Man and Boy - Hardcover

Parsons, Tony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002257904 ISBN 13: 9780002257909

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

Synopsis

‘Wistful, touching and funny’ Mail on Sunday
‘Hilarious and tear-jerking in turns’ Express
‘Sharp, witty and wise’ Daily Mail

Harry Silver has it all. A successful job in TV, a gorgeous wife, a lovely child. And in one moment of madness, he chucks it all away.

Man and Boy is the story of how he comes to terms with his life and achieves a degree of self-respect, bringing up his son alone and, gradually, learning what words like love and family really mean.

It is very well written, pacy, funny, and heart-breakingly moving.

About this title

Product Description:

297 pages. Book and Jacket appear to have hardly been read and are both in As new condition throughout. What Does The Man Who Has Everything Give Himself For A Birthday Present?Harry Silver Is Considering A Red Sports Car. He Already Has A Beaitiful Wife, A Wonderful Child, A Good Salary From A Job He Enjoys In The Fast Moving World Of Television.

Review:

"Some situations to avoid when preparing for your all-important, finally-I-am-fully-grown thirtieth birthday.
Having a one-night stand with a colleague from work.
The rash purchase of luxury items you can't afford.
Being left by your wife.
Losing your job.
Suddenly becoming a single parent.

If you are coming up to 30, whatever you do, don't do any of that.
It will fuck up your whole day.

So begins Man and Boy, Tony Parson's foray into fiction. Or non-fiction. Rumoured to be a roman à clef, the well-known journalist and broadcaster writes the story of a successful TV executive who brings up his child alone after a failed marriage--much like Parson's own life.

Harry Silver, the book's anti-hero, has it all: a beautiful wife, an angelic son and a high-paying job. His life is just about perfect, until one night he casually sleeps with a slim redheaded coworker who has "that kind of fine Irish skin that is so pale it looks as though it has never seen the sun". After the fateful night, his life falls apart. He loses his job and his wife in rapid succession, and finds himself a single, unemployed parent. It is an excellent education for a man who up until now has been immature and irresponsible, and Parsons has some strong points to make about the puerility of far too many contemporary males: "Being a man is like being chained to the village idiot." At times he piles on the disasters and plot-twists a little too thickly, but the ending is wildly romantic, redemptive and optimistic. In other words, Harry grows up. -- Christopher Hart

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0002257904
• ISBN 13: 9780002257909
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304