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Skios (2012)

by Michael Frayn(Favorite Author)

3.09 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0805095497 (ISBN13: 9780805095494)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Metropolitan Books

review 1: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only does it transport the reader to a sunny Island paradise but Frayn does farce brilliantly. It's possible to see the outcome of this story pretty much from chapter one, but that's the joy of farce; the reader is compelled to turn the pages by the joy of the story despite knowing full well that a metaphorical car crash is ensuing. A good read by a skilfull author with some genuinely funny parts.
review 2: This was my first ever experience of reading Michael Frayn's work and from reading other reviews on Amazon, it seems that I have started with not a typical work for him. However, I've got to say, I think I saw "Clockwise" in the list of his other works at the beginning of my copy, and this really did remind me of that fil... morem. There is a Basil Fawlty-ish freneticism which lapses into fatalism and despair in the way Dr Norman Wilfred deals with what is happening to him on the island of Skios. There's also a farcical quality to the events as they unfold, as well as, as another reviewer has pointed out, plenty of stereotypes which would transfer well to film, such as Russian Oligarch and his brassy younger wife, etc. However, going into it knowing nothing about it other than it has been longlisted for the Booker prize, I did really enjoy this for what it was - a short funny novel with lots of interest to keep the reader engaged. I found myself laughing quite a lot, not least at Dr Wilfred's self-conscious pomposity and Oliver Fox's awareness of the fact that matters would inevitably soon spiral out of control. This is a bit of light fluff which will keep you entertained - don't go looking for it to be anything smarter than that and you won't be disappointed. With this in view, I must agree with another Amazon reviewer who said this was "more beach than Booker" - I couldn't agree more. less

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