You'll fall over yourself to read this! (Falling sideways - Tom Holt)

Member Name: English Lady

Product:	Falling sideways - Tom Holt
Date:	11/12/02 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, original, great one liners

Disadvantages: challenging, confusing

I could hear my husband giggling; he was giggling in the toilet. I had heard him giggling in the bedroom, the computer room, the kitchen and the living room and I was starting to worry about him, thinking about calling out the guys in white coats to take him away, when I discovered why he was giggling. He was reading a Tom Holt book called ?Falling sideways? I was told I had to read it. He was so excited he needed someone to talk to about this, apparently amazing, book!


So once He?d finished I started reading and after a few pages I was hooked. If you like your books to be easy to read have a beginning, middle and end I really wouldn?t recommend this book to you. It goes off on all sorts of tangents and the storyline is never quite made clear, you just have to stumble along and hope you find enlightenment along the way!

The main character in this story is a 33-year-old computer geek named David Perkins. He is pretty much normal in everyway except for one tiny little thing. He?s in love with a painting. Well no not the actual painting (Even that might be going to far even for this book) but He is in love with the young lady depicted in the picture, Phillippa Levens. She?d been burnt at the stake accused of being a witch way back in the early 1600?s. David has gone back to the Art Gallery to see this portrait which he first saw when he was twelve and it was love at first sight back then. He?s back now, on his thirty third birthdays because they are selling some of this young girl?s hair at the local auction house and he?s determined to buy it.

What? You think this is pretty bizarre already? Oh dear because it only gets weirder from this point.

After buying this hair, David meets a few people who all look very similar and one in particular called Honest John, from ?Honest John?s house of clones?
Yes clones. David spots this place out of the corner of his eye quite by accident and ends up deciding to clone a new Phillipa Le
vens from the hair he?s got.

I really don?t want to go much further into the plot of this book as it really would spoil it for any one of you insane enough to be contemplating having a read for yourselves needless to say there are far more clones, multiple mentions of British Columbia, a bag of sugar, several run -ins with the police oh and then there?s the frogs. Confused? You will be!

Ok so this book is bizarre, it keeps twisting and turning, rather like my daughter when I want to change her nappy, you never know where its going. Why should you bother going to all that effort? Well one major reason is Tom Holt?s wonderful one liners

?If God had intended for us to use taxis he wouldn?t have authorised the devil to create London transport?

This book is jam packed with these little quips and they really are worth reading! Also you can spot if he uses your hometown in any of these , he even manages to get one in about my hometown of Stockport, I really was impressed!

Tom Holt?s imagery is another reason you should have a go at this twisted tale of cloning and frogs and star-crossed lovers. He uses the English language and manipulates it like an expert, taking you on a roller coaster ride of imaginative imagery, one liners and flowing narration.

If you are looking for a bit of a challenge that will have you laughing in every room of the house then this book is for you but if you are a fan of conventional reading then maybe you should avoid this book as it is likely to turn your brain to mush after a few short paragraphs!

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