Alastair Puddick

I don't even know where to begin! This book is so chock full of one-liners, hilarious situations, wicked twists and realistically daft amateur sleuths and criminals. It had me grinning throughout. Freddie is the epitome of who we wish we could unabashedly be when we're sick of dealing with the rest of the world, he is so incredibly unapologetic it's almost painful to see but he does keep you on the edge of your seat which is a great quality in a main character.

The slight twists and turns at the end had me laughing out loud at my work desk, especially a particular mishap, which you could probably guess at if/when you read the book for yourself.

Puddick perfectly avoided the cliche of the villainous monologue by revealing motives through conversation and action rather than an evil character stroking their cat, pacing back and forth, while they drone on about how their unusual childhood led them to this point in their life.

It's not often I've experienced reading a funny crime novel, and I really enjoyed this one.… (mehr)

I can't remember the last time I read a book as fun as this one. The first two chapters or so are perfect, perfect reading for a commute to or from a boring office job. I will testify to this effect, seeing as that's the exact situation in which I read them, and they were perfect. They really speak to the typical boring desk job worker's experience of alienation. And in fact, the whole book is a great commuters' book. The chapters are short and non-meandering, ideal for zipping through on the train.

It's also a very cheerful book, and hilarious provided you have a well-developed appreciation for the absurd. Or if you liked "Very British Problems" before it became all spammy and really wanted a whole novel in the same vein of humour.

I can't say it's perfect – I noticed at least five typos that should've been caught before publishing – but they didn't impede my enjoyment of the book. First five-star rating I'm giving this year! :) (Nov 2014)… (mehr)

The author, Alastair Puddick, gave me a copy of thing novel in exchange for my review.

There are many brilliant moments in “The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring.” The day he first sees Elvis could have come from a Carry On movie and the way Puddick writes the scene perfectly conveys how much a fish out of water Thring is in his situation. Puddick’s environmental and character descriptions convey a clear photograph of a scene without the feeling that we have elaborately painted a picture brush stroke by brush stroke.

No classic British read would be complete without a romantic sub-plot. George at the beginning lacks finesse with the female of the species. When he encounters Alice he doesn’t automatically become a lothario. The spirit of Elvis is not invoked. Instead the evolution of the story progresses naturally and if that includes love for our laid back hero, that is to be determined.

Puddick very clearly tells us who his characters are and why they do what they do and does it in such an entertaining way that “The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring” is a novel that is simply delicious to read. It is a story that reminds me of why I fell in love with reading and the humor that has kept me such an avid reader all these years. That this is Puddick’s first novel is astonishing to this reader. It is wonderfully written and seamlessly edited so that readers closing the book won’t have the sense of having read a prelude to the main act.

“The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring” was an unexpected delight to read.
If you like classic British humor, I strongly suggest picking up “The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring.”… (mehr)