Julian Clary

A Young Man's Passage by Julian Clary I like biographies because a good one will reveal more of a person that you think you know something about.

I think a good biography should consist of several elements.1. What happened to them.2. What they did with that.3. What they make of it all.

What happened to them.This is the mundane details of their life like: where they were born, what their family was like, what school was like etc.

What they did with that.This is normally the full description show more of their career/chosen path and their struggles to overcome both their own limitations and external obstacles to finally achieve their goal.

What they make of it all.This should contain some reflection about the bigger things in life and point to a deeper understanding about their life.

Sadly many biographies, especially of living subjects, contain only the first two of the above elements. Not so this one though.

I cannot imagine this is ghost written because Julian's voice comes through so clearly, complete with asides in that deadpan delivery. As you can imagine it is very frank and no prisoners are taken along the way. What else would you expect? Anything else would be a let down. show less

It seems that a young couple went to Africa on their honeymoon. They decided to take a dip in a pond, so took off their clothes and jumped in. Unfortunately, a hungry crocodile came by and ate them. A pair of hyenas came by. They thought it might be fun to go to England. They already knew how to speak English by listening to the various visitors on safari who had passed by. So, they put on the clothes of the honeymooners—being sure to keep their tales tucked out of site, and their furry show more ears covered with hats—, took their passports, and headed off to adventures in England.

Obviously, this is a kids' book, complete with very many adorable illustrations. The Bolds have to work hard to fit in, but do manage to do so. They have a pair of children who mostly manage to go to English schools without causing too much alarm. Their main problem is the crabby neighbor who spies on them at all hours of the day and night. Mr. Bold gets a job writing jokes, which then go into Christmas crackers, so the book is full of truly pathetic, corny jokes. Well, hyenas laugh a lot, so of course they like jokes—the good, bad, and the ugly—even after hearing them several dozen times.

Well, I won't give the plot away, but it's quite a fun book. I think it might be most popular with 8- to 10-year old boys because it also contains lots of mild, scatological humor. Anyway, many adults will also find this a very fun read, especially those of us who find themselves sitting in a doctor's office waiting for skin-cancer surgery, and need a great escape from reality. show less

The Bolds are back but this time, they are helping many new friends become human. The animal rumor mill has spread the news that The Bolds are hyenas pretending to be humans and that they rescue animals in need. From a crocodile who hates being stuck in the sewers, to a french poodle who wants to be a star, seagulls who just want to hang around, and even run away race horses that do not want to be turned into meat, The Bolds and Mr. McNumpty do their best to teach them all how to act like show more humans. As time passes, the house becomes too full, the expense of food, clothes etc. stretches The Bolds finances and they step up the training to get everyone out on their own. The story is a lot of fun. To see The Bolds teach the animals the way of the humans, about manners, food, clothes and also help them with a job (because they do need that one) is funny. We can't forget about Mr. Bold's corny jokes. Throughout the story we hear them as he tells them to the police to distract them and the animals to keep their spirits up. I loved that they are all included at the back of the book. Kids will love to tell these jokes to their family members, teachers and friends. Early chapter readers will love this book! There are a lot of black and white illustrations throughout to add to the story. Julian Clary's humour and distinctive style comes through the text. A book to be in every local, school, and family library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less

Another fun adventure with the Bolds. If you have not read the first two books in the series, I suggest you do, not because you won't know what is going on, but because they are fun and kids will love them. The Bolds are a family of hyenas living as humans, In this story they are off on vacation. They are going camping in Cornwall. Bobby has hurt his leg so is pretending to be a dog named Stinky in this story. That in itself is funny, but what is happening to the dogs in St. Ives adds a show more measure of adventure to the story. Of course the jokes told by Mr. Bold are corny and will make everyone laugh, kids and adults. Early chapter readers will love this book and the whole series! There are a lot of black and white illustrations throughout by David Roberts that to add to the story. Julian Clary's humour and distinctive style comes through the text. A book to be in every local and school library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less