Alfie [Paperback]

Bill Naughton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2001

Alfie's not really a bad guy. It's just that he has this overwhelming desire for the ladies. You might say that birds are irresistible to him, sort of second nature. There's Ruby - A lust box in beautiful condition ; Clare - You're all lathered in sweat, Alfie ; and Siddie, and Crala, and Annie - but who's counting? Certainly not Alfie. Three in one evening if necessary. And necessary is the right word.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The classic novel of the cult movie starring Michael Caine as Alfie who isn't a bad guy, it's just that he has this overwhelming desire for the ladies. Three in one evening if necessary. And necessary is the right word.

About the Author

Bill Naughton was born in Ireland and raised in Bolton, eventually settling on the Isle of Man where, until his death in 1992, he lived with his wife Erna. Leaving school at fourteen, he became a weaver; later a coal-bagger and lorry driver. During the late 1950s he wrote a series of documentary dramas for the BBC. This was followed by various films and plays, including the immensely popular Spring and Port Wine , while his short stories and novels earned him the highest praise.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850317940
• ISBN-13: 978-0850317947
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,456,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bill Naughton's, Alfie., March 31, 2005

By 

Tasso del Medico (Oxford, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfie (Paperback)

I have read the book by Bill Naughton and seen both of the films and i think they are all very good. I thought the recent film starring Jude Law was unfairly criticised. Alfie is the story of a young womaniser who always thinks he has the best end of the deal, concerning his relationships with women. He loves his life, and he appears very happy and content. But what becomes apparent is that Alfie is quite a tragic and lonely character. He sums up the whole story himself when he says "without peace of mind, you have nothing, and i haven't" I think the story is really good, on the surface it appears this is just a story of a womaniser but as you read on you realize there is much more to it than it seems.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RACHAEL-ALFIE, May 3, 2005

By 

CHIP DAVIS "CHIP DAVIS" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfie (Paperback)

Alfie

Imagine a handsome, sweet-talking, English accented gentleman that sparks your attention by his charming smile, and sexy laugh. That is Alfie to a tee. Every woman wants him, and every man wants to be him. Written by Bill Naughton, Alfie is a four star rated book, and maintains the readers curiosity. Naughton's goal for writing this novel was to show the impact of little things done by men to make women feel loved and worthy of themselves. This novel inspires romance, makes guys look like pigs, and teaches major life lessons within the context of the story.

Alfie has a unique way of being romantic; he loves all women, no matter what shape or size. Being polite and charming to women is second natured to Alfie. He enjoys cuddling with them, dancing with them, taking them out to breakfast in the morning, and out for coffee during their lunch break. Spontaneously stopping by his ladies' place, to shower them with compliments and flirtatious gestures, until the next moment the women are begging for a relationship, after he pleasures them with things that their husbands are not giving them, and that the other men in town will not take the time of day to do for these women. He is a listener, a supporter, a friend, and an intimate companion, which most women want. Reading about Alfie's life filled with many women, and beauty is inspiring to one to become more romantic in their own life, and encourage love and contentment for themselves and loved ones. While many of the situations with the each woman and Alfie is indeed interesting, some may feel that it may be too much material to cover in a novel that should be focused more on the message of the book.

Some have short attention spans, while others have very long attention spans. Reading Alfie, some people may, or may not become bored with the back and forth pattern of the stories and situations of each of his relationships. At the beginning of the book, the stories draw the reader in immediately, but by the middle towards the end of the book, the pace starts to slow down, and it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The ending is sort of abrupt, and does not seem fulfilling after the reader has patiently waited to hear the moral of the story. Although it is nice to see Alfie trying to include as many women as possible, he does not always make them happy.

Trying to please everyone is a nice thing to do, until trying to please them backfires into hurting themselves, or others without being aware of the consequences. Alfie impregnates one of the women and has to face life-altering changes in his life aside from the more dramatic changes the woman has to go through. All of the sudden, the baby needs quiet time to sleep, patience and a lot of energy by the parents, and a constant watch over the child at the time. Simple time away from the house turns into a hard escape to get out of the house. Suddenly, using birth control is considered a little more carefully. More responsibilities, and less going out to party are now new concepts. Figuring out the life must go on, and that people must mature and grow up from always having fun, to becoming more responsible and make better choices that involve choosing things that may not be a personal choice, but according to priorities, the better choice to make.

Alfie is a wonderful novel to experience and apply to our own lives. We can use the charm and love for people that Alfie has, and incorporate them into our everyday habits and lives. However, along with learning to love, comes learning to make wiser decisions, and find the grown-up in us that must take over the place of our inner child personalities in order to live successfully and happy. Reading this novel is a great opportunity to evaluate our own lives and help determine alterations that may need to be adjusted in some areas. Pick up your copy of Alfie today, to learn some important lessons and enhance your romantic personality, and add color to your reading.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Alfie Waste of time and paper, November 25, 2007

By 

T. Hinton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alfie (Paperback)

The nicest thing that I can say about this book is that it is a quick read. The main character, Alfie is a womanizing, abusive, egotistical,despisable man. He is every man you warn the women you love to stay away from. He hurts the married women that he dates (okay, they are cheating, so they deserve it)but he hurts innocents (Annie)too. None of the charcters are likeable - the woman are either stupid, cheaters, or weak. I found the book to be shallow and am very glad to be done with it.