On the brink of forty, newly single and with a failed business, Philip thought he's reached an all-time low. A fall in the street literally lays him flat. Bedbound and bored, he begins to write the story of his life.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This tender study of a middle-aged London man who finally completes his long-delayed passage into adulthood is a novel of small pleasures that ultimately exceeds the sum of its parts. Philip Scrivener has a novel's worth of problems, including the spinal difficulties of the title, which give him time to pen this first-person flashback, and a pair of intrusive parents who pester him with alarming regularity. He's also dodging creditors, who are after the assets from his failing self-help publishing company, and trying to maintain a problematic relationship with Kate, a visiting New Zealander whose visa is due to expire. Chambers (Uncertain Terms) depicts the compassionate Philip's chronic reluctance to act in a series of gentle, comic scenes, rendering her cowardly hero's family as endearingly eccentric while unmawkishly presenting the gradually deepening feelings between him and Kate. When events finally force Philip into action, his decisions are satisfying and believable, if a bit predictable. In an effective less-is-more approach, Chambers finds fresh life in the well-worn turf of family and relationships.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“A funny and moving story with a great deal of style.” –Sunday Telegraph
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Funny & Engaging,
By spideranansie (Singapore - Manchester) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Back Trouble (Hardcover)
Chamber's book on the life of a middle aged man trying to find his way and having the world fall apart on him in the form of back trouble is pretty predictable and doesn't have much in terms of storyline and content. It is however saved by her wonderful sense of humour which keeps you laughing from start to finish. When the protagonist ends up with the woman he loves and ends the novel feeling happy, we actually feel happy along with him and wanna clap him on his back. Entertaining stuff.
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