Sunday, August 1, 2010

In one's future....


....one will either be casting this one, or reading it in one's book club, or selling the three volume US first at a premium price.

This is based on advance buzz only, of course, but it sounds like a lot of fun, and has just been long-listed for the Booker.

"Skippy Dies" is basically a 650 page boarding school comedy, the fate of the hero of which is announced in the title. Slobberingly received: "gigantic, marvellous, witty, heartbreaking, brilliant, beautiful": and that's just from the Telegraph....

I liked this quote from an on-line discussion in the Guardian about the usefulness of the Booker:

Two novels I have read: The Da Vinci Code and Skippy Dies. I would happily bet that the majority of people who bought the former would enjoy the latter every bit as much if it was put in front of them in the right way. I don't want to dumb down literature, but how I'd love to smarten up popular culture!

5 comments:

David Chute said...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/06/skippy-dies-paul-murray

http://www.deadline.com/2010/08/neil-jordan-to-direct-skippy-dies/

Tulkinghorn said...

"South Park" meets "Tom Brown's Schooldays"?

These guys sure don't need the Hungry Ghost Blog for their publicity needs.

Points to the professionals...

Tulkinghorn said...

There's a lesson here, by the way... I first read the Guardian piece last February, followed by a rave from the Caustic Cover Critic of the book's design.

In a burst of cheapness, I failed to buy the British first in three volumes, which is OP and currently selling on Amazon UK for about $45...

David Chute said...

I will wait to see if it rates "mostly fresh" on the Tulkometer. This being your genre, I think it's safe to say.

Tulkinghorn said...

"Pickled" as the kids in Seoul say....