Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Readalikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Feb 2002, 432 pages
Paperback:
Feb 2003, 432 pages
As the world appears to self-destruct around them, four teenage friends hold together to navigate the choppy waters of a decidedly ambiguous decade - the 1970s.
Birmingham, England, c. 1973: industrial strikes, bad pop music, corrosive class warfare, adolescent angst, IRA bombings. Four friends: a class clown who stoops very low for a laugh; a confused artist enthralled by guitar rock; an earnest radical with socialist leanings; and a quiet dreamer obsessed with poetry, God, and the prettiest girl in school. As the world appears to self-destruct around them, they hold together to navigate the choppy waters of a decidedly ambiguous decade.
Excerpt
The Rotter's Club
Imagine!
November the 15th, 1973. A Thursday evening, drizzle whispering against the window-panes, and the family gathered in the living room. All except Colin, who is out on business, and has told his wife and children not to wait up. Weak light from a pair of wrought-iron standard lamps. The coal-effect fire hisses.
Sheila Trotter is reading the Daily Mail: "'˜To have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health–"these are the promises which do in fact sustain most married couples through the bad patches."
Lois is reading Sounds: "Guy, 18, cat lover, seeks London chick, into Sabbath. Only Freaks please."
Paul, precociously, is reading Watership Down: "Simple African villagers, who have never left their remote homes, may not be particularly surprised by their first sight of an aeroplane: it is outside their comprehension."
As for Benjamin . . . I suppose he is doing his ...
More books by Jonathan Coe
If you liked The Rotter's Club, try these:
by David Mitchell
Published 2020
The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.
by Peter Bognanni
Published 2011
Wholly original, The House of Tomorrow is the story of a young man's self-discovery, a dying woman's last wish, and a band of misfits trying desperately to be heard.
Become a Member and discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten.
The Northern Reach
by W.S. Winslow
What is the weight of the stories we choose to tell...and the burdens of those we hide?
Reader Reviews
The Lost Apothecary
by Sarah Penner
A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary.
Reader Reviews
Band of Sisters
by Lauren Willig
"A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines…A triumph."
— Fiona Davis
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
