Customer Reviews

The World According to Clarkson

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A moment ago, I wrote a review of a CD that was so horrible, I ejected it after the fifth track,and left it on a desk in hopes someone would steal it.

Well, now I'm going to review The World According to Clarkson even though I haven't finished it, either. Unfinished, and for a completely different reason.

Why? Because I am so thoroughly enjoying this book I'm trying to draaaaag it out to savour as long as possible, and then praying there's a followup book.

I only ordered this book because, yes, I am a slavvering American fan of Top Gear, Wikipedia'd it for more info, and found out that all three presenters are also journalists. Since Top Gear tickles me so much, I thought what the heck, and ordered a sampling of books from each.

What a wicked good surprise this book is. Not motor related at all, it's like a modern day Erma Bombeck crossed with Politically Incorrect, with a particular penchant for tormenting the environmentally overcorrect. A collection of newspaper columns, Clarkson covers (occasionally rants) on everything from holidays to politics to children to cunning rodents. I can literally hear his voice gravelling out his bombastic but too,too funny pronouncements.

Jeremy Clarkson, if I were a man (and thank God for my husband that I'm not!) I would want to be you. Making lots of burning rubber and squealing sounds in fast cars, living in the delectable English countryside, writing witty stuff, irritating the humor-deficient, and getting away with it. And drawing an absurdly fat (but well deserved) paycheck all the while. (*goggles at the unfairness of it all*)

Or, as my kids would say, "well, s*cks for you, Mom". Yeah, it does.

Think of this book as the verbal equivalent of being behind the wheel of a Veyron on a race from the Riviera to the NatWest Tower. Damn good fun. Don't want it to end.

I've read most of his books and this is by far the best one. It was the funniest, the fastest-moving, the most diverse and did not contain a lot of the British references that flood his later "According to Clarkson" books and are lost to anyone who has not lived in Britain at least half of their life.

Caveat: You should understand this book is a collection of short articles on whatever comes to J.Clarkson's mind, and you probably do have to like Jeremy Clarkson (or at least his manner of writing and describing things and situations) at least a bit to enjoy this book (as well as any other book of his). But in any case I do strongly recommend you try this one out.

How can you not like anybody who is actually so delightfully and utterly un-PC?

Clarkson serves up a collection of his columns and describes anything and everything in his own (sort of) witty, boyish, yobish, chavy, very loud mouthed way. He talkes absolute nonsense most of the time, but it is a different voice amongst the endless masses of political corretness and general niceness that perveates the modern media. Read it for fun, it's a fun read.

I must say though, that some of the columns might be a bit dated, which when you know it really isn't that much of a bother.

The problem with Mr. Bombastic himself is that as much as I love his writing style in spurts, in excessive doses, it starts to sound incredibly effected and contrived. Even a tad dull. My interest started to wane the deeper I got into his essays. I say this as an admirer. Perhaps an anthology of columns just doesn't a book make. I've always loved the TV work and small hits of JC, and while I derived a few good chuckles from this collection, I eventually was pleased to be done with it so I could move on to something by someone significantly more clever. I am of course referring to Mr. James May!

Very funny but rambled at times. Very easy to relate to and understand. No real story line just a lot of thoughts from Clarkson very entertaining.

Of course anyone looking at this book knows that Jeremy Clarkson is mostly known for his presentation of the wildly popular Top Gear TV show. However he has also gotten around to writing a bunch of columns for the Sunday times and this book is a collection of them. So nope he hasn't lifted a finger to provide new material. Apart from perhaps taking a gander at his previous output and picked what he thinks is his funniest or most salient columns. As such I can understand a bunch of people may have an issue with this book.

On the other hand the mans conversational style and his overblown manner of writing does carry him far. If you are a fan of Top Gear you already know whether you will like this book because to tell the truth there is basically no difference in his delivery apart from the lack of visuality in the written medium. Clarkson takes pot shots at lots of things and his politics don't always correspond with mine but heck, you read a book like this for entertainment purposes. In fact perhaps the best way I can describe this book to the uninitiated is that is perfect for reading while you are lazing around on a Sunday afternoon and don't want anything intellectual to cloud your enjoyment of the remains of your weekend.

I have no problem recommending this book to Top Gear fans or those who already know what they are getting. Others may baulk at paying for a bunch of columns you could probably rip off the net somewhere - if only due to the fact that no new work went into creating this little novelty book. Whatever the case of all that is, this is a great gift for the Top Gear fan nearest you.

There are a few people here that have written that they dont particularly like this book.

If you are offended easily, dont buy this book....

Clarkson's 'World according to' series was not made for people who are easily offended, its made for everyone else and looking at the feedback he has here, 90% of people get it and 10% are a wee bit annoyed with his work. Maybe its the 10% who are annoyed who actually make the books so brilliant.

Its not actually a book.

Its a collection of short (500-1000 word) entries that Clarkson originally had published in his weekly Sunday Times Newspaper column.

I agree, its not for everyone, but it is for everyone who has a sense of humor and doesnt take life to seriously.

Clarkson takes politically sensitive issues and throws his unique ramblings on it.
Is it politically correct? Absolutely not and thats why we love him!
Actually beyond the ranting and the venting, Clarkson is a highly practical man with simple ideas that make a lot of sense. He see's the human race for what it is, warts and all. He uses his perspective to paint some really interesting and always fresh slant on subjects which must be difficult to write about.

Sometimes the short stories lose me, if he starts talking about an English political ideology or an English celebrity, or something overtly England because i do not live there. But do you know what, i just skip two pages to the next story and start laughing again!

His books are easily digestible.
You can read one entry in about 5 minutes, maybe less, and put the book down.
The book doesnt have a start point or an ending, you can open to any page and read an 'entry'.
Great to leave by the 'man toilet' and read an entry while having a 'nature call'.
Anyone who opens this book at the beginning and reads to the end in one sitting might just need to take a look at themselves in the mirror. I am sure Clarkson has not designed these books for that purpose.

They are short stories.

Spend 5 minutes, or 20 minutes with it.

Its not a novel.

It is funny and light hearted and warms the cockels of my heart!



Well done Jeremy, keep it up.

I watch top gear religiously on BBC America, and, i am also a huge Clarkson. This book is exacly what you would expect from him. It is not so much a book, as it is a collection of newspaper-sized articles. I love it but I do have one worning: this book was written in 2001, so it's contents are slightly outdated.

I am a huge fan of Top Gear, and I greatly enjoy Jeremy Clarkson and his brand of humor. I bought this almost blind, and I was pleasently suprised by it. The book itself is a collection of his columns for The Sunday Times in the UK. His articles cover a wide variety of topics, including Enviornmentalism, Politics, Dining, Culture, and Celebrities. The humor is much different from that of Top Gear, but it is still utterly hilarious. Clarkson is a one of a kind Journalist, of the sort we dont really get here in the US. It has to be said, for any non British readers, some of the references may go a bit over your head, as alot of the articles focus on a headline of the day. Other than that, I have no complaints. The World According to Clarkson is a must read for any fans of the Opiniated and Often Ingenious Clarkson.

If you're a fan of Top Gear , you must get this book. Jeremy Clarkson's dry wit will have you rolling with laughter. I bought this as a gift for my husband an he couldn't put it down. It's that good!