Poor old Harry ! (Man and Boy - Tony Parsons)

Member Name: stickywicket

Product:	Man and Boy - Tony Parsons
Date:	03/03/02 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Damn good read!

Disadvantages: None

Harry Silver - the silly sod - has a one night stand and stuffs his life up ! Or does he ?

Married with the best looking child in England (or so it seems, but then we all think that don't we?)we are introduced to Harry's World of perfection, beautiful wife, good job and then he blows it.

Harry is introduced to us a sensitive sort of bloke, basically decent, perhaps a little selfish, but certainly a nice chap. As a series of events turns his world upside down relationships with his parents, and so - called friends are examined but the main axis for the book is Harry's relationships with his son, the beautiful Star Wars passionate, 5 year old Pat, and his own Dad, who resembles many a Grandfather....

Do you remember certain songs from your childhood? Flicking through the record collection of you parents looking at the album covers, trying to understand the artwork ? Tony Parsons does. He has Harry reminising about his childhood, a stable and happy one, Christmases with Aunts and Uncles, Bank Holidays sitting in traffic, coke and crisps in the pub garden. Harry wanted the same for his family.

The book starts off as a lightweight, but it certainly takes off, although certainly not getting too heavy, but not really 'lad's fiction either. I 've read critism that the female characters aren't developed enough, I have to disagree, if anything the male friends in Harry's world are underwritten - with the exception of his Dad. But thereagain without being sexist I guess that's what blokes are like in the time of their best mates 30 something crisis.

Hand's up here the last two chapters had me crying, and for a semi- lightweight read that's a little strange. But Tony Parsons has it, he has the approach, the build up the smack in the mouth and The End.

Excellent, loved it, will buy more !

Summary: