Matt Rudd

The English... They're a strange bunch as nationalities go, and Rudd has made it his mission to uncover the psyche of this island just off Europe.

His 8,000 mile journey takes him from the sofa to the kitchen, the commute to the office via the pub, round the shops and has a brief sojourn to the sporting arena. Having considered the delights of exercise, he has a brief trip down the motorway for a day at the beach and then home and to bed.

In all of these he looks that the way that we are, and the things that we do, with razor sharp accuracy, wit and a good dollop of humour. He spends a slightly cringeworthy saturday night with a family, discovers more dating takes place by the photocopier than in the usual haunts, finds out that we are working longer hours now than 30 years ago, and that people having now filled their lounges with 50 inch plasmas, are prepared to pay a fortune to revitalise their gardens, before opening the bedroom door, slips between the sheets and learns that we are not as prudish as we like others to think we are.

There are some genuine laugh out loud parts in this book, and it is full of those moments when you realise he is talking about you...… (plus d'informations)

This was an accidental download (thank god it was free!) as I was browsing on my phone which I checked out to see what it was like before deleting but continued to read instead. I was sucked in. ("Oh it's going to be 4 stars at least!")

A third in and I was tiring of the amazing writing style that had me reading in the first place. It was quirky and journalistic (both William and the author are journalists) that has you smirking and laughing as you nod your head in agreement with whatever calamity has just befallen this poor couple. This style meant the tone of the book remained the same throughout which led to it becoming monotonous. For a short article this would be fine but not for a novel.("Maybe 3 stars?")

William and Isobel face numerous challenges as they settle into married life including besotted best friends (Alex's unrequited love for Isobel) and crazy stalker ex-f*ck buddies (Saskia who mistakes herself for an ex-girlfriend).

Later, I became exasperated with the Alex situation and later the Saskia problem. It was obvious Alex was more of an evil mastermind than William thought. How could he know the things he did otherwise? I predicted the ending but not the way in which previously evil characters turned around, apologised and sobbed their way into becoming the architects for a happy ending. ("Oh dear, 2 stars.")

Being from the UK and a regular visitor to the London setting helped me understand the humour. I related to and sympathised with these aspects but I wouldn't say that this book has international appeal because there are too many references to British culture and it's icons, for instance the Ann Widdecombe sex gears gag. Not many people are going to know who she is without reaching out to Google for help.

Basically this book is a string of amusing observations, most of which are common anecdotal stereotypes. However, there are some absolutely hilarious ones which made this worth reading but I doubt I'll buy the sequel [b:William's Progress: Another (sleepless) Horror Story|8081223|William's Progress Another (sleepless) Horror Story|Matt Rudd|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21SVAYSKzIL._SL75_.jpg|12806541], which plays on the ending of this one.… (plus d'informations)