My Idea of Fun

by Will Self

Book Overview

The story of a devilishly clever international financier/marketing wizard and his young apprentice, My Idea of Fun is both a frighteningly dark subterranean exploration of capitalism run rampant and a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679750932
• ISBN13: 9780679750932
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Vintage Books USA
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Will Self is great. Period.

I will be honest: My Idea of Fun is an excellent book albeit confusing. The story of Ian Wharton, a taciturn eidetic, sometimes blurs the fine line of reality and the subconscious. Will Self fuses together elements of economics, psychology and capitalism into a satirical tour-de-force that can easily be overlooked because of its brilliance. Self's vocabulary is expansive; when reading MIOF (or any of Self's books, for that matter) make sure that a dictionary is handy. Self employs an arsenal of words, expressions and beautiful linguistic explorations that raise the bar of the English language. More often than not, Self's prose is beautiful and challenging. Self's lexicon may make MIOF daunting and intimidating but it is undoubtedly a rewarding read. Once I started reading MIOF, I couldn't put it down. It is simply a great read. Will Self is hands-down on of the best writers that a 21st century literary critic could have the pleasure of reading. Self is often described as a disciple of Martin Amis, but I find Self to be much better than Amis (with the exception of Amis' Money). Read My Idea of Fun. Look up the words and pay attention. You'll be glad you did.

A classic

Will Self's "My Idea of Fun" is on par with Nabokov's "Lolita", "The Tin Drum" by Gunter Grass, and "London Fields" by Martin Amis. These books may be disturbing, but they are equally poetic, astute and humorous. I'll never tire of them.

Just fabulous !

I've read this book in french (because I am), and I'm very surprised of the bad critics I read here, because in french it's just fabulous. Maybe the translator, Patrick Kerline, is a good writer, but I doubt he invents the style of the book instead of the author. It's a very well writed book, with a fantastic story which proves the fertility of Will Self'imagination, and maybe the best english writer I read for years (Amis is just now the shadow of himself, Kureishi too, I found Mc Liam Wilson recently, particulary with his "Ripley Boggle", but he's Irish). This book is my W.Self's favorite, because of its complexity, the richness of its characters and again its amazing style.

Will Self is more than a shock artist

So many reviews of Self shrug him off as someone looking to just shock the reader and do nothing more. I think the reviews themselves are enough to prove that probably isn't the case. He wouldn't be doing all that great of a job if reviewers had to poke fun at his "gasp...shocking" passages in his books. I think instead Will Self succeeds because he takes concepts that may be outside of the norm and doesn't use them for pure shock value. He instead makes them common elements of the story. This book is a wonderful example of this, and many of the outrageous ideas that are purely there for jokes at points in How the Dead Live also show this. He may draw you in with a gimmick, but he doesn't just let it rest there. He adds so much more to it, and that is why (for me) his books succeed.

Now this is Fun

Hi. This book is more than just funny. It's mind-achingly intelligent and exciting. Is it the story of a crazed serial-killer? Is it the story of a fat man with a photographic memory and a good imagination? I can't tell you, and I've read the...book twice now. But just because everything isn't spelled out for you doesn't make this a book to read, to ponder, and to enjoy. A lot of people hat Will Self because he's a self-agrandizing middle class [addict]. Me, I love him for it. He's smart. He's addictive. He's weird. And his books make you jump out of your skin with delight.Remember, reading Will Self makes you thirsty.