Friends for life? (Friends Like These - Danny Wallace)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Friends Like These - Danny Wallace
Date:	04/10/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great book

Disadvantages: none

I have been a fan of Danny Wallace for quite a while now - ever since I read his collaboration with Dave Gorman on the book 'Are You Dave Gorman?' Since then Danny has gone on to write a number of books of his own, all based on mad boyish escapades which manage to take him to far flung places and sometimes land him in a bit of bother! His latest book that I have read - Friends like These - is written in the same vein, although it does have some quite thought provoking and poignant moments too.

As he writes this book, Danny is fast approaching his thirtieth birthday which seems to be causing him a bit of a crisis. Although he is happily married to Lizzie, they own their own home and he has an interesting career; there is something about this milestone that causes him a lot of angst. It is almost as if it symbolises the complete crossover into being a grown up and he is not at all sure that he wants to be one! Around this time, he also receives a parcel from his mum who has been having a bit of a clearout and the box he receives many mementoes from his childhood. Not least is a very special address book that contains the addresses of twelve of his best childhood friends - well thirteen actually if he includes the address of the Michael Jackson fan club!

This address book seems to act as a bit of a catalyst for Danny as he reflects on the good times from his childhood and wonders what his friends, who must also all be approaching thirty, are doing now. This leads him to trying to trace all of the twelve - a quest that he must complete by his thirtieth birthday which is only a few short months away! His wife Lizzie goes along with all of this but he has to earn 'man points' in order to go off and find them. Man points can be earned by completing all the 'grown up' jobs that need to be completed in their home.

The rest of the book chronicles Danny's quest to find all of his friends. Some are quite easy to find but others are a lot more difficult, but of course the internet is always there to help. There are some wild goose chases, there are one or two who are not quite sure whether they actually want to renew their acquaintance with Danny, and there is one trail that ends very sadly. (Unfortunately, I was reading this part of the book in a coffee bar outside my daughter's gymnastics class, and was very embarrassed to discover tears falling down my face!) On the whole though this is a very funny and uplifting book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Danny managed to track all of his friends down, even travelling as far as Australia, Japan and Los Angeles.

As you are reading, you do tend to get a little caught up in the 'thrill of the chase' and you find yourself willing him to find them all. There are some close moments when he literally only has a few hours before boarding a plane and he still hasn't found his friend. If you want to know whether he actually succeeds in his mission or not, you will have to read the book to find out!

I thought that this was a great book to read although just in a couple of places near the beginning I did find my attention wavering a little. I suppose there was quite a lot of preamble before he really gets going with his search, but it is definitely worth persevering with. I loved reading about the reactions of his friends which were generally really enthusiastic and you get the feeling that these would now be friendships renewed for life. As you read the book, you can't help wondering what some of your own long lost friends might be doing now and there is that temptation to do the same thing that Danny has done - not that I could afford to go jetting off around the world if I discovered friends in far flung places!

Overall, this is an excellent book to read especially if you appreciate Danny Wallace's madcap schemes. How much is truth and how much is embellishment does not really matter as this is a really engaging and thought provoking read.

It is currently available from Amazon for £4.94.

Summary: A very enjoyable read