Customer Reviews

Gropes

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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.

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.

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.