Ted Wallace is an old, sour, womanising, cantankerous, whisky-sodden beast of a failed poet and drama critic, but he has his faults too. Fired from his newspaper, months behind on his alimony payments and disgusted with a world that undervalues him, Ted seeks a few months repose and free drink at Swafford Hall, the country mansion of his old friend Lord Logan. But strange things have been going on at Swafford. Miracles. Healings. Phenomena beyond the comprehension of a mud-caked hippopotamus like Ted...

Very funny and rather rude!! A winning combination.

RELEASE NOTES:

To be released at the Nottingham Bookcrossers meet.

I enjoyed "The Liar" and "Making History", so I couldn't resist picking up another Stephen Fry novel when it turned up at the meet-up.

"The poem was short, which was good. The poem was sweet, which was good. The poem had form, which was good. The poem was bad, which was bad. The poem was called 'The Green Man', which was unpardonable."

A very clever book - witty, entertaining and surprising. I love the character of Ted Wallace, a grumpy drunken old curmudgeon but just about the only person who isn't dazzled by the possibly miraculous happenings at Swafford Hall.

RELEASE NOTES:

This book will be released at Saturday's Book Crossing meet-up.

Caught at today's bookcrossing meetup. I really like Stephen Fry as a generally funny and intelligent celebrity but have never read any of his books. So, here's my chance.

To be read.

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. At first I hated the main character and found him very offensive and I didn't like any of the spoilt, cynical people involved in the story. However, while it is shamelessly un-PC it is also sharp and witty with some good observations and wordplay. So, one minute I'd be insulted, the next minute I'd be chuckling conspiratorially.

It took a while for the story to get going but once it did I couldn't put the book down. It is bizarre and intriguing and the end is entirely satisfactory.

A worthy seven out of ten.

RELEASE NOTES:

Unwittingly released into the wild. I took it on the train with me, finished it, and accidently left it behind! I really hope someone finds it.

I was travelling from Newton Abbot to Chesterfield and the train was northbound, I think going to Edinburgh.