FuschiaReads.

The only thing I am glad of regarding this novel is that it is not my first introduction to Stephen Fry. I am so glad of Blackadders Melchett, Lord Snot in the Young Ones, the look on his sweet faced when Emma Thompson pleaded with him to ‘fill her with little babies. If I had only ever read this book, I would have the impression that Mr Fry is, if you will excuse the expression (and you’ll have to as I am going to use it lots) a complete tosser.

I hope the autobiographical feeling of this book is fake, as that would in fact make Mr Fry a complete tosser. That’s what his ‘hero’ Adrian does. Spanking the monkey, spasms of pleasure, Milk Shake Clubs, rent boys,etc etc. It seems all a good english Public School education teaches you.

“…I never really wanted to be a train driver, you know. I mean, they told me while at school, if I got two CSEs, when I left school I'd be head of British Steel. That's a lot of nonsense, ennit? I mean, you look at statistics, right. 83% of top British management have been to a public school and Oxbridge, right? 93% of the BBC have been to a public school and Oxbridge, right? 98% of the KGB have been to a public school and Oxbridge. All you get from a public school, right -- one, you get a top job, right, and two, you get an interest in perverse sexual practices. I mean, that's why British management's so inefficient. As soon as they get in the boardroom, they're all shutting each others' dicks in the door! "Go on, give it another slam, Sir Michael!" BAM! OW OW OW! "Come on, Sir Geoffrey, let's play the Panzer commander and the millkmaid, EW EW EW EW! YOO HOO!"…”

Alexei Sayle ‘Bambi’ The Young Ones

Dormitories of young spunky (sorry!) boy flesh doing that gross soggy biscuit routine. By Chapter 2 all I could think was ‘too much information’. It was like a mantra I had to repeat so I would not be able to remember too much else of the text. It stood me in good stead until page 160 when I just gave up.

There is lots of witty dialogue but Adrian is such a complete wanker - even when he go to univeristy - that the effect is more laboured than humorous. There also seems to be some kind on spy plot but once again I stopt reading before it really developed.

Lets all be glad Mr Fry didn’t give up his day job.