Number Ten by Sue Townsend, 0140279415, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

Interesting idea and an enjoyable read.....

Without giving away too much, I think that the idea of politicians developing more empathy with the people over whose lives they have power is am extremely important one. I'm not sure if Sue Townsend meant to make a statement about the detachment of politicians but irrespective of this the book is very enjoyable and pretty funny in parts too. Worth a read.

Number Ten, a very enjoyable book

I had never read and enjoyed a book before this one, I thought books were boring and a waste of time. This book has totally overturned my view. The basic storyline is that the prime minister of England believes he has lost touch with the general public. He has recently received a lot of criticism from journalists, the paper and the average person. His wife with her very Controversial personality has also been in the paper with her very notorious comments, e.g. 'moles should be buried in a ceremony because they were part of a human's body.' the prime minister decides that he and a policeman he got to due to the policeman's shifts on the door of number ten. They take a one-week trip around Britain, in disguise, to find the views of the average brit. He turns out dreading the thought of going back to number ten and queries whether to quit his role of the leader of Britain. You can find out whether he quits or not by reading the book.

Number Ten

After Adrian Mole of course when you pick up a book by Sue Townsend you expect a masterpiece, unfortunately in picking up Number Ten, you get nowhere near this sort of quality.

Basically the book just isn't funny. I'm not a fan of farce anyway but this one was really quite puerile and almost childish. "Oh what a wheeze, let's dress the Prime Minister as a woman and have him tottering on high heels." "Let's call the Home Secretary John Hay instead of Jack Straw, that'll be a giggle won't it." Sorry it just doesn't work.

Also you have to question Townsend's motives for the book. Some might say, quite deservingly, Tony Blair (or Edward Clare as he's known in the book, guffaw guffaw!) needs taking down a peg or two, but the author doesn't supply any alternatives or suggests how things can be done differently. Surely if you're going to offer a criticism, even if you're trying to do it in comedy, you also offer the other side of the coin, something Townsend just doesn't deliver.

The book does have one or two poignant moments which are quite nice, but these are so thin on the ground and the juvenile comedy laid on so thick that these are quite lost. Add together some of the clumsiest stereotypes ever and really all that was missing was a good old toilet gag. Not good.

Number Ten

This book was a good read, it was a bit slow to start with but once it got going it was quite funny. Maybe not what I was expecting but not a dissapointment, although the ending was a bit of a let down.

Loved it!

I loved this book. It's relevant and very funny. A true proof that theBrits known how to humour their own kind.

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