Customer Reviews

Clarkson on Cars

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Clarkson is brilliant. That said, this collection of his newspaper columns leaves a few things behind. The pithy nature of a newspaper column is not quite enough to capture Clarkson's true insight. Also, the age of the columns (now in the 15 year-range) is long enough to provide even the most memory gifted with a few head scratchers. Also, Yanks BEWARE!!! Clarkson's prose is not exactly Tom Brokaw easy! Plus the cars he reviews were, for the most part, never available in the USA.

If you love Clarkson's wit, his unapologetic distaste for left-wingers and eco-mentalists, and/or his enthusiasm for the modern auto, you ought to give this book a quick read.

This book is basically a collection of short stories and articles Clarkson wrote for a magazine (could possibly include other things but it was been awhile since I read it and I don't remember). It is basically just a whole book of editorials. As a pretty extensive Top Gear follower it was easy to hear his personality coming out in the rants. There were several stories that had me laughing uncontrollably. The people next to me on the flight where I was reading this probably thought I was crazy because I was nearly in tears (the bit about ATV's is one that comes to mind).

At other times it got a little repetative. When you combine weekly and monthly articles spanning several years into one book you notice when similar topics arise. It also didn't help that I am not intimately familiar with UK road system so specific references to places lost some value.

Overall I am happy I read the book it was well worth it.

Parts of this book are dated, as it is a collection of articles from the mid 80's and 90's, so some of the references require having Google handy. If you are a fan of Mr. Clarkson, you will appreciate this book. If you are not, don't buy it. Lots of his trademark style abounds in these passages, which will offend many people. However, if you can look past his self aggrandizing, conservative ways, he makes some very valid statements and points.

Was half way through this book when a mate pointed out to me how frightfully lazy Clarkson was in his writing having only written one proper book. I would have liked to dispute this but, given how this book is basically Clarkson newspaper columns, without dates or any re-editing, I was inclined to agree.

Of course, there are some genuinely amusing pieces in this collection. However, though there are some diamonds amongst the dirt, the majority of these articles are about old cars and is tediously glib yet unmemorable.

Like all newspaper articles, one ends up feeling it is merely 'eye candy', which briefly entertains but then leaves no feeling of time well spent.

Stick to the TV shows he has done, for this book is like so many low grade magazine articles; journalistic trash!

It's clippings form his newspaper column and only occasionally discusses cars. Its more of a rant than anything and I think that's we people like it

I am a regular viewer of TOP GEAR on TV and I mostly find it quite enjoyable, if occasionally enraging when poor Jeremy goes off his meds and says or does something really, really stupid (like the M3 vs. Prius race-track test from which we were supposed to learn something...presumably, other than that Jeremy was a dolt to propose it).

Anyway, with some of his books selling used for a penny plus shipping, thought I would try a couple and see what his writing is like.

Didn't even know that he is a columnist for The Times. OK, fine. This book is a compilation of his columns with no updating or re-editing. OK, fine, so he is a bit (OK, a lot) lazy and likes to be paid twice for what he calls work.

What these columns are are columns that start out with Jeremy doing something like a rambling diary entry and then they transition into something like him giving you his opinion of some car or van or whatever, usually based on very short experience with said vehicle. About as well-grounded as your opinion would be after a short test drive at a car dealer.

These are clearly not tests or evaluations, and that would be OK if Jeremy were a talented automotive writer (like Brock Yates or PJ O'Rourke, as examples), except his writing style is not very good and you get very tired of it and, to use his term, it gets very annoying, very quickly.

About the only thing this book has really going for it (other than the 1 cent cost, used) is that it does give US readers a brief introduction to a lot of cars we never see here. Would be nice if they had put in pictures.

The copy I bought came from England and it took about two weeks for Royal Post to get it to Michigan. Not bad for the $4 shipping cost.

Bloody disappointing "book", though.

Jeremy is brilliant as always. I received my book and, going to the work, in traffic, opened at first random page. Fifteen seconds later I couldn't drive cos laugh until cries... The same experiment I made with my wife that are so far from car theme. It took a few seconds more... Really, Clarkson is inimitable!