John O'Farrell

The great thing about the Penguin Lines series is that it encourages me to read stories that are generally outside my comfort zone. I confess that I wouldn’t normally have picked up A History of Capitalism According to the Jubilee Line. On reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was clever, with more than a little bit of snark about our modern ways.

The author starts by mentioning the strangest dream he had about the Jubilee Line. It is a normal day on the Tube, with nobody speaking to each show more other and everyone fixed on their own thoughts. The everyday journey is disrupted by an announcement over the loudspeaker that there is a problem with the train, which is all due to capitalism. England is now in an economic downwards spiral and it directly affects these passengers. A tunnel under the Thames is collapsing and to escape the passengers have a choice to go left or right. Which is the correct way? The passengers begin to talk, then argue about the reason for the collapse and which way will be safest. It tests their ideologies, with a little help with some notable figures in history.

A History of Capitalism According to the Jubilee Line is slightly surreal, bizarre and overall good fun. I loved the economic and political concepts that made their way into the text and the inner turmoil as the narrator pondered whether he had been wrong all along in these political choices. It gives the reader something to ponder too. But luckily, it was all a dream…right? Or is it symbolism of what was to come?

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Easy and entertaining read, with some acute (though unoriginal) observations about marriage and new parenthood. Too tidy at the end, despite attempts to throw in some surprises. Seems too much as if written for film/TV adaptation.

I read this because I found it under the bed of a holiday cottage. I wonder if the owner deliberately ditched it or was sorry to leave it behind?

Emma and Eddie Hughes are dyed in the wool Labourites living in the Tory seat of Hastings on Sea. Eddie is a local councillor and Emma works for a non-profit, their sone, Dylan, has just finished studying at Oxford. When Dylan returns home he confesses to his parents that he is actually a Tory and proceeds to join the party. For Emma and Eddie this is a betrayal of all they hold dear but can family love overcome the political divide.
There's no doubting the fact that this is a novel of its show more time but that doesn't make it any less funny. O'Farrell has tuned into the extremes of British politics and crammed this story full of Brexit, migrants, 'woke' thinking as well as traditional political issues. It's a quick read but is profound for all its lightness and I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates plaques with silly sayings on them! show less

Michael Adams loves his wife and his two children very much. But he also loves his own space, and that's why he spends a lot of time in his flat which he shares with three other men, where he can be as lazy as he likes, do the odd bit of work, and then go home to his family when he wants to spend time with them. It's not that he doesn't like being with them - it's just that he finds being a father is so demanding. Michael thinks that his arrangement allows him the best of both worlds...but show more his wife Catherine doesn't know about his other life. She thinks that when he is away from home, he is working hard earning money to support his family. It all works fine, until inevitably Catherine finds out what he's really been doing when he's not at home...

I loved this book. Told from Michael's point of view, it was very believeable and touching - and it was also laugh out loud funny, with a good giggle on almost every page. The funny moments are mainly due to Michael's attempts to keep his secret life hidden from his family, and there are many near misses.

Although Michael behaves in a less than admirable way, he is a very likeable character. He is also very well drawn, as are the other characters including the peripheral ones. There are many touching moments, especially where Michael examines the reasons why he feels the way he does about fatherhood.

His wife is also a hugely likeable character, and her sense of frustration at her husband's absences (even when she believes that he is genuinely working) are very well depicted.

The writing flows easily and kept me turning the pages. It certainly caused me to stay up late on a few nights, because I kept thinking "just a few more pages." The story had a surprising twist at the end, which I genuinely did not see coming.

I've read - and enjoyed - John O'Farrell's non-fiction before now, and this was the first time I had read his fiction. It certainly won't be the last. I now intend to seek out all other books by this author! Highly recommended. show less