrite of the Count of Monte Cristo, it's not - not exactly - but it's definitely a brilliant homage, robust and peppery with a smooth, melancholy finish. It'll linger long past the end of the glass.

...If by chance you haven't read the Count of Monte Christo and you don't know the basic plot, I will not help you here.

Good read - a bit dark in spots - but brilliant
Mr. Fry writes deliciously of human desires, frailties, strengths, and as the title suggests - revenge.

fast service but.....
came very quickly and in great condition..but it would have been nice if somewhere in the item description there would have been some mention of this book being the same as the author's other book 'the star's tennis balls'. 'revenge' and the other book i mentioned are one and the same..'tennis balls' is the uk title and 'revenge' is the book's us title.

Exceptional!!
The comedic Stephen Fry's writing in "Revenge" is exceptional! I must admit when I picked up the book, I was unsure of how it was going to be, seeing as Fry is known for his comedy and here he is writing a serious novel. By far, one of the best books I have ever read!

By reading this book, you would have had no idea that Stephen Fry is a comedic actor who did shows like "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and "Jeeves and Wooster". Fry masks his funny comeic side for a more serious side."Revenge" had me constantly on the edge of my seat. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!

A Good Book..."Railly"
First, a note on these "Professional" reviewers who, I'm now more convinced than ever, do not actually read the books they review:1.) The Library Journal review above says that Ned"falls under the tutelage of a man known only as Babe"Wrong!The man's name is Simon Fraser, which he reveals to Ned, and to every reader on p.151 2.) If you continue reading these ever so Professional reviews, you'll come across the American Library Association review which has Ned down as an Eton graduate. Wrong again!Harrow, not Eton.There are too many page references to cite on this one.It's absurdly obvious that these reviewers have not bothered too much with the book or with the accuracy of their own reviews.Perhaps a new category is needed: "A Professional Skimmer's review."Perhaps these Library review people should hire some of the customers here, whose reviews, for the most part, are much more heartfelt and insightful.

Now to the book:It's always going to be a bit of a challenge reviewing a book whose author is said to have "a brain the size of Kent" (originally by Michael Parkinson on his BBC programme) and whose publishers declare the same.-One wonders whose tongue is in whose cheek - In any event, whatever Fry's cranial capacity, this is a witty, page-turning book. I don't know if thriller is the right word for it.As you will know if you're reading this, the plot is a take-off on The Count of Monte Cristo. Thus, one knows the skeleton of the narrative development before opening the book.But I don't think that the reworked plot, though terribly clever, especially towards the end, is the most affecting aspect of the novel.Rather, it is the English class system, always on display, even in the middle of the work, that constitutes the soul of the book.From the envy that starts the clock ticking to Ned's polished mannerisms on display as he breezily dispatches his victims with a stiff upper lip toward the end, that upper class drawl nearly dominates the story, and is almost a character itself.

Perhaps this says something about Fry himself, who has had a rather rough time of it with the English establishment, as revealed in his autobiographical Moab Is My Washpot. One gets the feeling at the beginning of the book that it is about to turn the corner from Tom Brown's School Days into something with the psychological depth of a Henry James novel, but Fry turns the other way.And while this turn leads us through "a ripping yarn", this reader, at least, felt that Fry could have turned his Kentish brain to something more - dare I say it - literary, had he so desired.


But he didn't and wrote a fast-paced page-turner instead, which is indeed worth the read.But this reader, at least, felt a tad cheated at the end. -----What might have been!But I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy this type of thing.I certainly did for a change.

Just remember Ashley's instructions to himself in his diary:

Don't say good, say gid
Don't say poste, say paste
Don't say real, say rail
Don't say go, say gay

And you'll enjoy this book..... awfully.
.

... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Title Rings True - Fry still hits the Right Notes.
I seem to be going through a 'Fry phase' at the moment, as I've just finished the entire series of Stephen Fry in America, watched many episodes of Jeeves & Wooster & have listened to his excellent 'Stephen Fry Presents - Short Stories by Anton Chekhov'*. I've even watched his videos debating alongside Christopher Hitchens & have yet to find him annoying, snobbish or arrogant, but rather the model of a renaissance man.

Starting off with a section called 'Current Puns', the English language is dissected in depth by a mixture of academics and amateurs. The comedian who holds the world record for the most jokes told in an hour (Tim Vine, at 499) is asked about how he makes puns & there is also a section on the Pun computer. Fry also analyses different types of puns & ends with one of his favourites (which I'm sorely tempted to tell you, if it weren't for the fact that it would ruin your enjoyment of the CD!)

Section 2 is 'Metaphor'. Many other reviewers have said that Section 1 is the only section worth listening to, but I disagree. This section is arguably the best one, with lots of QI-style insightful gambits. The large quantity of Naval metaphors (e.g. taken aback) are explored in this section, along with 'skeletons of metaphors'. Personally I had no idea that English was so laden with buried metaphors within individual words (e.g. 'sarcastic' meaning 'flesh tearing'). The phrase 'Deep Metaphor' takes on a whole new meaning...

Moving onto CD 2, Section 3 is 'Quotation'. Unlike QI: Advanced Banter, this is not just a long list of quotes but more an exploration of their nature (although it does include some good ones - e.g. 'Pretentious? Moi??' by Miss Piggy). Fry explores the meme-like nature of quotes & their nature, before looking into some users of quotes (such as Politicians & Celebrities). There is also a section on the institution that is Colemanballs - tawdry, cliched & incongruent quotations made by Football commentators.

Section 4 is 'Cliche', which sounds like a dreadful idea for an ending, but is actually interesting. Cliches aren't just cringe-worthy, but are actually a way of using language efficiently. There are interviews with printers (where the term 'cliche' comes from) & also compilers of Dictionaries of Cliche (e.g. Dictionary of Cliches). This section also explores Tottenham's history with Parrot cliches as well as many other animal-related cliches that seem to plague but also enrich the English language.

Overall I found this CD lived up to expectations & moves me one stage closer to wanting to explore his books again (which initially put me off his work). As yet, I'm still to find anything from Fry's second-wind that hasn't appealed & educated in equal measure. Here's hoping the sequel is as good...

* - Sadly only available from Amazon.co.uk, but worth it! ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of the many articles that Stephen Fry has written for magazines, newspapers and radio. The volume includes selected wireless essays of Donald Trefusis, the ageing professor of philology brought to life in Fry's novel "The Liar" and the best of Fry's weekly column for the "Telegraph". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Always a pleasure with Fry
In all honesty I find it hard to imagine not loving anything that the great Stephen Fry writes. The man has a wit and a way with words that makes anything he is involved in a delight. What we are presented with in 'Paperweight' is a smorgasbord of outpourings from our articulate friend. Each one produced for newspaper, journal or radio and varying so widely in topic as to take in the Gulf war and a mislaid sock.

We are first presented to Fry's comic creation Dr. Donald Trefusis, a cranky old academic, eerily reminiscent of the protagonist of Fry's novel 'The Hippopotamus'. His cantankerous rantings are a suitable precursor to those of Fry himself later on. Subsequently we are treated to articles by the man himself for a number of publications and on a vast array of topics. With Fry's inimitable style, it almost becomes irrelevant what topic he is discussing, or for which publication. One finds oneself delighting in anything that is offered.

Perhaps one of the more enjoyable aspects of 'Paperweight' is how easy it is to dip in and out of. It is not a book to be read in one go, more one to be nibbled at slowly over the course of weeks. Anyone who is a fan of Fry, humour or even just the English language generally, should do themselves a favour and purchase a copy today.

A bit of Fry and a lot of laughter
Paperweight is actually a collection of many different articles written by Stephen Fry over the years for a variety of publications. Most of these 'essays' are only between one and three pages long, but Fry fits as many laughs into each one as you would normally get in a whole book. Fry's view points are exuberantly refreshing on so many issues, yet at the same time he seems to be telling you something you knew all along, but had never been able to quite put into words. If you like originality and new twists (with gentle splashes of the surreal and deft, quirky touches) then Paperweight is for you.

Paperweight is an excellent introduction to Stephen Fry if you've never come across his writing before. It can be taken in small, highly digestible doses, whereas his novels need to be swallowed in one go to appreciate his arcane sense of the outrageous. This 'essay' format offers the best of this hugely entertaining all-rounder. In the book's introduction, Fry says that he used to get many desperate requests from readers for copies of articles he'd written. You'll understand why, if you read the book. In fact, the introduction is one of the highlights of Paperweight, being cripplingly ironic, immodestly modest and more witty than a witty person at a national wit contest. In fact, put simply, Fry=Wit=Laughter

I did just as he suggested!
As Mr Fry advises the readers of 'Paperweight', I have not attempted to read this book in one sitting.I believe he says something about being able to have too much of a good thing.Whilst I don't agree with his reasoning, (I don't believe one can ever have enough of Mr Fry), I did see his point so I have been enjoying A Little Bit of Fry every night before I am taken away to the Land of Nod by the Sleep Fairy.This book is thoroughly entertaining.I do so love the way Mr Fry looks at the world and the silly creatures who inhabit it.If only the newspaper and radio station owners of Australia would employ people with half Mr Fry's intelligence, wit and talent, our country would be a much better place (and breakfast radio wouldn't be such an assault upon one's yet fully awaken sensibilities).Congratulations Mr Fry!Another wonderful read.Please keep them coming.

A Fry for all seasons!
Stephen Fry's Paperweight provides well-thought arguments, witty jabs at deserving targets, and most importantly lots of laughs. Out-loud-laughs. Do take this book on the bus. This is a collection of various articles,reviews, and radio sketches (plus a play), all easily digestible and quickreads - a good thing, since you'll want to read them over and over. (Ifyou're looking for a present for an associate, score some brownie pointsand get them Fry's Paperweight instead of the traditional glass one!)

Fry takes to heart the bacon of his years
Mr. Fry's 'Paperweight' is indeed just that: a heavy-ish object which may be utilised to confine smaller, unbound bits of paper.It has the requistite bulk, a pleasing shape, and an interesting cover, featuring Mr. Fry himself.

And yet it is so much more.It is a collection, a bringing together, a collection, a consolidation and, if you will, a _collection_ of Mr. Fry's written dabblings before he sprang to our attention with the utterly printed and thoroughly bound first novel, 'The Liar'.'Paperweight' is a book containing, among other things, Mr. Fry's radio broadcasts in the guise of the inimitable Professor Trefusis (in printed form, to avoid undue technical difficulties), his articles for such venerable journalistic mouthpieces as the Observer, the Tatler, the Listener, Home & Garden, the Beano, Punch, Nature, Judy, the Mineralogical Record, KMT, the British Journal of Sexual Sociopathy, the Journal of Roman Studies, Woman's Day, the Sun, and, of course, the Welsh edition of the Manchester Guardian [nb: the preceeding list may not be entirely within the bounds of accuracy - Ed.].A short drama is contained within, as are a number of essays on a variety of mind-improving subjects, book reviews, political essays (written, one should remember, while Britain was in the iron grip of the Iron Lady) and, as mentioned elsewhere, the Trefusis broadcasts, a name which will be quite familiar to readers of Mr. Fry's later work, 'The Liar'.Here Mr. Fry's range and style, his versatility, and his breadth, depth and length are all invidiously displayed.It is a book to savour, of which one should breathe the bouquet, drink deeply, and sit back to observe the salubrious effects.This book must be possessed by all admirers of Mr. Fry, for it is his Rosetta Stone, his Treaty of Versailles, his Pre-nuptial Agreement Betwixt Consenting Adults.

What else may one say?What, indeed.Badger, annoy, and trouble your bookseller until he agrees to stock it.Then purchase.Take it to your home.Unwrap the plain brown paper.Enjoy.Quite simple, really. ... Read more

Product Description
Comedian and actor Stephen Fry’s witty and practical guide, now in paperback, gives the aspiring poet or student the tools and confidence to write and understand poetry.

Stephen Fry believes that if one can speak and read English, one can write poetry. In The Ode Less Travelled, he invites readers to discover the delights of writing poetry for pleasure and provides the tools and confidence to get started. Through enjoyable exercises, witty insights, and simple step-by-step advice, Fry introduces the concepts of Metre, Rhyme, Form, Diction, and Poetics.

Most of us have never been taught to read or write poetry, and so it can seem mysterious and intimidating. But Fry, a wonderfully competent, engaging teacher and a writer of poetry himself, sets out to correct this problem by explaining the various elements of poetry in simple terms, without condescension. Fry’s method works, and his enthusiasm is contagious as he explores different forms of poetry: the haiku, the ballad, the villanelle, and the sonnet, among many others. Along the way, he introduces us to poets we’ve heard of but never read. The Ode Less Travelled is not just the survey course you never took in college, it’s a lively celebration of poetry that makes even the most reluctant reader want to pick up a pencil and give it a try. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

An accessible workshop manual for the poetry neophyte
Just finished this one and have immediately started to read it again.

Poetry has always been something that I have thought was just out of reach; I enjoy a good poem, but I've never really understood the subject. I accept that, to appreciate most art forms, you need to have some grasp of the techniques used. I know, for example, when I look at a painting, why it works as an oil but wouldn't work as a watercolour, how the paint has been layered to give depth and richness and how the use of colour has created a mood. But give me a book of poetry and I'm like a bogan in an art gallery, reduced to the literary equivalent of liking the nice pictures and disregarding anything I don't understand. I know that I like Shelley but don't like Pound, but I have no idea why.

Stephen Fry is passionate about poetry, something that he makes clear in his earlier novel `The Hippopotamus'. The Ode Less Travelled is his attempt to share that passion with a wider world, not by reviewing poems and trying to teach us what the poet is trying to say to us, but by taking us back to the basics and giving us a workshop manual that opens up the art form and shows us its innards. He introduces meter and form with examples and, heaven help us, exercises, which actually work.

Starting us gently with a dummies guide to iambic pentameter, Fry works through all the major metrical types at a comfortable pace that allows the reader to learn without ever really feeling stretched, it was only after the first few chapters that I realised just how much I had picked up, that I could, for example, recognise a trochaic or pyrrhic substitution and could tell the difference between a dactyl and anapaest. If that sounds intimidating (and I think it does) then it is to Fry's enormous credit that he makes it an easy and pleasurable ride, helped along with examples taken from the great poets and self-deprecating samples from his own imagination.

After meter comes rhyme and after rhyme comes form. It's no exaggeration to say that, looking at a collection of poetry after reading this book, it feels almost like seeing in colour for the first time after a lifetime of believing that back and white was the norm.

Criticisms? There are two main ones. The pace increases in the middle of the book, it reads as if Fry has realised how much ground he has to cover in an ever-decreasing ration of words and has had to speed up to squeeze it all in. This leaves it feeling rushed at times and forces the reader (at least, this reader) to go back over sections in a way that was not necessary in the earlier chapters. Then there is Stephen Fry himself. Personally, I like his writing and have read nearly all of his published books. But can I understand those that find him irritating. Fry is immensely clever; I don't think anyone is likely to deny that. The trouble is, that much like Oscar Wilde, who he admires so much and seems to be always trying to emulate, he does spend a lot of his time making sure that you realise it. All of his writing, and this is no exception, has a recurrent theme of `look at what a big intellect I've got'. If you can get past that and would like to be able to read poetry in colour, then I heartily recommend this book.

Brilliant.
Stephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Gotham, 2005)

I think every poet at some point, no matter how much they've been raised on free verse, turns his or her attention to formal verse. Thus the enduring popularity of form dictionaries (my personal favorite has always been Dacey and Jauss' Strong Measures). In The Ode Less Travelled (and points to Fry for spelling "travelled" right when my word processor's dictionary flags it as incorrect), Fry has little truck with free verse; it's all forms all the time here, and is an excellent addition to the formal-verse canon.

After some general introductory chapters, Fry breaks a number of types of formal verse down and introduces us to each, with examples both from classic poets and from his own doggerel (I suspect that Fry, who is far more accomplished than he lets on here, specifically wrote doggerel for inclusion here in order to make it all look a great deal easier). While the book is by no means exhaustive--I don't think I've ever run across a truly exhaustive form dictionary--it's a fine introduction to many of the most popular and enduring forms. If you're a poet, even if you haven't discovered the lure of formal verse yet, it's well worth picking this up. You'll get there eventually. ****

Feeds curiosity about poetry with knowledge and wit
A generous book offering the shyly confounded the joy of soaking up some understanding on terms, context and breadth of poetic forms and principles- plus good company in wanting to give it a whirl.A read that's very much about pleasure, respectful of readers' intelligence but never taking itself too seriously.How enjoyable to be in school sat in my armchair.

Grateful to the friendly professor.

Ode
The Ode Less Travelled arrived early and in terrific condition.It was also at a discount.

Helpful tips for aspiring poets!
I have read many books on poetic techniques. What a relief it was to find this book and read it: it shows how to write poetry for those who yearn to write poetry, beginning at the beginning. In a readable, chatty, understandable way content like metre, rhyme, form, and diction and poetics today are covered in helpful, practical, and useful ways. Plenty of exercises. But be prepared for an unwelcome section on smutty poetry - I did not like this part. However, on the whole this is an excellent book for poets seeking that hard-to-acquire basic grasp on what poetry is really all about - the beats, the rhythm, the life - and how you write it. A good glossary of poetic terms is an added bonus in the appendix. Altogether, this book is 300 odd pages of inspiring, fun reading. It helps you! You will know how to write poetry and write it well. ... Read more

Product Description
The English tongue has never tasted more delicious than in the mouth of Stephen Fry: his chokingly brilliant sesquipedalian prose is like a shaft of sunlight through the drizzle of quotidian language. Now, with this bound monograph, we can all emit a similarly exquisite effulgence and enjoy the bright shaft of Stephen Fry locution in the privacy of our own smallest pavilion. May his shaft continue to pleasure us for many years to come. After all, what could be fluffier? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Um, no.
This book does not really have anything to do with speaking like Mr. Fry. What it seems to be is an endless string of often random words slung together haphazardly with little form or elegance. Stephen Fry speaks with wit using humor, metaphor anda great deal of cleverness to make a point or to enhance a phrase. This is just someone tacking on words to make a phrase longer and be needlessly wordy. If you tried speaking this way at a party, you'd be thought of as a senseless prat.

I give the author 2 stars for effort but it really just is not worthwhile in my opinion. ... Read more

Product Description
'Hello, I'm Stephen Fry. Now time for the first outing of a brand, spanking new feature here on "The Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music"...putting some unsuspecting figure in music under the spotlight.' In his "Incomplete & Utter History of Classical Music", Stephen Fry presents a potted and brilliantly rambling 700-year history of classical music and the world as we know it. Along this musical journey he casually throws in references to pretty much whatever takes his fancy, from the Mongol invasion of Russia and Mr Khan (Genghis to his friends), the founding of the MCC, the Black Death (which once again became the new black in England), to the heady revolutionary atmosphere of Mozart's Don Giovanni and the deep doo-doo that Louis XVI got into (or 'du-du' as the French would say). It's all here - Ambrose and early English plainsong, Bach, Mozart (beloved of mobile phones everywhere), Beethoven, Debussy, Wagner (the old romantic), right up to the present day. Entertaining and brilliantly written, this is a pretty reckless romp of a history through classical music and much much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Delicious
This is just a lovely little romp through classical music.If you like Fry, you will like this.It's like auditing a brief overview of musical history taught by a fun and witty professor who does not take himself or his subject too seriously.

Unedited ramblings of an interesting -- but not that interesting -- classical music fan
Don't get me wrong; I love Stephen Fry's work. His The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Withinis one of the best three books on poetry I've ever read. So my hopes for this were high. What I can't be sure of, but discerned by reading between the lines, is that this is essentially transcriptions from a series of radio shows that probably were tremendously entertaining listening, but don't really hang together as a book. Jokey devices that were funny once -- once -- pop up again and again, and there's a disjointedness to the entire work that is vaguely unsettling and largely unsatisfying. Allow me to distill from the book its one best bit, thereby not only saving you money and time, but turning you on to a terrific piece of music. When you're done with this review, go to the mp3 section and download Gavin Bryars' "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet - 4. Tramp with Orchestra (full strings)," or better yet, get the full album. I hadn't known about the piece until reading about it in Fry's book and it *almost* redeemed what otherwise is a fairly forgettable bonbon of an "as told to" book.

Just not good
I have loved everything that Stephen Fry has written, and he has a mastery of language as well surprise insights in his storytelling that I count on bringing many hours of pleasurable reading. However, something is terribly wrong with this book, in that Fry's normal eloquence in appropriately weaving humor and anecdote into a story is just plain off. For some reason I had imagined that the history of classical music would have been an important topic to Fry, and I wasn't expecting a text this inane. Perhaps the second author wrote more of the text, and used Fry's name to sell it. I hope Fry's next books aren't like this one.

Drivel and Lies
I will keep this short, as a previous reviewer has already aptly summed up how excruciatingly bad this book is.That's the drivel part of this review.On to the lies!

What pissed me off is actually the fact that the entry here gives no obvious indication that the book is actually NOT written by Stephen Fry.Some hack wrote it "as told by Stephen Fry" (take a close look at the front cover, if you can, and you'll see I tell the truth), which explains why although it bears the form of Fry's work, it rings hollow and, uh, well, bad.

Shame on Amazon for not mentioning this (or even alluding to it) in their so-called "Editorial Review", which sounds like it was copied directly from the book's press release.

Whatever Happened to That Droll, Dry English Wit?
I like classical music, and Stephen Fry is a humorous sort of fellow. Put those together, and I eagerly bought this book that supposedly tells us the history of classical music. Now pretend you are locked up in a room with someone, and must spend the next 10 hours conversing with each other. To your dismay you find that this new acquaintance mouths nothing but wisecracks and silly remarks. After an hour you are pulling your hair out, and after two hours you have been reduced to a mindless, blubbering hulk.

Somehow I survived a similar experience reading this book. Now that I have recovered sufficiently I've decided to warn you about the dangers of reading it. First of all there is very little about classical music to be found in these 300 pages. We trudge through history, and are told what happened on various dates. Take 1764 for example. We are informed that Kenwood house was built in Hampstead, and La Madeleine went up in Paris. House numbering started for residences in London. A discussion ensues on how this made things easy for the postal service. Oh yes. This was also the year that Mozart wrote his first symphony. More about Mozart later, says the author as he skips on to 1772 to tell us that that was the year that Captain Cook discovered Botany Bay.

Oh yes, about the "humor". Here's a sample:

"Bach, in a breathtaking display of foresight, wrote the music for a mobile telephone incoming call alert, although he called it the Anna Magdalena Notebook. But hey, where exactly are we? What age is it now? Who's in, who's out, who's up, who's down? And why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?"

Please, someone get the hook, and get Mr. Fry off the stage.

Now for a full confession. My rule is that I don't write reviews unless I've read the entire book. I'd reached page 187 of this one, and could no longer stand this frenetic foolishness. So, for the sake of my mental health I tossed it in the trash.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Currently published as "Revenge:A Novel"
An excellent re-envisioning of The Count of Monte Cristo (including humorous insights into class, Irish Republicanism, and British politics), now published in the US as Revenge.

Revenge: A Novel

and updated Edmond Dantes
The Count of Monte Cristo in modern Europe.Our protagonist is now the son of an English aristocrat, the Chateau d'If has become an insane asylum in Scandinavia, but the basic premise is the same.It's the extra twists, though, which make this book worth buying.

a true wordsmith and storyteller
To be honest, I am anything but a fan of Steven Fry the comedian. I find his humour to be well, schoolboyishly undemanding. How is it that when sitting at his typewriter he is able to pen works of such quality and originality? This is an excellent read. The storytelling is gripping, the wordplay and constructions used conjur up images and provoke feelings on several levels. For those of us of a certain age, this book is at times gratifyingly embarrassing as it takes us back to those moments which, when recalled are ear-stingingly painful but at the time made so much sense.
Read this book. If you enjoyed "Perfume," you will probably enjoy this one too.

A fun read!
Stephen Fry in the past has written some brilliantly original books that are so overflowing with humor and wit that they are can seem almost too clever. This however, is not 100% original, in that it updates the classic The Count Of Monte Cristo to the modern day. (I should point out that TCOMC is my favorite book of all time, and one that I have read many times in many versions).

The way Fry has transplanted the characters and applied the dot com touch to it, must have been like untangling a huge stubborn knot of string--but he succeeds.

The story touches most of the main points of the classic, each central character from Dumas' book has a Fry counterpart, and while there are changes, they are changes that are in keeping with a contemporise adaptation of the story.

Even though this is a very clever re-telling of such a classic story, and while I enjoyed it, I must say that this lacks the original's grace.

Perhaps the era in which the original story was set had in fact more grace to it, but the conclusion to this version seemed very abrupt and stark.

Dumas brilliantly showed us some of the inner torment that the Dante's character was suffering, while Fry showed nothing like that from Ned Maddstone, leaving a rather one-dimensional feeling in relation to the character. In fact, it was in some of Maddstone's "victims" that you were given greater insights to, especially leading up to their final scenes.

All in all, a fun read very cleverly composed, but nothing more...but I'm sure Fry being the frighteningly clever man he is, realized that his version would suffer in comparison.

Armchair Interviews says: Well worth the read.

Twists and Tricks
One of my favorite authors, Fry is wonderful! This book definitely lingered with me- made me rethink those thoughts on revenge and trust... ... Read more

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Product Description
Stephen Fry's secret wife speaks out at last...Enjoyed a nice cuppa this morning with a HobNob and Jeremy Kyle. There was a woman on there who'd been married 16 years without realising her husband was gay. Extraordinary! Which reminds me, it's our 16th anniversary in a few weeks. What a coincidence. Stephen Fry - actor, writer, raconteur and wit. Cerebral and sophisticated, a true renaissance man. Or is he? Finally, his secret double life - the womanizing, the window-cleaning, the kebabs, the karaoke - is exclusively revealed by Edna, his devoted wife and mother of his five, six or possibly seven children. These diaries take us through a year in the life of an unwitting celebrity wife, and are rumoured to include: - scandalous nocturnal shenanigans - advice on childcare - 101 things to do with a tin of Spam. 'A good diary should be like a good husband - a constant companion, a source of inspiration and, ideally, bound in leather.' - Edna Fry twitter.com/MrsStephenFry ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever wondered why most books of quotations are stuffed full of rather pedestrian quotes by people you've never heard of? It's a shame because a really good quotation book, one which gathered the truest and funniest insights of the best minds, and organised them into 250 subjects, from ambition to worry, (or from artichokes to woodpeckers), a book which offered you a useful take on almost every situation life throws at you (from the death of your child's hamster to the unified theory of everything), a sourcebook of wise one-loners, of knock-out jokes, of drole asides and heartfelt statements of truth and beauty, a practical handbook of interestingness , well, that would be worth having. And, guess what? Those thoughtful gentlemen at QI have come up with one. Five years of learning how to avoid the dull stuff have left the QI team in a uniquely good position to deliver this elusive holy grail: the big, useful, funny and really very good book of quotations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Entertaining quotes & Deep thoughts
A very nice book to read a page at a time. Or just all the entries in the top right hand corner of a number of pages.
Famous contributors, quotable quotes.

"I don't even know what street Canada is on."--Al Capone

I must have a dozen or so books of quotations. It's hard to say which one is better than another;one can always find something in any one of them.As far as these compilations go;this one is pretty good and not as expensive as most.It is well constructed with a hard cover,has 448 pages of quotations arranged under 400 subjects.With several quotations under each subject,you should find just the right one to suit your purpose or just your enjoyment.I know I did and here are just a few that took my fancy;

Blondes
"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes,because I
know I'm not dumb and I'm also not blonde."--Dolly Parton

Books
"The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people
who can write know anything."--Mark Twain

Birds
"The mosquito is the State Bird of New Jersey."anomonous

Education
"My education was interrupted only by my schooling."--Winston
Churchill

Proverbs
"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one,no less wise,to balance
it."--George santayna

"I always love to quote Albert Einstein because nobody dares to
contradict him."--Studs Terkel

War
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.He won it by
making some dumb bastard die for his."--Gen. George Patton

"I don't know what weapons WWIII will be fought with,but WWIV will
be fought with sticks and stones."--Albert Einstein

Stupidity
"We are all born ignorant,but one must work hard to remain stupid."
--Benjamin Franklin




... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Unsurpassed Audio Entertainment.
I can see it now - the reviews for this CD are mostly going to say something to the effect of 'Good, but doesn't live up to its predecessor'. Having listened to the previous one, I wholeheartedly agree: this isn't as good as the previous one...

...But then there's the competition. There are many fine audio CD's out there, but few so engaging, entertaining & enlightening (in equal measure). And none have the poise & balance of Stephen Fry who seems to be a master of Taoist principles (i.e. never being too much of any one thing).

To give you an idea of what you'll get, here are the sections in order:

1) So Wrong It's Right.
This is an interesting section on the evolution of language & how 'wrong' use of language can often become right as people start using the mistakes (e.g. the split-infinitive on Star Trek: 'To Boldly Go'). Somehow not quite up to the peerless brilliance of the first Series, this section still has a lot of interesting material, such as Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo (a complete, grammatical English sentence for reasons detailed on the CD).
On top of this, this episode also explores how English is different depending on situation (e.g. Courtroom or Boardroom). Curiously, it further includes an interview with an Academie Francaise rebel, who has chosen to put English words & different spelling of French words in a French language dictionary since "A dictionary is an observatory, not a conservatory".

2) Speaking Proper.
I found this one better than the first as it explores a vital subject in English: how to communicate effectively. In my humble opinion it should be played to every schoolchild & migrant to our shores as it details how to clearly transmit ideas, without mispronunciation & sloppy use of language. This episode covers elocution, accents, voice control & delivery & outlines how to educate yourself in better speech patterns.

3) Hello.
Like 1), this isn't quite as brilliant as series one, but still interesting. Here the origins of the word 'Hello' are explored, including all the different greetings that can be used in English & how they can be used in a myriad of different ways.
Naturally it includes Leslie Phillips classic 'Hello' from the Carry On films, as well as Cabin Crew whose job consists of saying 'Hello' approximately 1/2 a million times in their careers!

4) The Joy of Gibberish.
A bonus episode on the end, but actually the best of the bunch as it is a typical Stephen Fry/ QI topic. Gibberish is explored as a concept & Fry shows off his knowledge of comedians who have dabbled in speaking nonsense as a profession. Curiously this includes an eclectic mix of the Irish (James Joyce), A Dadaist 30 minute nonsense poem (Die Sonata in Urlauten), Baby-talk, music & Stanley Unwin (a famous nonsense comedian from the 50's/60's).
I was tempted to give this CD only 4 stars, but this last episode really does deliver the goods. Possibly because its from 2006 (as opposed to 2009 for the others), but no matter - it still makes the series live up to Fry's high standards.
Oh, and it has one of those delicious QI bits of trivia. 'Dagwood Bumstead' is a phrase that (when repeated enough times) is said to either bring true enlightenment or drive you completely insane. Haven't tried it myself, but interesting to know...

So, all in all, I commend this CD as good stuff & ideal entertainment for listening to in the Car (I have shared this CD & Series 1 with friends & they all agree!)
Fry has set high standards for himself (especially with Fry and Laurie Read Daudet and Jerome & 'Stephen Fry Presents - Short Stories by Anton Chekhov'*) & although this CD isn't his best, it is still far above the efforts of other entertainers on Radio 4 & is up there in content with his QI work.
Here's hoping for a third series!

* Sadly only available from Amazon.co.uk (but worth it!) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lovely Little Jaunt Through the US
Maybe I should start by saying that I am an American?Or maybe the fact that I'm also a long term Stephen Fry fan?Possibly the fact that I'm a major anglophile is relevant?

That all of these things are true definitely formed my opinion on this book. I enjoyed it immensely.It was a light, quick, little jaunt through the USA with a friendly and fond citizen of a country much like us, but still very much not us.

For the US reader, Stephen Fry is very, very British.His language, British English, will cause the US reader occasional pause.(What's a fringe?Why would it be on someone's head?Oh, that's Britspeak for bangs!The book is kind enough to have a glossary in the back.) And though he is very British he is not the stereotypical Smarter-and-more-cultured-than-thou Brit.(Though, in addition to Hugh Laurie, if any living Brit has earned the right to that title, he's it.)Likewise, he was looking to write a book that went well past the Loud-rude-idiot American stereotype.

I think he succeeded.Though others have complained about the shallowness of the book, it wasn't meant to be a massive compendium of all things American.It's not supposed to be a scholarly work on the economic systems and demographics of the US.It's a travelogue, and a nice one at that.

So, join me fellow Yanks, and take a look at our country through the eyes of a very well educated and traveled Brit.

Fry at his best!
Always love Frys' wit and astuteness! This is a great book that I borrowed from the library and then just had to own ,then get a copy for a friend.His quick exploration of the States is entertaining and endearing to the people who live here. He manages to find the unusual and usual that makes America such an interesting place to live!Such intelligence is always a joy to read ...just love his Britishness!

A Taxi Tour Of The States
Besides being a beautiful book recounting his documentary for the BBC, `Stephen Fry In America' gives you insight into corners of America most Americans have never seen. Stephen Fry often dubbed the wittiest man in the United Kingdom invites us to ride along in a black British taxi. The trip is well worth it.

Stephen Fry has so many accomplishments it seems silly to cover them all. But let me try.

He is an actor, a comedian, an author, technophile, the voice of audiobooks, a prolific documentist, and a film director, playwright and television presenter.

Fry travels America making stops in familiar and sometimes very odd places. Whether making his own flavor of ice cream at Ben & Jerry's in Vermont or touring `The Body Farm' in Tennessee, Fry displays the wonder of the true traveler mixed with the tiniest amount of cynicism as most tourists do. He really hates American cheese.

Fry introduces us to our brethren and a few of us are rather quirky. We meet celebrities like Morgan Freeman, Ted Turner and Sting. We also meet very hospitable Americans who take Fry into their homes and break bread with him. There is drinking too. The Kentucky bourbon distillery stop was memorable. At least it was for me. I'm not sure if Fry recalls it, but it's in the book so I suppose he does.

Fry drives through each of the states but cherry picks the ones he wishes to stop in and stretch his legs. This means some members of the union receive a mention and nothing more.

The most glaring of these is poor old oh-hi-oh-hi-oh. Ohio received a photo of Fry at the state line and the Neil Young song of the same name about the Kent State shootings. Was that fair? Probably not if you're from Ohio.

But overall this is a wonderful companion to the documentary series. Fry's amusing insights from an outsider's point of view were pleasing. His willingness to try different experiences was admirable. This book shows mostly the good of America. If it were dark and cynical I would never have purchased it. Who wants to see the worst of themselves or their countrymen? I hope Fry returns. Maybe he'll visit Ohio.
Moab Is My WashpotThe LiarFry's English Delight The Hippopotamus ... Read more

Product Description
Join zoologist Mark Carwardine and Britain's best-loved wit and raconteur, Stephen Fry, as they follow in their great friend Douglas Adams' footsteps, in search of some of the rarest and most threatened animals on Earth.Twenty years ago, zoologist Mark Carwardine teamed up with the late Douglas Adams (author of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and together they embarked on a groundbreaking expedition, travelling the globe in search of some of the world's most endangered animals. Now Mark has teamed up with one of Douglas's closest friends -- comic genius Stephen Fry -- to see how all those animals have been faring in the years since. In Last Chance to See, and the accompanying major BBC television series, we follow the unlikely duo on six separate journeys which take them from the steamy jungles of the Amazon to the ice-covered mountain tops of New Zealand and from the edge of a war zone in Central Africa to a sub-tropical paradise in the North Pacific.Along the way, they search for some of the weirdest, most remarkable and most troubled creatures on earth: a large, black, sleepy animal easily mistaken for an unusually listless mudbank, a parrot with a song like an unreleased collection of Pink Floyd studio outtakes, a rhino with square lips, a dragon with deadly saliva, an animal roughly the length of a Boeing 737 and the creature most likely to emerge from the cargo doors of a spaceship. A unique insight into the disappearing world around us, this is their hilarious, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking story. ... Read more

Product Description