They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books [Hardcover]

David Rose (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

'They call me naughty Lola. Run-of-the-mill beardy physicist (M, 46)'. 'My ideal woman is a man. Sorry, mother'. 'Disaffiliated flaneur, jacked-up on Viagra and on the look-out for a contortionist trumpeter' ran the first personal ad submitted to the London Review of Books. The quality has remained the same ever since, and it is now the world's funniest - and most erudite - lonely hearts column. Expectations of finding a suitable mate remain low, but it has produced a handful of marriages, many friendships and at least one divorce. Here the fruitiest of the ads are brought together for the first time. 'List your ten favourite albums...I just want to know if there's anything worth keeping when we finally break up. Practical, forward thinking man, 35'.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A compendium of the weirdest and funniest advertisements from eccentric readers." -- Seattle Times

"This compilation of hilarious personal ads placed in the London Review of Books celebrates the odd, the quirky, and the painfully honest in their search for love." -- Boston Herald

About the Author

David Rose works at the New York office of the LRB and divides his time between New York, Liverpool and California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416540296
• ISBN-13: 978-1416540298
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Rose works at the New York office of the LRB and divides his time between New York, Liverpool and California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intellectual Humor with a Touch of the Loo November 29, 2006

By W. Heron, Jr.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book is a gem and my title describing it as intellectual humor with a touch of the loo is apt...The English are wonderfully fastidious with the use of language. When combined with a sense of modesty, a wry British sense of humor and a penchant for understatement, one has a delightfully funny collection of snippets from the "London Review of Books" personals. The Brits who contribute to these personals go out of their way to make themselves seem both interesting and unattractive at the same time. Nothing here is close to "likes long romantic walks on the beach" that one finds in U.S. personals... these individuals all have warts ...real or imagined!

It is a wonderful holiday gift sure to evoke peals of laughter from any adult with a pulse.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Flatulent British gnome, toothless, does not seek romantic sunsets." March 13, 2007

By Bart King

Format:Hardcover

The personal ad in this review's title is from the LRB, but is not among this book's selections. Nonetheless, it provides one with the flavor of the treasures to be found herein. Actual paraphrased examples from the book include:

-- "Writing this ad has given the biggest sense of accomplishment I've felt since successfully ironing my pants for the first time (on June 14th, 1998.)"

-- "Blah, blah, whatever. Indifferent woman. Go ahead and write. See if I care."

-- "I used to have the sharpest mind in the land; now I can't even find my pen. Wait-- here it is!"

-- "Some chances are once in a lifetime. Not this one; I've been in the last 12 issues."

-- "I am not an accountant."

-- "Ppfffttttt, ssshhhhhhhhwwwwt, peeffwt, pffpt. Man, 36. Bad at whistling."

The only other thing that needs to be said is that editor David Rose provides some quite helpful annotations for the cultural references that might elude those of us on this side of The Pond.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious! January 15, 2007

By Anna A. Stanford

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Heard about this on NPR and it was worth buying. Wonderful as a present, it was a great icebreaker at a party and had us all rolling on the floor.