This book reminded me of Mike Gayle and in some respects even Hornby in a way that I'd call it the male equivalent of Chick Lit. It's about men whose life didn't turn out as they'd hoped it would and who take desperate measures in order to rectify it as they approach their mid-thirties. This one wasn't as funny or well written as Hornby, but it kept me going because I wanted to find out what happens on stage after the story jumps back to the events that lead up his situation at the beginning. The middle part is funny but predictable enough and as always with those novels I couldn't help but feel annoyed at the main characters and how bad they get before they get better..

Nice idea for a book, but never really engaged me. ( )

well it is relatively funny and entertaining.... ( )

What an irritating book. I disliked the main character and his behaviour from the start. The author rationalises and justifies his characters behaviour just as a selfish young man might do. Great read. ( )

Jimmy Conway is a failure. Midway through his threescore years and ten, he's got nothing to show for his existence but a dead-end job teaching English to foreign students in Sussex. So when, out of the blue, an opportunity comes for him to rub shoulders with the rich and famous, Jimmy seizes it with both hands. Before he knows it, he's a household name, appearing in magazines, television advertisements and even in a guest spot on the variety show of the year. But how long can this bubble reputation last, given that he's famous for nothing at all...?

O'Farrell has a moralist's glee for tackling liars and the debilitating effects of lies in his novels, yet he's never heavy or preachy. The writing's as effortlessly witty as ever, and here he widens his satirical net to capture the vacuity of contemporary celebrity culture. Anyone who's ever sighed in despair - or disgust - at the current crop of famous yet talentless mediocrities will love this book. ( )