The Tin Men (Flamingo) [Paperback]

Michael Frayn (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; New Ed edition (April 11, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000654102X
• ISBN-13: 978-0006150664
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,380,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Frayn was born in London in 1933 and began his career as a journalist on the Guardian and the Observer. His novels include Towards the End of the Morning, The Trick of It and Landing on the Sun. Headlong (1999) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, while his most recent novel, Spies (2002), won the Whitbread Novel Award. His fifteen plays range from Noises Off to Copenhagen and most recently Afterlife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but funny, September 4, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tin Men (Flamingo) (Paperback)

The Tin Men is a very early work (1965) of English playwright and author Michael Frayn (b.1933). This book is one of Frayn's fantasies of everyday life, focusing on the everyday machinations and posturings of the staff of a technical research institute, as they slam into high gear when word is received that the Queen is coming to open their new ethics department. A modern Gilbert-and-Sullivan farce ensues, as the bewildered, presumptuous, and more than a little wacky staff work within the system and against each other.

This book has a somewhat dated feel to it, representing as it does the more rigid corporate mindset of the 1950s and early 60s. But, that said, it is a funny book, in which the author's piercing commentary is every bit as funny as that of Scott Adams.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, December 26, 2011

By 

Steve G. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tin Men (Flamingo) (Paperback)

It's just so comedically dense. There's a character named Hugh Rowe who is perpetually attempting to write a novel throughout the book. This is how Frayn introduces him: "Hugh Rowe," wrote Hugh Rowe, "is a brilliant new arrival on the literary scene."

If your comedic taste aligns with books like Catch-22 or TV shows like Peep Show and Arrested Development I think you'll really love The Tin Men.