The Gropes [Import] [Paperback]

Tom Sharpe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2009

The hilarious new novel from bestselling author Tom Sharpe.

It is one of the more surprising facts about old England that one can still find families living in the same houses their ancestors built centuries before and on land that has belonged to them since before the Norman Conquest. The Gropes of Grope Hall are one such family.

A brilliantly funny novel about what happens when the women take charge. The Gropes are an old English family based in Northumberland, separated from the rest of society and as eccentric as they come. It is a line dominated by strong-willed and oversexed women, determined to produce more female heirs regardless of whether their desired partners are willing or not.

At the dawn of the new millennium, tired and gormless teenager Esmond is abducted and lured to Grope Hall by a descendant of the Gropes. Young Esmond is powerless to escape, and his kidnap sets in motion a stream of farcical events that will have readers laughing out loud.

Tom Sharpe’s trademark humour abounds in this new novel, marking him out once again as an outstanding storyteller.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A major craftsman in the art of farce . . . vengeful, chaotic, Swiftian in his tastes, cartoonish in his extremes, and above all wild and amusing.”
— Observer

“Tom Sharpe serves up the loudest laughs in literary comedy.”
— Mail on Sunday

About the Author

Tom Sharpe was born in 1928 and is the author of thirteen bestselling novels including the much loved Wilt series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson (October 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0091930901
• ISBN-13: 978-0091930905
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,048,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The last ha-ha?, January 5, 2010

By 

SCH Thurston (Lafayette, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gropes (Paperback)

Reviewer Neil Lucock in the UK hit the nail on the head in his accurate review. Sadly, in a single word, The Gropes is 'amateurish.' It reads like a sixteen-year old's version of Sharpe and, indeed, it may well be that the admirable Mr Sharpe - who is now 82 years young and not in the best of health if the dedication is any clue - has entered his second childhood. I would write more specifically on the novel but it's all been well said on the amazon.co.uk site. Check it out.

So why did I part with nine quid, even after reading the negative reviews on the Amazon UK site? Partly because the hardcover was on sale for a 50% discount, but mostly out of a sense of nostalgia or respect for a man whose books once had the ability to make me hurt with laughter - often in public. So it appears that I am just a sentimental old fool. I can think of worse fates. The Gropes left me with a profound melancholy which is a first for a Tom Sharpe novel! But it made me reflect on the life of a man who has entertained millions, and influenced more than a few of us wannabes. For that, I'd have spent the whole eighteen quid had it been necessary.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tom Sharpe - The Gropes, July 3, 2010

By 

High Planes Drifter (Sunrise, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gropes (Paperback)

Far from his best work, Tom Sharpe's original style still shines through in his latest effort. The author is still strongly capable of carrying his intricately developed characters through a series of incredibly unpredictable events which present an entertaining and humorous story to the reader. As in his other recent works of the past decade, Sharpe commits the error of allowing his own political views to enter the published pages through short quips and cracks directed at real life events and government leaders. In each case, these unnecessary lines add absolutely nothing of value to the tale and ultimately serve only to weaken the story and wound those fans who have faithfully followed Tom Sharpe's incredible career for decades.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Gropes, Not Quite a Novel., December 16, 2010

By 

Peter William Hogan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gropes (Mass Market Paperback)

The Gropes is not up to Tom Sharpe's standard. It does not really have the length for a novel. Its more a sketch for a novel. The plot is not developed, characters are brief sketches, all in all the book is not worth the money. Older writers often have their later works published when they really are not good enough to be let loose on the buying public. The soft-cover looks to be more weighty than it is, lots of padding and not much per page.