I Want it Now

by Kingsley Amis

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The quickest way to get rich is to marry someone rich, but how do you do this if you aren't yet rich? TV chat-show host Ronnie Appleyard is preoccupied with this question as he pursues wealthy heiress Simona Quick over two continents in the company of braying aristocrats, Greek shipping magnates, American dandies and the dreaded mother-in-law to be. But as he comes closer to his prize other questions present themselves. Is the androgenous Simona really worth it? Why doesn't she like sex? Is show more it possible to drink all day? With his unerring eye for absurdity and class satire Kingsley Amis shows us what happens when money meets naked ambition. show less

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3 reviews
Kingsley Amis is at the height of his satirical powers in this skewed retelling of the Cinderella tale set in late 60s London. While managing to eviscerate both London's television and the American, Amis' most astonishing feat is to deliver a such poignant and optimistic love story in world the author sees as nearly broken beyond repair.
A talk-show host is interested in marrying a rich girl. There are several flaws in the plan , as the girl is not so interested in him as he would like. also, she's not physically his type both in form and sexual appetite. This is one of Amis' more cynical novels, and the tone was too sharp to make it a great hit.
½
This sounds like a racy book,
but it`s actually a love story.

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103+ Works 19,634 Members
Kingsley Amis is generally considered one of the "angry young men" of the 1950s. He was born in London in 1922 and educated at the City of London School. He received a degree in English language and literature from St. John's College, Oxford, in 1947. Until 1961 Amis lectured in English at University College, Swansea, and for the following two show more years at Cambridge. In 1947 Amis published his first collection of poems, Bright November. Frame of Mind followed in 1953 and Poems: Fantasy Portraits in 1954. His first novel, Lucky Jim (1954), established his reputation as a writer. He followed with That Uncertain Feeling (1956), and I Like It Here (1958). A longtime James Bond devotee, Amis wrote a James Bond adventure after the death of Ian Fleming in 1964. Amis's study of the famous spy was titled The James Bond Dossier (1965). Amis received the Booker Prize for the Old Devils (1986). Amis's later works include Memoirs (1990), and The King's English, a collection of essays on the craft of writing well. Amis was knighted in 1990. He died in 1995. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Some Editions

Schalekamp, J.A. (Translator)

Series

Belongs to Publisher Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
I Want it Now
Original title
I Want it Now
Original publication date
1968
People/Characters
Ronnie Appleyard
Important places
England, UK

Classifications

Genres
General Fiction, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
823.914Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish fiction1900-1901-19991945-1999
LCC
PR6001 .M6 .I2Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish Literature1900-1960
BISAC

Statistics

Members
181
Popularity
180,054
Reviews
3
Rating
(3.97)
Languages
Czech, Dutch, English, German
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
11
ASINs
6