Wilt - Tom Sharpe

I can express, without diffidence, that “Wilt” by Tom Sharpe is likely to be one of the funniest books you will ever read. Be careful – you may find yourself laughing audibly and annoyingly in public places; this should carry a health warning! Henry Wilt, an English literature lecturer who works in a sub-standard polytechnic where the average intellect of the Neanderthal-like pupils is that of an ape, is our bumbling hero! But bumbling only at the beginning, because he positively shines by the end! The story is as unbelievably believable as any you’re likely to read, and at times Henry Wilt’s cynicisms are actually ...  Read the complete review

~ ~ For any of you who have not yet had the pleasure of reading any work by author Tom Sharpe, this opinion may act as a sort of introduction. He is an author very much into farcical humour, a little in the style of P.G. Wodehouse, but much more up to date, and in my opinion, far funnier. ~ ~ This particular novel, Wilt, was in fact his fifth, and was first published in 1976. It is a story about an ordinary man in a very ordinary and humdrum day to day existence. Henry Wilt is an English teacher in a run of the mill polytechnic college, and is married to an equally ordinary wife, who constantly nags him and is always looking for ever more bizarre ...  Read the complete review

If you’ve seen the film, buy the book. If you’ve read the book, make sure you see the film. This is one of the funniest books you’ll ever read and an excellent film to boot. It’s as English as anything could ever be with the poor English Literature lecturer, Henry Wilt, bored with his job and wife fantasises. Fantasises about how to kill his overbearing wife and then decides to have a ‘dummy’ run. His wife goes missing at the same time, someone sees a ‘body’ and Wilt’s life is thrown into utter turmoil thereafter. The police are stupid, the American lesbian so American, the vicar a drunk and everything ...  Read the complete review

I was first introduced to the works of tom sharpe by way of Blot on the landscape on television,so seeing wilt on the shelf though i would give it a try. the book lasted all but one night and i didnt stop laughing until i turned that last page. Mr wilt has my every sympathy from his harpic obsessed wife, i would vertainly have bumped her off! His dealings with the police are quite hilarious, although having seen the film, i feel the book is a whole lot funnier and definately worth a read ...  Read the complete review