A prospective Japanese high-flyer called Akira Suzuki came to London for a little international polish. He pondered the litter and the unappealing food, he smiled politely at predictable motor-cycle jokes about his name (Brrm! Brrm!), and thought, so this is the famous British sense of humour.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book of Delights,
By gary furnell (Coonabarabran, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Brrm! Brrm! Or The Man from Japan or Perfume at Anchorage (Hardcover)
Those who have enjoyed Clive James' television specials, his essays, his criticism and travel pieces will find further delights in this wonderful novel. Brrm Brrm is a lovely balance of style and substance that rewards frequent re-reading. Not surprisingly, it is entirely consistent with the rest of James' work: entertaining and erudite, popular but intelligent. It deals with one of Clive James' favourite themes - the adventures of a stranger in a strange land - and he keeps us laughing and commiserating with the misadventures of a young Japanese man - Akira Suzuki - in contemporary London. Akira is fully stretched keeping his orderly existence and his aesthetic sense intact as he becomes embroiled with the self-destructive "blonde nutter" Jane Austen, deals with the insensitivities of his friend Lionel, parries the lunges of his gay English teacher Rochester-san, does what his rich mistress Lillian tells him to, keeps his lecherous landlady at bay and seeks to keep on the right side of the powerful tycoon "Grecian Ern" Papadikis. All of these people are profoundly selfish yet each adds something significant to Akira's self-knowledge and to the trajectory of his life. James clearly loves Japanese culture and Akira allows him to contrast the decorum and delicacy of the Japanese with the vulgarity and bellicosity of the English. However, James is unfailingly generous even with those whose behaviour is dreadful so the writing is droll but never destructive. This generosity adds much to the book's charm. I particularly enjoyed the vacuousness of the gossip columnist Val Butcher and the amusing but appallingly racist insults the English hurl at the innocent Akira. But Akira is an intelligent and capable man and when he returns to the Land of the Rising Yen he does not do so in retreat from the English but richer because of his experience of the English. Akira is well on the way towards becoming James' ideal man: a cosmopolitan who recognises and appreciates the strictures of his own culture but who is prepared to transcend them to embrace the wider world. The enjoyment to be found in this novel makes me wonder why Clive doesn't write more fiction. Of course, I also want him to write more essays, make more television programs, publish more journalism and concoct more travelogues. Is that asking too much?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Short and Sweet,
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Brrm! Brrm! Or The Man from Japan or Perfume at Anchorage (Hardcover)
Short and sweet story about a young Japanese man working at a Japanese-language bookshop in London. He is apparently a "rising star" in certain circles in Japan and has been sent to England to polish his English and his interactions with foreigners. This allows the author to simultaneously poke fun at elements of both British and Japanese culture--albeit aiming only at the obvious targets. The main action centers on his involvement with a highly unsuitable"punk" woman, and later, with a more upscale woman. An economical, comic 160 pages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best and funniest book I've ever read.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Brrm! Brrm! Or The Man from Japan or Perfume at Anchorage (Hardcover)
The book puts you in a frame of mind that is so hillarious that you can't put it down and do not want it to end. Unfortunately it ends too quickly because it is short book. Clive James is always funny, but I believe this is his best. Happy reading
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