A Short Gentleman
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:5th Mar '09
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
'An English comic novel which is elegantly written, civilised and genuinely funny, there are smiles on almost every page. It never tumbles into farce, for it is a comedy of character, observation and tone' - Allan Massie, Scotsman
An intellectual giant but an emotional pygmy, Robert Purcell is a man struggling to come to terms with the forces that have brought him down, from the wife who wanted him to change, to the ex-girlfriend who came back to haunt him and the childhood bully who turned into an adult bully.
How did Robert Purcell, distinguished barrister and perfect specimen of the British Establishment, end up in prison? An intellectual giant but an emotional pygmy, Robert is a man struggling to come to terms with the forces that have brought him down, from the wife who wanted him to change, to the ex-girlfriend who came back to haunt him and the childhood bully who turned into an adult bully.
Despite everything, Robert remains the same magnificently self-righteous man he always was, utterly resistant to therapy, change and the emotional demands of the opposite sex.
He is arguably the finest comic novelist working in Britain today. Indeed, he may just be finest comic anything working in Britain right now... Canter's prose is achingly funny...it is also vital, acute, literary and oddly moving. -- James Kidd * Independent *
Brilliant, but for God's sake don't let this book fall into the hands of any women - if they find out what we're really like we'll never hear the end of it -- Charlie Higson
Canter is a sharp writer with a wickedly dry wit. His precise style is a joy to read, combining riotous humour and moments of genuine pathos * Metro *
This is light reading but deceptively so, offering deliciously well observed vignettes of the top legal set * Time Out *
Witty, accomplished and highly entertaining * Mail on Sunday *
Exhilarating...brilliantly plotted * New Statesman *
With great panache and assurance, Jon Canter lampoons the pretentions of England's top legal set...this comic tour de force. -- Emma Hagestadt * Independent *
Brilliantly witty * Arabella Weir *
Jon Canter projects a series of funny, sometimes hilarious, incidents in which the comedy is structured rather than slapstick, verging on the licentious but masterfully avoiding it * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780099492856
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 24mm
Weight: 266g
384 pages