True to Northumberland!
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I live very near to where Tom Sharpe sets this comic-Gothic extravaganza. Somewhat alarmingly, it is 'true' to the people who live in the area. The bleak, stark nature of both the countryside and, those characters that lived here during the 1960's and early 70's, is frighteningly accurate. They abide here still; but, due to the influence of television, 'in-comers' and a thin veneer of civilisation, they are not so readily apparent...but, just you dare to scratch the surface!
An old friend of mine recalls, as a young shepherd lad working way-up in the hills, he once encountered a lone 'walker' with whom he chatted for an hour. The 'walker' questioned him about local 'characters' and traditions. Said friend, Gordon, regaled him with various stories set in and around the Elsdon area ('England's unfinished nook')which appeared to delight the 'walker' and he, in turn, asked many, and searching questions.
The 'walker' also asked about the peculiar nature of our local reservoirs and water-courses, which are extensive and architecturally intriguing. He appeared to know rather more than did Gordon, to whom they were merely an accepted feature and seldom remarked upon.
Gordon, a natural story-teller, musician and artist; tall, well-built and generally something of an 'imposing' figure alround, is convinced that the man with whom he spent an idle hour, was indeed Tom Sharpe.....he further believes that he was the model for Sharpe's central character!
The foot-note to which being, Gordon so enjoyed this unexpected diversion from his otherwise lonely existence and, the intentness of his 'audience', that it determined for him another 'future' - he became a most gifted teacher.
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Disappointed
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I have loved and enjoyed all the Wilt books and thought this was another one just as good..wrong...!
It started off OK but very quickly went from amusing to really OTT verging on stupid and not like Wilt at all. I can't understand all the readers who found it funny and amusing....the songs and the poetry were OK once around but got to be boring very quickly..definitely wouldn't recommend it.
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One Third Extra Hound per Pound
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Tom Sharpe was born in London in 1928. He is perhaps best known for "Porterhouse Blue" and his Wilt series, both of which have been adapted for television. "The Throwback" is one of his standalone novels.
Lockhart Flawse has had a rather unusual upbringing. He was born in September 1956, in the shadow of a stone wall after his mother was thrown from her horse. Although he came through the labour alive - though, thanks to a patch of nettles, not entirely unscathed - his mother unfortunately didn't. This upset his grandfather, Edwin, somewhat - more so that she wasn't married and had steadfastly refused to name the boy's father. Lockhart was raised and educated entirely on his grandfather's estate. However, the lack of a birth certificate meant he didn't officially exist - his grandfather says he'll only register him when he knows who the father is. The education he received ensured he was an expert shot with excellent mental arithmetic and a high degree of fluency in Urdu, he knows somewhat less about human reproduction than his mother did.
Flawse the Elder is not an admirable character - it's entirely possible he was a close relation of Monty Burns. (He suffers from a nagging suspicion that he might be the Lockhart's father, as well as his grandfather - he's not entirely certain than a drunken encounter with the housekeeper wasn't a drunken encounter with someone else entirely). Unsurprisingly, he suffers from an acute superiority complex, enjoys hunting, fishing and shooting and - although he acknowledges that sex necessary for procreation - also takes the view that it's generally disgusting. However, when it comes to sex, he'll grasp every available opportunity to be disgusted.
Although Lockhart has had a very sheltered life, things change dramatically when he and his grandfather take a cruise. On-board, they meet the stunningly beautiful Jessica Sandicott and her widowed mother - naturally, the young couple fall head over heels in love and are swiftly married by the ship's captain. (This happens not only with the approval of their aged relatives, but practically at the insistence - they're both desperate to get rid of their dependents). However, as part of the negotiations, Edwin and Jessica's mother also wind up married. Mrs Sandicott is delighted, believing her new husband to be not only exceptionally rich, but also close to death. Unfortunately, it hasn't crossed her mind that she might be marrying someone at least as devious as she is : Edwin knows exactly what she is up to, and views her only as a housekeeper who will never need paying. On their return to England, the games the older pair play have all sorts of implications for the younger pair...and things turn a little dangerous when Edwin draws up his will. Luckily for the young couple, Lockhart proves to be every bit as devious as his grandfather. He can also rely on the help of Dodds, the gamekeeper at Flawse Hall, and two of his grandfather's old acquaintances: Dr Magrew and Mr Bullstrode, his solicitor.
A fast moving and occasionally daft book, though certainly funny and a very enjoyable read.
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Brillant
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I read this book for the first time on a train journey. I think the people in the place thought I was gone mad I laughed so much. When I came home, I gave the book to my late father who must have read it every year until his death, he actually broke the spine of the book. I consider the scene when the doctor asks him about Lockhart his sexual relations with his wife the funniest I have ever read. Buy the Book and weap!!!
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Tom Sharpe - The throwback
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I first read this book many years ago, and continue to re-visit it to this day - it is the funniest novel I have ever read.
The first time I read the chapter about the old army colonel & the french letter I was sitting on the train travelling home, and got very odd looks from my fellow commuters - you cannot help but laugh out loud at the absurd but plausible scene that unfolds in the Colonels bedroom.
On lending the book to family members & friends, it has never returned, causing me to be on my 8th or 9th copy - it is that popular.
I don't think anything Tom Sharpe has done before or since live up to the quality of this book - although some come close.
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