Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

a tale of growing up in the 1970's Midlands, 21 Sep 2008
The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.

The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.


Worthwhile even if you weren't around in the 70s, 17 Aug 2008
As someone who wasn't even born in the 70's, I'd avoided this book initially thinking I'd find little to relate to in it. Luckily I changed my mind as I'd been denying myself an enjoyable read. Although it would probably be particularly enjoyed by someone who has first hand memories of 1970s Britain, younger readers should not be put off.

It's a story mostly - though not exclusively, about adolescents, but it's most definitely aimed at an adult readership. Mostly well written and easy to read, Coe does a great job at combining humour with tragedy, never letting the former cheapen the latter. This novel had far more depth than I'd expected and does a splendid job of capturing the essence of both a decade and of the universal experience of adolescence.

The only real disappointment came in the final section, which is devoted to a single sentence stream of consciousness style monologue by one of the central characters. No matter how good the author, this is a technique I really dislike, always feeling like being beaten over the head with text. There was a good reason why the full stop was invented! It didn't even have interesting subject matter, focussing rather too much on the sexual conquest of the teenage narrator. It was a real shame as it let down a strong book.

However, I'd strongly recommend the book on the strength of the first two sections - which make up most of the novel. I'll also be planning to read the sequel which the inconclusive ending demands.

Serious, endearing and funny, but without the sentimentalist claptrap, 21 Jul 2008
A thoroughly captivating read that successfully marries 1970s real events - political and social - with a fictional coming of age story. It appals and delights with regular turns in plot, but crucially, always leaves you wishing you had more time to read the next chapter straight away.

As my first experience of Jonathan Coe I was enthralled by his wit and attention to detail. I am particularly pleased that none of the characters are overtly likeable, but the reader is left to enjoy the flow of watching events unfold. Often the reader is moved from third to first person narrative and at times it reads like a diary (indeed sometimes it is just that) or the thoughts in someone's head, whilst for the main part the story is told through narration.

A book of this nature is, inherently, a subjective story from the mind of the author so it is only a personal niggle that some loose ends are left untidy. I made my wife jump when I thumped the book down after the last page out of frustration; but I guess that just makes a great read. It's not often that I'm left with so many lasting impressions from a story set in the 1970s.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, but this has a worthy place on my recommendations list.


Refreshing, 01 May 2008
A very pleasant change to the normal '70s' format of grim up north poor kids struggling to survive on a run down council estate. The author has made a massive effort to intertwine fact and fiction making the rotters' club a believable and endearing read. looking forwards to reading more from Jonathan coe

Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

a tale of growing up in the 1970's Midlands, 21 Sep 2008
The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.

The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.


Worthwhile even if you weren't around in the 70s, 17 Aug 2008
As someone who wasn't even born in the 70's, I'd avoided this book initially thinking I'd find little to relate to in it. Luckily I changed my mind as I'd been denying myself an enjoyable read. Although it would probably be particularly enjoyed by someone who has first hand memories of 1970s Britain, younger readers should not be put off.

It's a story mostly - though not exclusively, about adolescents, but it's most definitely aimed at an adult readership. Mostly well written and easy to read, Coe does a great job at combining humour with tragedy, never letting the former cheapen the latter. This novel had far more depth than I'd expected and does a splendid job of capturing the essence of both a decade and of the universal experience of adolescence.

The only real disappointment came in the final section, which is devoted to a single sentence stream of consciousness style monologue by one of the central characters. No matter how good the author, this is a technique I really dislike, always feeling like being beaten over the head with text. There was a good reason why the full stop was invented! It didn't even have interesting subject matter, focussing rather too much on the sexual conquest of the teenage narrator. It was a real shame as it let down a strong book.

However, I'd strongly recommend the book on the strength of the first two sections - which make up most of the novel. I'll also be planning to read the sequel which the inconclusive ending demands.

Serious, endearing and funny, but without the sentimentalist claptrap, 21 Jul 2008
A thoroughly captivating read that successfully marries 1970s real events - political and social - with a fictional coming of age story. It appals and delights with regular turns in plot, but crucially, always leaves you wishing you had more time to read the next chapter straight away.

As my first experience of Jonathan Coe I was enthralled by his wit and attention to detail. I am particularly pleased that none of the characters are overtly likeable, but the reader is left to enjoy the flow of watching events unfold. Often the reader is moved from third to first person narrative and at times it reads like a diary (indeed sometimes it is just that) or the thoughts in someone's head, whilst for the main part the story is told through narration.

A book of this nature is, inherently, a subjective story from the mind of the author so it is only a personal niggle that some loose ends are left untidy. I made my wife jump when I thumped the book down after the last page out of frustration; but I guess that just makes a great read. It's not often that I'm left with so many lasting impressions from a story set in the 1970s.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, but this has a worthy place on my recommendations list.


Refreshing, 01 May 2008
A very pleasant change to the normal '70s' format of grim up north poor kids struggling to survive on a run down council estate. The author has made a massive effort to intertwine fact and fiction making the rotters' club a believable and endearing read. looking forwards to reading more from Jonathan coe

Good but not his best, 25 Apr 2008
The central character in this book is odd, nothing really special about her, Coe often makes his characters fairly interesting but I'm guessing this is his first novel..

It's a good read, fairly sdlim book so it can be read within the week, but like all other Johnathan Coe's a slow start but once you get going, it's so brilliant you never want to stop reading, Not a patch on What a carve up but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his novell's - the guy really is a groundbreaker in literature.

Sent To Coventry, 10 Sep 2004
Oh for the anguish of inexpressible emotions. Oh for the ineluctable compulsion to write them down. Oh for the beautiful strangeness of a strange and beautiful world. Oh for the sovereign sense of self that can never be communicated. Oh for the earnest, solipsistic, self-importance of the over-educated twenty-somethings who write first novels about being miserable. Who can really do written justice to the huge complexity that goes with being human?

Well not the nameless narrator of this extremely amusing first novel, that's for sure. He makes a point of letting you know that he can't be bothered with any of that sort of thing. At all. Cheeky of him? After all, you've shelled out the readies and expect to be entertained. Why it's almost a fundamental human right. At any rate, I shouldn't be at all surprised if it becomes a New Labour manifesto commitment before long. It would secure that all important Waterstones demographic. But, irrelevant cliché coming up, we are jumping the gun, mixing our metaphors with all the abandon of a teenager left alone with your drinks cabinet.

Back to the narrator. I'd like to be able to tell you how funny he is. How worldly wise. How sensible. How attractively cynical. How downright witty. But I can't be bothered because my tea is going cold and there's someone at the door. Suffice to agree with another reviewer here that the narrator is the star of the story. His wry, mocking playful, world-weary tone can also be found in the works of Flann O'Brien. Joe's talking soul in the Third Policeman comes to mind.

And as for the title? Nothing as necessarily deep as some appear to think. Perhaps 'A Woman of No Importance' had already been taken. Who knows? Not me. I did the sciences. Anyway Miserable Maria, the cipher in this book, likes to listen to music a lot and has, it seems, been sent to Coventry. An 'accidental' is an out of sorts note, perhaps sharp, perhaps flat, that is not a part of the main key signature in a piece of music - but whose presence makes it more interesting. Maria is an accidental in the key of life.

Voila.

I don't get it., 03 Sep 2004
I am a big fan of this author. Like another reviewer I relish his narrative style; something which is seen in this book but is far more effective and less affected in later books.
In a lot of Coe's books you find characters that are difficult to like. "What a carve-up" is full of some of the most odious characters in English literature since Dickens. And you laugh out loud at how truly awful they are.
The problem with the central character in this book is that there really is nothing to like or dislike about her. It is as if someone has written a book of the life of the most boring person you have ever met. You know the one.....the person you see in the street and pretend you are too busy to talk to....because they truly have nothing to say. Perhaps the author picked the most neutral subject matter available to show what a wonderfully clever writer he is; and he really is very good.
This was the author's first novel and the gratifying news is that he gets much, much better. Coe is at his best when he is not trying to be too clever because he is, first and foremost, a consumate tale teller.

Another great book by Jonathan Coe!, 19 Jan 2004
Despite its subject matter, the real star of this book is the narrator. With Maria's story veering from one vagary to the next, and essentially not providing many interesting plot twists it is up to the narrator to add some panache, which he does very well. Maria's tale is almost secondary to the way it is descibed, with a knowingly un-clichéd use of clichés and self-conscious ramblings. All of which make it very amusing, and a book which works on more than one level.

A confident, dark debut, 17 Dec 2003
This is Coe's debut novel, and is remarkable for the confidence it displays. To parody the occasionally appalling writing that one finds in debuts is one thing, but to do it in your own first work is bordering on the arrogant.

Coe pulls it off, of course, by virtue of his ability to make the tale of a, frankly, quite irritating woman both touching and in parts hilarious. I find it remarkable that the two previous reviewers of this book haven't mentioned the humour - in Coe's down to earth style, the freaks and oddities that make up the population of England are all out in force, and marvellously observed.

Good stuff, this.

Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

a tale of growing up in the 1970's Midlands, 21 Sep 2008
The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.

The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.


Worthwhile even if you weren't around in the 70s, 17 Aug 2008
As someone who wasn't even born in the 70's, I'd avoided this book initially thinking I'd find little to relate to in it. Luckily I changed my mind as I'd been denying myself an enjoyable read. Although it would probably be particularly enjoyed by someone who has first hand memories of 1970s Britain, younger readers should not be put off.

It's a story mostly - though not exclusively, about adolescents, but it's most definitely aimed at an adult readership. Mostly well written and easy to read, Coe does a great job at combining humour with tragedy, never letting the former cheapen the latter. This novel had far more depth than I'd expected and does a splendid job of capturing the essence of both a decade and of the universal experience of adolescence.

The only real disappointment came in the final section, which is devoted to a single sentence stream of consciousness style monologue by one of the central characters. No matter how good the author, this is a technique I really dislike, always feeling like being beaten over the head with text. There was a good reason why the full stop was invented! It didn't even have interesting subject matter, focussing rather too much on the sexual conquest of the teenage narrator. It was a real shame as it let down a strong book.

However, I'd strongly recommend the book on the strength of the first two sections - which make up most of the novel. I'll also be planning to read the sequel which the inconclusive ending demands.

Serious, endearing and funny, but without the sentimentalist claptrap, 21 Jul 2008
A thoroughly captivating read that successfully marries 1970s real events - political and social - with a fictional coming of age story. It appals and delights with regular turns in plot, but crucially, always leaves you wishing you had more time to read the next chapter straight away.

As my first experience of Jonathan Coe I was enthralled by his wit and attention to detail. I am particularly pleased that none of the characters are overtly likeable, but the reader is left to enjoy the flow of watching events unfold. Often the reader is moved from third to first person narrative and at times it reads like a diary (indeed sometimes it is just that) or the thoughts in someone's head, whilst for the main part the story is told through narration.

A book of this nature is, inherently, a subjective story from the mind of the author so it is only a personal niggle that some loose ends are left untidy. I made my wife jump when I thumped the book down after the last page out of frustration; but I guess that just makes a great read. It's not often that I'm left with so many lasting impressions from a story set in the 1970s.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, but this has a worthy place on my recommendations list.


Refreshing, 01 May 2008
A very pleasant change to the normal '70s' format of grim up north poor kids struggling to survive on a run down council estate. The author has made a massive effort to intertwine fact and fiction making the rotters' club a believable and endearing read. looking forwards to reading more from Jonathan coe

Good but not his best, 25 Apr 2008
The central character in this book is odd, nothing really special about her, Coe often makes his characters fairly interesting but I'm guessing this is his first novel..

It's a good read, fairly sdlim book so it can be read within the week, but like all other Johnathan Coe's a slow start but once you get going, it's so brilliant you never want to stop reading, Not a patch on What a carve up but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his novell's - the guy really is a groundbreaker in literature.

Sent To Coventry, 10 Sep 2004
Oh for the anguish of inexpressible emotions. Oh for the ineluctable compulsion to write them down. Oh for the beautiful strangeness of a strange and beautiful world. Oh for the sovereign sense of self that can never be communicated. Oh for the earnest, solipsistic, self-importance of the over-educated twenty-somethings who write first novels about being miserable. Who can really do written justice to the huge complexity that goes with being human?

Well not the nameless narrator of this extremely amusing first novel, that's for sure. He makes a point of letting you know that he can't be bothered with any of that sort of thing. At all. Cheeky of him? After all, you've shelled out the readies and expect to be entertained. Why it's almost a fundamental human right. At any rate, I shouldn't be at all surprised if it becomes a New Labour manifesto commitment before long. It would secure that all important Waterstones demographic. But, irrelevant cliché coming up, we are jumping the gun, mixing our metaphors with all the abandon of a teenager left alone with your drinks cabinet.

Back to the narrator. I'd like to be able to tell you how funny he is. How worldly wise. How sensible. How attractively cynical. How downright witty. But I can't be bothered because my tea is going cold and there's someone at the door. Suffice to agree with another reviewer here that the narrator is the star of the story. His wry, mocking playful, world-weary tone can also be found in the works of Flann O'Brien. Joe's talking soul in the Third Policeman comes to mind.

And as for the title? Nothing as necessarily deep as some appear to think. Perhaps 'A Woman of No Importance' had already been taken. Who knows? Not me. I did the sciences. Anyway Miserable Maria, the cipher in this book, likes to listen to music a lot and has, it seems, been sent to Coventry. An 'accidental' is an out of sorts note, perhaps sharp, perhaps flat, that is not a part of the main key signature in a piece of music - but whose presence makes it more interesting. Maria is an accidental in the key of life.

Voila.

I don't get it., 03 Sep 2004
I am a big fan of this author. Like another reviewer I relish his narrative style; something which is seen in this book but is far more effective and less affected in later books.
In a lot of Coe's books you find characters that are difficult to like. "What a carve-up" is full of some of the most odious characters in English literature since Dickens. And you laugh out loud at how truly awful they are.
The problem with the central character in this book is that there really is nothing to like or dislike about her. It is as if someone has written a book of the life of the most boring person you have ever met. You know the one.....the person you see in the street and pretend you are too busy to talk to....because they truly have nothing to say. Perhaps the author picked the most neutral subject matter available to show what a wonderfully clever writer he is; and he really is very good.
This was the author's first novel and the gratifying news is that he gets much, much better. Coe is at his best when he is not trying to be too clever because he is, first and foremost, a consumate tale teller.

Another great book by Jonathan Coe!, 19 Jan 2004
Despite its subject matter, the real star of this book is the narrator. With Maria's story veering from one vagary to the next, and essentially not providing many interesting plot twists it is up to the narrator to add some panache, which he does very well. Maria's tale is almost secondary to the way it is descibed, with a knowingly un-clichéd use of clichés and self-conscious ramblings. All of which make it very amusing, and a book which works on more than one level.

A confident, dark debut, 17 Dec 2003
This is Coe's debut novel, and is remarkable for the confidence it displays. To parody the occasionally appalling writing that one finds in debuts is one thing, but to do it in your own first work is bordering on the arrogant.

Coe pulls it off, of course, by virtue of his ability to make the tale of a, frankly, quite irritating woman both touching and in parts hilarious. I find it remarkable that the two previous reviewers of this book haven't mentioned the humour - in Coe's down to earth style, the freaks and oddities that make up the population of England are all out in force, and marvellously observed.

Good stuff, this.

Pulp liberal, 23 Jun 2008
My main problem with this book was that it panders to my own left wing Yogurt weaving prejudices about 'the man' in very obvious way. For example the obviously Tory evil doctor has more akin to a private Eye cartoon character than even the worst Thatcher period minister. Please, Please, please, Mr Coe;
can we have some believable evil right wing villians to hate. That is if your not really a computer designed to cut and paste plots and characters
for the Guardian reading (me included), right on demographic to slobber over.

Might work better as a mini series on BBC two though.


Some really dark moments, 23 Oct 2007
Brilliantly constructed follow-up to What a Carve Up! A group of students share a house in the early 1980s and despite their intense impact on one another they appear to go their separate ways. But things are not that simple and their paths will cross again. The whole book is suffused with theories of sleep and dreams which are in themselves fascinating even if we don't know how much of the information given has any real scientific background.

Alternate chapters recount the story from the 1980s and from June 1996. The student house becomes a private clinic specializing in sleep disorders run by the ghastly Gregory who was Sarah's sadistic lover in student days. Terry, a friend of Sarah's, arrives as a patient and is surprised that Gregory's assistant Cleo reminds him of Robert and wonders if she could be his sister.

Lots of very funny bits but with some really dark moments. The whole structure is all very cleverly worked out - it propels the reader (well, me anyway) along as you really want to know how everything turns out.

House Of Sleep, 03 Oct 2007
This book improves the further you read - I found the initial chapters a little hard going. However, I was gripped by the end and enjoyed the twists in the latter part.

Memorable book, 28 May 2007
I say this book is memorable but I seem to have forgotten large chunks of it - well, I have slept a lot since I read it. It's set in a sleep clinic and it collects the stories of various characters. I thought it was an original idea for a novel and it is very entertaining and moving too. Excellent book. I wish life was long enough to re read books; if it were, this is one I'd re read.

bravo, 10 Feb 2007
i was entertained educated amused..... contains everythng a good novel should.. it made me wistful for my student days...
i would love to visit the cafe/book shop that the chactors inhibt..
well worth reading ...
a gem

Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

a tale of growing up in the 1970's Midlands, 21 Sep 2008
The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.

The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.


Worthwhile even if you weren't around in the 70s, 17 Aug 2008
As someone who wasn't even born in the 70's, I'd avoided this book initially thinking I'd find little to relate to in it. Luckily I changed my mind as I'd been denying myself an enjoyable read. Although it would probably be particularly enjoyed by someone who has first hand memories of 1970s Britain, younger readers should not be put off.

It's a story mostly - though not exclusively, about adolescents, but it's most definitely aimed at an adult readership. Mostly well written and easy to read, Coe does a great job at combining humour with tragedy, never letting the former cheapen the latter. This novel had far more depth than I'd expected and does a splendid job of capturing the essence of both a decade and of the universal experience of adolescence.

The only real disappointment came in the final section, which is devoted to a single sentence stream of consciousness style monologue by one of the central characters. No matter how good the author, this is a technique I really dislike, always feeling like being beaten over the head with text. There was a good reason why the full stop was invented! It didn't even have interesting subject matter, focussing rather too much on the sexual conquest of the teenage narrator. It was a real shame as it let down a strong book.

However, I'd strongly recommend the book on the strength of the first two sections - which make up most of the novel. I'll also be planning to read the sequel which the inconclusive ending demands.

Serious, endearing and funny, but without the sentimentalist claptrap, 21 Jul 2008
A thoroughly captivating read that successfully marries 1970s real events - political and social - with a fictional coming of age story. It appals and delights with regular turns in plot, but crucially, always leaves you wishing you had more time to read the next chapter straight away.

As my first experience of Jonathan Coe I was enthralled by his wit and attention to detail. I am particularly pleased that none of the characters are overtly likeable, but the reader is left to enjoy the flow of watching events unfold. Often the reader is moved from third to first person narrative and at times it reads like a diary (indeed sometimes it is just that) or the thoughts in someone's head, whilst for the main part the story is told through narration.

A book of this nature is, inherently, a subjective story from the mind of the author so it is only a personal niggle that some loose ends are left untidy. I made my wife jump when I thumped the book down after the last page out of frustration; but I guess that just makes a great read. It's not often that I'm left with so many lasting impressions from a story set in the 1970s.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, but this has a worthy place on my recommendations list.


Refreshing, 01 May 2008
A very pleasant change to the normal '70s' format of grim up north poor kids struggling to survive on a run down council estate. The author has made a massive effort to intertwine fact and fiction making the rotters' club a believable and endearing read. looking forwards to reading more from Jonathan coe

Good but not his best, 25 Apr 2008
The central character in this book is odd, nothing really special about her, Coe often makes his characters fairly interesting but I'm guessing this is his first novel..

It's a good read, fairly sdlim book so it can be read within the week, but like all other Johnathan Coe's a slow start but once you get going, it's so brilliant you never want to stop reading, Not a patch on What a carve up but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his novell's - the guy really is a groundbreaker in literature.

Sent To Coventry, 10 Sep 2004
Oh for the anguish of inexpressible emotions. Oh for the ineluctable compulsion to write them down. Oh for the beautiful strangeness of a strange and beautiful world. Oh for the sovereign sense of self that can never be communicated. Oh for the earnest, solipsistic, self-importance of the over-educated twenty-somethings who write first novels about being miserable. Who can really do written justice to the huge complexity that goes with being human?

Well not the nameless narrator of this extremely amusing first novel, that's for sure. He makes a point of letting you know that he can't be bothered with any of that sort of thing. At all. Cheeky of him? After all, you've shelled out the readies and expect to be entertained. Why it's almost a fundamental human right. At any rate, I shouldn't be at all surprised if it becomes a New Labour manifesto commitment before long. It would secure that all important Waterstones demographic. But, irrelevant cliché coming up, we are jumping the gun, mixing our metaphors with all the abandon of a teenager left alone with your drinks cabinet.

Back to the narrator. I'd like to be able to tell you how funny he is. How worldly wise. How sensible. How attractively cynical. How downright witty. But I can't be bothered because my tea is going cold and there's someone at the door. Suffice to agree with another reviewer here that the narrator is the star of the story. His wry, mocking playful, world-weary tone can also be found in the works of Flann O'Brien. Joe's talking soul in the Third Policeman comes to mind.

And as for the title? Nothing as necessarily deep as some appear to think. Perhaps 'A Woman of No Importance' had already been taken. Who knows? Not me. I did the sciences. Anyway Miserable Maria, the cipher in this book, likes to listen to music a lot and has, it seems, been sent to Coventry. An 'accidental' is an out of sorts note, perhaps sharp, perhaps flat, that is not a part of the main key signature in a piece of music - but whose presence makes it more interesting. Maria is an accidental in the key of life.

Voila.

I don't get it., 03 Sep 2004
I am a big fan of this author. Like another reviewer I relish his narrative style; something which is seen in this book but is far more effective and less affected in later books.
In a lot of Coe's books you find characters that are difficult to like. "What a carve-up" is full of some of the most odious characters in English literature since Dickens. And you laugh out loud at how truly awful they are.
The problem with the central character in this book is that there really is nothing to like or dislike about her. It is as if someone has written a book of the life of the most boring person you have ever met. You know the one.....the person you see in the street and pretend you are too busy to talk to....because they truly have nothing to say. Perhaps the author picked the most neutral subject matter available to show what a wonderfully clever writer he is; and he really is very good.
This was the author's first novel and the gratifying news is that he gets much, much better. Coe is at his best when he is not trying to be too clever because he is, first and foremost, a consumate tale teller.

Another great book by Jonathan Coe!, 19 Jan 2004
Despite its subject matter, the real star of this book is the narrator. With Maria's story veering from one vagary to the next, and essentially not providing many interesting plot twists it is up to the narrator to add some panache, which he does very well. Maria's tale is almost secondary to the way it is descibed, with a knowingly un-clichéd use of clichés and self-conscious ramblings. All of which make it very amusing, and a book which works on more than one level.

A confident, dark debut, 17 Dec 2003
This is Coe's debut novel, and is remarkable for the confidence it displays. To parody the occasionally appalling writing that one finds in debuts is one thing, but to do it in your own first work is bordering on the arrogant.

Coe pulls it off, of course, by virtue of his ability to make the tale of a, frankly, quite irritating woman both touching and in parts hilarious. I find it remarkable that the two previous reviewers of this book haven't mentioned the humour - in Coe's down to earth style, the freaks and oddities that make up the population of England are all out in force, and marvellously observed.

Good stuff, this.

Pulp liberal, 23 Jun 2008
My main problem with this book was that it panders to my own left wing Yogurt weaving prejudices about 'the man' in very obvious way. For example the obviously Tory evil doctor has more akin to a private Eye cartoon character than even the worst Thatcher period minister. Please, Please, please, Mr Coe;
can we have some believable evil right wing villians to hate. That is if your not really a computer designed to cut and paste plots and characters
for the Guardian reading (me included), right on demographic to slobber over.

Might work better as a mini series on BBC two though.


Some really dark moments, 23 Oct 2007
Brilliantly constructed follow-up to What a Carve Up! A group of students share a house in the early 1980s and despite their intense impact on one another they appear to go their separate ways. But things are not that simple and their paths will cross again. The whole book is suffused with theories of sleep and dreams which are in themselves fascinating even if we don't know how much of the information given has any real scientific background.

Alternate chapters recount the story from the 1980s and from June 1996. The student house becomes a private clinic specializing in sleep disorders run by the ghastly Gregory who was Sarah's sadistic lover in student days. Terry, a friend of Sarah's, arrives as a patient and is surprised that Gregory's assistant Cleo reminds him of Robert and wonders if she could be his sister.

Lots of very funny bits but with some really dark moments. The whole structure is all very cleverly worked out - it propels the reader (well, me anyway) along as you really want to know how everything turns out.

House Of Sleep, 03 Oct 2007
This book improves the further you read - I found the initial chapters a little hard going. However, I was gripped by the end and enjoyed the twists in the latter part.

Memorable book, 28 May 2007
I say this book is memorable but I seem to have forgotten large chunks of it - well, I have slept a lot since I read it. It's set in a sleep clinic and it collects the stories of various characters. I thought it was an original idea for a novel and it is very entertaining and moving too. Excellent book. I wish life was long enough to re read books; if it were, this is one I'd re read.

bravo, 10 Feb 2007
i was entertained educated amused..... contains everythng a good novel should.. it made me wistful for my student days...
i would love to visit the cafe/book shop that the chactors inhibt..
well worth reading ...
a gem

Closing and opening, 10 Oct 2008
Open and closed circles are recurring motifs throughout the book. They include the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire, the recurring full moon and `the bubbles of self-absorption' in which most characters are trapped. All the characters need circles that are neither so closed you can't grow nor so open you are frozen by your freedom. They need such circles, yes, but basically can't find, make or sustain them.

A novel is a kind of circle. Like a life or an organisation it has to avoid being so tight and tidy that it closes its eyes to chaos, randomness and coincidence. At the same time its sense of complexity, contingency and incompleteness has to be expressed through a narrative that has a beginning and an end and a forward momentum between the two. How on earth, one wonders as one goes along with Coe's momentum, is he going to manage the last page? How can he make the book's ending both closed and open, both tight and incomplete?

For my own part, I found the last couple of pages both totally surprising and totally predictable - in a word, brilliant. As I put the book down, I wondered with longing whether I would have the good fortune to live long enough to know whether Coe decides one day to add a further volume to The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle. And I wondered what - if he does - I would have the good fortune to find out, in and through his company.


Good but not unflawed, 23 Aug 2008
Continuing the nostalgia-led theme of the Rotters Club into contemporary Britain was never going to be easy, but Jonathan Coe does a pretty good job. I couldn't help but feel disappointed with the direction that some of the characters went - sometimes things felt a bit contrived, hence the star knocked off.
Benjamin cuts a rather pathetic figure,unable to escape the past and his brother has become a Machiavellian New Labour sneak (is there any other kind of New Labour sneak?). Many of the other characters don't exactly carve out an Eden for themselves.
Lose ends are tied up, but perhaps not in a way which will sit easily with every reader.
One thing is for sure - to read this without having read the Rotters Club would be to rob yourself of a great experience. Why the publisher encourages this with a synopsis of the Rotters Club in the back pages is beyind me.
Well worth reading.

An enjoyable reading, 03 May 2008
I can understand that some people have been disappointed by this follow-up to 'The Rotters' Club', where far too many coincidences lead the characters' lives to interweave at every page. And I know how unreal are many of the answers given to misteries left open at the end of the previous book. But, despite all that, I did really enjoy this novel, and I think that, after all, this kind of unrealistic atmosphere is part of Coe's narrative style, take it or leave it. In the 'The Rotters' Club' it was not so present just because probably he was sparing himself for this sequel.

So, if you like unveiled misteries, stop at 'The Rotters' Club'; but if you are left with too much curiosity, just take the "risk" and enjoy the reading!

The Closed Circle, 14 Dec 2007
The Closed Circle is the first Jonathan Coe I've read. I know that some people don't rate The Closed Circle as highly as its predecessor. However, having come to it with no knowledge of The Rotters' Club (I missed the TV series as well as having not read the book), I still enjoyed The Closed Circle a great deal.

I found that I believed in most of the characters. In particular, the venal, selfish Paul Trotter, New Labour MP, strutted out of the page in his dapper designer suit and cocky expression , almost reducing me to hissing 'boo' every time he appeared. Benjamin was also convincing to me as Paul's marginally less self-centred but more dreamy, creative and angst-ridden older brother.

I found it less easy to believe that someone as beautiful and bright as Malvina would fall for the person she falls for, but once I found out that she was damaged and vulnerable, this became more understandable.

I loved the way Coe describes the politics of the time. He paints such an accurate picture of New Labour, with their good intentions but mass of contradictions. In particular, I found the character of Michael Usborne a brilliant invention. Without preaching to the reader or getting on a soapbox, Coe sharply depicts the way CEOs of private companies put profit before all other considerations, both in terms of human cost and safety. The way in which Coe mischievously sketches the fact that the inevitable 'disgrace' befalling failed CEOs is gilded with retirement/compensation payments of millions is nothing short of comic genius.

The only part of the novel I wasn't overtly keen on was the shock revelation at the end. Up until then, I had admired the way that Coe limited the number of implausible coincidences. (There had been a chance encounter in Berlin between two major characters, but that was within the realms of possibility.) The shocker at the end is also possible, of course, but I never understand why novelists feel the urge to tie up loose ends and link all their characters together quite so neatly. Real life is never that tidy.

Still, a great read. ****0 1/2

Put down your copy of the Independent and make your way quietly to the nearest exit..., 21 Jul 2006
Oh dear! I really enjoyed the Rotters' Club but this one left me cold. Apart from the fact that all the characters were given personality transplants, really how many cliches about politics can you cram into one novel? Admittedly it's not as bad as Sue Townsend's "Number Ten", a truely woeful caricature of eeeeevil politicians and smarmy special advisors, but it's close.

Yes, I am sure that many of the left-wing latte sippers who berate the Government from their expensive pads in North London might like it but really this reads to me as nothing more than a protracted and impotent scream of rage of a middle aged hippy who has never come to terms with the fact that politics can occasionally be a nasty business.

And the twist was so bloody obvious as well that it may as well have been signposted from the first page and as for Michael's dramatic "choice" and how he responded to it....ARGH! A more utterly nauseating conclusion couldn't have been dreamt up in the most awful "chick lit" novel.

My advice is - give this book a wide berth and don't let it poison your perspective on the wonderful Rotters Club.

Highly disappointing, 25 Sep 2008
More than two thirds into the story,Rosamond the woman who tells the story in the book begins a chapter with the following words:
"Thank goodness! I am growing tired of this story, and you must be exhausted,listening to me chatter on for hours on end. (....) It will be over now,all over , very soon.A relief all round ,I am sure."
There is not much to add really , this is exactly how I felt after 200 pages - rarely have I witnesed a more contrived story and as little character development as in this book .
As a great admirer of Coe's previous work I can only advise readers to stay away from this one and read any other of his books which are all great (especially House of sleep,The rotter's club and What a carve up).

A little contrived for my taste, 18 Sep 2008
The story told here is moderately interesting, rather than page-turningly exciting, and I found the device of the old lady telling it, prompted by a series of photos, somewhat contrived and unconvincing. Perhaps it is because the point of view is limited - it's effectively told in the first person - and because it 'tells rather than shows'. The story is topped and tailed by a description of Gill, the recipient of the tapes, listening to them with her own daughters, and there is a brief interval featuring them, too. To start with I had hopes of interesting links being made between the tale told and the current day, but this was not to be; all there is at the end is Gill having a rather feeble glimpse of a pattern in things... I got to the end and felt it was all a bit 'so what?'.

A photographic story, 11 Sep 2008
The best thing about this novel is its layout: we start with a chapter or so of background, narrated in the third person, and then move onto a series of tapes left by a childless aunt by way of explaining the family background to a younger relative who cannot to be traced. Each section of the tale is hung off a photograph, described in detail by the late aunt (as her intended listener is blind). We, of course, can't see these photos, but neither can the family members who are listening in (they haven't unearthed them yet). Midway through, we come up for air with a bit more third-person narration, and we get a little more of this at the end too, to sew things up.

So much for the device by which the tale was told. Was the tale any good? Not bad, but not brilliant. Some of the characters were intriguing and quite compelling, and some of the writing should carry you effortlessly along, but I felt that the ending was a bit too tidy to be convincing.

By the way, can anyone explain why disabled people in literature are mostly either horrendous monsters (Clifford Chatterley, Blind Pew) or saints/sacrificial victims (Tiny Tim, for example, and that chap in `The Time Traveller's Wife' who loses his legs and promptly snuffs it)? Suffice it to say that Mr. Coe falls bang into this particular trap, and I'm not impressed.


Evocative and well crafted..., 26 Aug 2008
Having previously read "What A Carve Up!" and "The House Of Sleep", I expected Jonathan Coe's latest to be more quality fiction laced with his slightly mischievous, surreal edge.

So, that "Before The Rain Falls" is a more traditional, straightforward (although no less memorable) book came initially as a bit of a shock. Still, I found it a moving and enjoyable novel. The switch from first to third person narratively is handled deftly throughout and, without wishing to give anything away, using a series of old photographs to unfold the narrative was a slightly teasing, but very clever, plot device. For anyone who has looked through an old photograph album that has laid dormant for several years, you know how the feeling of nostalgia and memory over takes you - and he replicates that feeling well here.

I've always found Coe an unusual, but always interesting and entertaining writer and "Before The Rain Falls" is well worth a read.

Disappointing male stereo types were not up to the job, 05 Aug 2008
J Coe is male but he is hard on his own sex - the men in this book are not the best. Perhaps one or two are ok types but they lie low. The big secret of Rosamund is not so very shocking and the only thing slightly iffy is whether she did did do what Beatrix thought she saw her do.. Ungrateful, damaged, hard and frightening women abound, luckily slightly to the left of the Executrice herself. A multi layered story that was worth the telling with plenty of delightful period detail to set the scenes. Satisfying and enjoyable, the dissection of various mother / daughter relationships was worth the trouble. The setting out of their feelings was accepting and understanding. I went on thinking about it all afterwards (read it overnight) and will read it again less hurriedly to enjoy the writing.

a tale of growing up in the 1970's Midlands, 21 Sep 2008
The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.

The first part of this book read like the Golden Years, a description of childhood through rose-tinted spectacles that all of us could wear about growing up decades ago. But this part is brought to a close with cataclysmic events that bring to the story closer to current life. The book then develops depths that I hadn't expected initially, combining a dark humour with the tragedy that made this a more stimulating read. Some of the deep divisions in 1970's society and the collapsing hierarchy are seen through an adolescent's eyes, that tarnish the initial golden years.

This is a mixture of observation of family life combined with commentary on a particular period of British history. The book builds some surprises and tells the story well. The only serious flaw is the third part of the book, which is a stream-of-consciousness download of thoughts around the plot. This fails to add any relevant detail, and merely reflects on events form the fictional main character. This creates a painfully slow means to finish the book.


Worthwhile even if you weren't around in the 70s, 17 Aug 2008
As someone who wasn't even born in the 70's, I'd avoided this book initially thinking I'd find little to relate to in it. Luckily I changed my mind as I'd been denying myself an enjoyable read. Although it would probably be particularly enjoyed by someone who has first hand memories of 1970s Britain, younger readers should not be put off.

It's a story mostly - though not exclusively, about adolescents, but it's most definitely aimed at an adult readership. Mostly well written and easy to read, Coe does a great job at combining humour with tragedy, never letting the former cheapen the latter. This novel had far more depth than I'd expected and does a splendid job of capturing the essence of both a decade and of the universal experience of adolescence.

The only real disappointment came in the final section, which is devoted to a single sentence stream of consciousness style monologue by one of the central characters. No matter how good the author, this is a technique I really dislike, always feeling like being beaten over the head with text. There was a good reason why the full stop was invented! It didn't even have interesting subject matter, focussing rather too much on the sexual conquest of the teenage narrator. It was a real shame as it let down a strong book.

However, I'd strongly recommend the book on the strength of the first two sections - which make up most of the novel. I'll also be planning to read the sequel which the inconclusive ending demands.

Serious, endearing and funny, but without the sentimentalist claptrap, 21 Jul 2008
A thoroughly captivating read that successfully marries 1970s real events - political and social - with a fictional coming of age story. It appals and delights with regular turns in plot, but crucially, always leaves you wishing you had more time to read the next chapter straight away.

As my first experience of Jonathan Coe I was enthralled by his wit and attention to detail. I am particularly pleased that none of the characters are overtly likeable, but the reader is left to enjoy the flow of watching events unfold. Often the reader is moved from third to first person narrative and at times it reads like a diary (indeed sometimes it is just that) or the thoughts in someone's head, whilst for the main part the story is told through narration.

A book of this nature is, inherently, a subjective story from the mind of the author so it is only a personal niggle that some loose ends are left untidy. I made my wife jump when I thumped the book down after the last page out of frustration; but I guess that just makes a great read. It's not often that I'm left with so many lasting impressions from a story set in the 1970s.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, but this has a worthy place on my recommendations list.


Refreshing, 01 May 2008
A very pleasant change to the normal '70s' format of grim up north poor kids struggling to survive on a run down council estate. The author has made a massive effort to intertwine fact and fiction making the rotters' club a believable and endearing read. looking forwards to reading more from Jonathan coe

Good but not his best, 25 Apr 2008
The central character in this book is odd, nothing really special about her, Coe often makes his characters fairly interesting but I'm guessing this is his first novel..

It's a good read, fairly sdlim book so it can be read within the week, but like all other Johnathan Coe's a slow start but once you get going, it's so brilliant you never want to stop reading, Not a patch on What a carve up but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his novell's - the guy really is a groundbreaker in literature.

Sent To Coventry, 10 Sep 2004
Oh for the anguish of inexpressible emotions. Oh for the ineluctable compulsion to write them down. Oh for the beautiful strangeness of a strange and beautiful world. Oh for the sovereign sense of self that can never be communicated. Oh for the earnest, solipsistic, self-importance of the over-educated twenty-somethings who write first novels about being miserable. Who can really do written justice to the huge complexity that goes with being human?

Well not the nameless narrator of this extremely amusing first novel, that's for sure. He makes a point of letting you know that he can't be bothered with any of that sort of thing. At all. Cheeky of him? After all, you've shelled out the readies and expect to be entertained. Why it's almost a fundamental human right. At any rate, I shouldn't be at all surprised if it becomes a New Labour manifesto commitment before long. It would secure that all important Waterstones demographic. But, irrelevant cliché coming up, we are jumping the gun, mixing our metaphors with all the abandon of a teenager left alone with your drinks cabinet.

Back to the narrator. I'd like to be able to tell you how funny he is. How worldly wise. How sensible. How attractively cynical. How downright witty. But I can't be bothered because my tea is going cold and there's someone at the door. Suffice to agree with another reviewer here that the narrator is the star of the story. His wry, mocking playful, world-weary tone can also be found in the works of Flann O'Brien. Joe's talking soul in the Third Policeman comes to mind.

And as for the title? Nothing as necessarily deep as some appear to think. Perhaps 'A Woman of No Importance' had already been taken. Who knows? Not me. I did the sciences. Anyway Miserable Maria, the cipher in this book, likes to listen to music a lot and has, it seems, been sent to Coventry. An 'accidental' is an out of sorts note, perhaps sharp, perhaps flat, that is not a part of the main key signature in a piece of music - but whose presence makes it more interesting. Maria is an accidental in the key of life.

Voila.

I don't get it., 03 Sep 2004
I am a big fan of this author. Like another reviewer I relish his narrative style; something which is seen in this book but is far more effective and less affected in later books.
In a lot of Coe's books you find characters that are difficult to like. "What a carve-up" is full of some of the most odious characters in English literature since Dickens. And you laugh out loud at how truly awful they are.
The problem with the central character in this book is that there really is nothing to like or dislike about her. It is as if someone has written a book of the life of the most boring person you have ever met. You know the one.....the person you see in the street and pretend you are too busy to talk to....because they truly have nothing to say. Perhaps the author picked the most neutral subject matter available to show what a wonderfully clever writer he is; and he really is very good.
This was the author's first novel and the gratifying news is that he gets much, much better. Coe is at his best when he is not trying to be too clever because he is, first and foremost, a consumate tale teller.

Another great book by Jonathan Coe!, 19 Jan 2004
Despite its subject matter, the real star of this book is the narrator. With Maria's story veering from one vagary to the next, and essentially not providing many interesting plot twists it is up to the narrator to add some panache, which he does very well. Maria's tale is almost secondary to the way it is descibed, with a knowingly un-clichéd use of clichés and self-conscious ramblings. All of which make it very amusing, and a book which works on more than one level.

A confident, dark debut, 17 Dec 2003
This is Coe's debut novel, and is remarkable for the confidence it displays. To parody the occasionally appalling writing that one finds in debuts is one thing, but to do it in your own first work is bordering on the arrogant.

Coe pulls it off, of course, by virtue of his ability to make the tale of a, frankly, quite irritating woman both touching and in parts hilarious. I find it remarkable that the two previous reviewers of this book haven't mentioned the humour - in Coe's down to earth style, the freaks and oddities that make up the population of England are all out in force, and marvellously observed.

Good stuff, this.

Pulp liberal, 23 Jun 2008
My main problem with this book was that it panders to my own left wing Yogurt weaving prejudices about 'the man' in very obvious way. For example the obviously Tory evil doctor has more akin to a private Eye cartoon character than even the worst Thatcher period minister. Please, Please, please, Mr Coe;
can we have some believable evil right wing villians to hate. That is if your not really a computer designed to cut and paste plots and characters
for the Guardian reading (me included), right on demographic to slobber over.

Might work better as a mini series on BBC two though.


Some really dark moments, 23 Oct 2007
Brilliantly constructed follow-up to What a Carve Up! A group of students share a house in the early 1980s and despite their intense impact on one another they appear to go their separate ways. But things are not that simple and their paths will cross again. The whole book is suffused with theories of sleep and dreams which are in themselves fascinating even if we don't know how much of the information given has any real scientific background.

Alternate chapters recount the story from the 1980s and from June 1996. The student house becomes a private clinic specializing in sleep disorders run by the ghastly Gregory who was Sarah's sadistic lover in student days. Terry, a friend of Sarah's, arrives as a patient and is surprised that Gregory's assistant Cleo reminds him of Robert and wonders if she could be his sister.

Lots of very funny bits but with some really dark moments. The whole structure is all very cleverly worked out - it propels the reader (well, me anyway) along as you really want to know how everything turns out.

House Of Sleep, 03 Oct 2007
This book improves the further you read - I found the initial chapters a little hard going. However, I was gripped by the end and enjoyed the twists in the latter part.

Memorable book, 28 May 2007
I say this book is memorable but I seem to have forgotten large chunks of it - well, I have slept a lot since I read it. It's set in a sleep clinic and it collects the stories of various characters. I thought it was an original idea for a novel and it is very entertaining and moving too. Excellent book. I wish life was long enough to re read books; if it were, this is one I'd re read.

bravo, 10 Feb 2007
i was entertained educated amused..... contains everythng a good novel should.. it made me wistful for my student days...
i would love to visit the cafe/book shop that the chactors inhibt..
well worth reading ...
a gem

Closing and opening, 10 Oct 2008
Open and closed circles are recurring motifs throughout the book. They include the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire, the recurring full moon and `the bubbles of self-absorption' in which most characters are trapped. All the characters need circles that are neither so closed you can't grow nor so open you are frozen by your freedom. They need such circles, yes, but basically can't find, make or sustain them.

A novel is a kind of circle. Like a life or an organisation it has to avoid being so tight and tidy that it closes its eyes to chaos, randomness and coincidence. At the same time its sense of complexity, contingency and incompleteness has to be expressed through a narrative that has a beginning and an end and a forward momentum between the two. How on earth, one wonders as one goes along with Coe's momentum, is he going to manage the last page? How can he make the book's ending both closed and open, both tight and incomplete?

For my own part, I found the last couple of pages both totally surprising and totally predictable - in a word, brilliant. As I put the book down, I wondered with longing whether I would have the good fortune to live long enough to know whether Coe decides one day to add a further volume to The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle. And I wondered what - if he does - I would have the good fortune to find out, in and through his company.


Good but not unflawed, 23 Aug 2008
Continuing the nostalgia-led theme of the Rotters Club into contemporary Britain was never going to be easy, but Jonathan Coe does a pretty good job. I couldn't help but feel disappointed with the direction that some of the characters went - sometimes things felt a bit contrived, hence the star knocked off.
Benjamin cuts a rather pathetic figure,unable to escape the past and his brother has become a Machiavellian New Labour sneak (is there any other kind of New Labour sneak?). Many of the other characters don't exactly carve out an Eden for themselves.
Lose ends are tied up, but perhaps not in a way which will sit easily with every reader.
One thing is for sure - to read this without having read the Rotters Club would be to rob yourself of a great experience. Why the publisher encourages this with a synopsis of the Rotters Club in the back pages is beyind me.
Well worth reading.

An enjoyable reading, 03 May 2008
I can understand that some people have been disappointed by this follow-up to 'The Rotters' Club', where far too many coincidences lead the characters' lives to interweave at every page. And I know how unreal are many of the answers given to misteries left open at the end of the previous book. But, despite all that, I did really enjoy this novel, and I think that, after all, this kind of unrealistic atmosphere is part of Coe's narrative style, take it or leave it. In the 'The Rotters' Club' it was not so present just because probably he was sparing himself for this sequel.

So, if you like unveiled misteries, stop at 'The Rotters' Club'; but if you are left with too much curiosity, just take the "risk" and enjoy the reading!

The Closed Circle, 14 Dec 2007
The Closed Circle is the first Jonathan Coe I've read. I know that some people don't rate The Closed Circle as highly as its predecessor. However, having come to it with no knowledge of The Rotters' Club (I missed the TV series as well as having not read the book), I still enjoyed The Closed Circle a great deal.

I found that I believed in most of the characters. In particular, the venal, selfish Paul Trotter, New Labour MP, strutted out of the page in his dapper designer suit and cocky expression , almost reducing me to hissing 'boo' every time he appeared. Benjamin was also convincing to me as Paul's marginally less self-centred but more dreamy, creative and angst-ridden older brother.

I found it less easy to believe that someone as beautiful and bright as Malvina would fall for the person she falls for, but once I found out that she was damaged and vulnerable, this became more understandable.

I loved the way Coe describes the politics of the time. He paints such an accurate picture of New Labour, with their good intentions but mass of contradictions. In particular, I found the character of Michael Usborne a brilliant invention. Without preaching to the reader or getting on a soapbox, Coe sharply depicts the way CEOs of private companies put profit before all other considerations, both in terms of human cost and safety. The way in which Coe mischievously sketches the fact that the inevitable 'disgrace' befalling failed CEOs is gilded with retirement/compensation payments of millions is nothing short of comic genius.

The only part of the novel I wasn't overtly keen on was the shock revelation at the end. Up until then, I had admired the way that Coe limited the number of implausible coincidences. (There had been a chance encounter in Berlin between two major characters, but that was within the realms of possibility.) The shocker at the end is also possible, of course, but I never understand why novelists feel the urge to tie up loose ends and link all their characters together quite so neatly. Real life is never that tidy.

Still, a great read. ****0 1/2

Put down your copy of the Independent and make your way quietly to the nearest exit..., 21 Jul 2006
Oh dear! I really enjoyed the Rotters' Club but this one left me cold. Apart from the fact that all the characters were given personality transplants, really how many cliches about politics can you cram into one novel? Admittedly it's not as bad as Sue Townsend's "Number Ten", a truely woeful caricature of eeeeevil politicians and smarmy special advisors, but it's close.

Yes, I am sure that many of the left-wing latte sippers who berate the Government from their expensive pads in North London might like it but really this reads to me as nothing more than a protracted and impotent scream of rage of a middle aged hippy who has never come to terms with the fact that politics can occasionally be a nasty business.

And the twist was so bloody obvious as well that it may as well have been signposted from the first page and as for Michael's dramatic "choice" and how he responded to it....ARGH! A more utterly nauseating conclusion couldn't have been dreamt up in the most awful "chick lit" novel.

My advice is - give this book a wide berth and don't let it poison your perspective on the wonderful Rotters Club.

Grand Guignol Satire, 16 Oct 2008
Having previously read "The Rotter's Club", I started reading this expecting it to be a novel in the same style and was startled by the change. The book veers between the every-day and poignant (in its description of Fiona's illness and the incompetence of the NHS) and the Grand Guignol satire of its finale. The plot is elaborate and has some well constructed twists which I didn't see coming and usually I spot them a mile off.

I am puzzled by the reviewers who say that this is not as book for Tories to read. Surely its targets of City whizz kids who destroy people's pensions, dodgy dealings with Iraq, art dealers obsessed with money and sex and a corrupt metropolitan clique who feel they have a right to rule are still there to be attacked? It stands as a critique of New Labour as well as Thatcherism.

A jolly good read!, 09 Aug 2008
Reviewer Ross is the best on this one. There are umpteen levels to this book and it is the nearest one will get to a modern English picaresque novel. I think some of the other reviewers have missed the point (even though they have given it 5 stars, rightly) perhaps they lack the necessary biro - it is meant to be cartoon like, didactic on a 6th form level, etc etc. It s meant to be Dickensian. This is one of the best novels I have read in years. Above all, it is very funny in an Evelyn Waugh kind of way (another touchstone in the novel); figuring out the levels and references is half the fun.

Interesting idea, 05 May 2008
On the whole i quite enjoyed this book but i did find it a bit long - the chapters that tell the narrator's story are the best because he is a real person with problems, whereas the other sections focus on increasingly despicable characters and are quite difficult to read, i refer particularly to the section about Dorothy - vegetarians be warned it does not make for comfortable reading.

the idea behind the text is interesting as Coe uses different forms of text to build up the story. I would definitely recommend it, if only for the last part which reads like a cheesy horror film - good fun though!

Surprisingly Good, 27 Mar 2008
I've read one other Jonathan Coe book, and was not impressed. However, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book immensely, despite the fact that I was prepared not to.

Coe's story surrounds the prota