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The Man Booker Prize-nominated novel by one of the most original authors of our time Storm clouds are gathering above the bar of the less-than-exclusive Thistle Hotel. Stuart Ransom, a jet-setting, supermodel-chasing pro golfer with an extravagant ego and a career nearing the end of a spectacular decline, is drinking his way through the night. Desperate for attention, he strikes up free-flowing conversations with anyone who will listen. But as he banters with Jen, the impish barmaid with a talent for telling tall tales rivaled only by Stuart's own, the night takes an extraordinary turn. Among those caught up in the unfolding drama are a tattooist with a mad mother and a love of anything from the 1940s; a free-thinking Muslim sex therapist and his considerably more conservative wife; the mysterious Vicki, the sister of Stuart's defiant yet curiously devoted manager; and a misguided female vicar of the Church of England and her husband, Gene, the Thistle's hapless bartender. They are a highly entertaining and eccentric bunch, but there's more to them than meets the eye. "There enter in questions of what it is to be consumed by love or lust, by shame, by the longing to be someone else or nobody" (The Guardian), and The Yips unites them in an absorbing, exhilarating tour de force.… (más)
A very odd novel, but entertaining and occasionally also quite thought-provoking. It's about 90% dialogue, and the format of short intercut scenes with quasi-random encounters between determinedly oddball characters makes it feel very much like a design for a "characteristically eccentric" product of British independent cinema (Bill Nighy would be a natural for the washed-up golf pro with the hair...). But it's more than that. Quite what, I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a serious intention behind it somewhere. Probably to do with the challenge of facing the outside world, but there's also a lot about the inherent randomness of life, and its resistance to narrative structure.
I read it on Scribd, so I can't really comment on the typographic oddities that a lot of people, including the Guardian reviewer, saw as an important element of the book. ( )
Surprised at some of the reviews on here. If you think about the cast list of this book you would think that there would be no way that a story could be created that linked them all together. Barker haas done this and done it well. It's a snapshot of modern Britain in a way albeit one in which people seem to be a little bit more literate than the ones I generally encounter on a daily basis myself. If you have read barker before then you know what to expect. It isn't as good as darkmans but it is still a spectacular read. Oh and if you want a story that has some sort of ending then you will be disappointed. ( )
Described as comedic in the British reviews, but certainly there's a type of humor that doesn't always work well in other cultures. The book is not for everyone: it's definitely odd, and it's very long. I found it disappointing, but I concede that the fault may be mine. At least it's different. ( )
Unutterably dreadful. I am so annoyed at having squandered valuable time and money on this book that I can't summon the mental energy to write a proper review. ( )
Difficult one to score. It's a good book and a great example of how you can use dialogue tags other than "said" and get away with it; the characters, for the most part, hooked me, but there are a lot of them and, at times, I had difficulties keeping them and their complex inter-relationships straight (but it's also worth mentioning that I am inept). It's three stars, but it's a high three stars - definitely one to try yourself. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
yips (y ps). pl. n. Nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively, especially in missing short putts in golf.
'The Free Dictionary'
Dedicatoria
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
In fond remembrance of Owain 'Oz' Wright; The Man, The Voice
Primeras palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Stuart Ransom, professional golfer, is drunkenly reeling off an interminable series of stats about the women's game in Korea (or the Ladies Game, as he is determined to have it): 'Don't scowl at me, beautiful ...!' — directed, with his trademark Yorkshire twinkle, at Jen, who lounges, sullenly, behind the hotel bar.
Citas
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
'Bottom line: the life of a professional sportsman is all about the spiel,' Ransom explains. 'It's about talking yourself into the right head-space, yeah? On an average day I don't take more than thirty per cent of what I say seriously.'
'Thirty per cent?' Gene's shocked. 'So seventy per cent—'
'... of what I say is bullshit. Exactly:' Ransom concludes, proudly, then ponders this admission for a second. 'Yeah. Roughly seventy per cent is pure bullshit.'
Últimas palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Ransom remains where he is for a few seconds longer (deeply offended), then swears under his breath, shakes his head, picks up the bugle case (wincing slightly as he straightens up), inhales deeply, winces again, embraces the pain (C'mon! Embrace the pain you old fool! Embrace it!) and rapidly strikes out after her.
The Man Booker Prize-nominated novel by one of the most original authors of our time Storm clouds are gathering above the bar of the less-than-exclusive Thistle Hotel. Stuart Ransom, a jet-setting, supermodel-chasing pro golfer with an extravagant ego and a career nearing the end of a spectacular decline, is drinking his way through the night. Desperate for attention, he strikes up free-flowing conversations with anyone who will listen. But as he banters with Jen, the impish barmaid with a talent for telling tall tales rivaled only by Stuart's own, the night takes an extraordinary turn. Among those caught up in the unfolding drama are a tattooist with a mad mother and a love of anything from the 1940s; a free-thinking Muslim sex therapist and his considerably more conservative wife; the mysterious Vicki, the sister of Stuart's defiant yet curiously devoted manager; and a misguided female vicar of the Church of England and her husband, Gene, the Thistle's hapless bartender. They are a highly entertaining and eccentric bunch, but there's more to them than meets the eye. "There enter in questions of what it is to be consumed by love or lust, by shame, by the longing to be someone else or nobody" (The Guardian), and The Yips unites them in an absorbing, exhilarating tour de force.
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(3.45)
The Yips by Nicola Barker
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I read it on Scribd, so I can't really comment on the typographic oddities that a lot of people, including the Guardian reviewer, saw as an important element of the book. (