The Giro Playboy

To be honest I didn't know if I was going to like it with the heavy stream of hyperboles being thrown it's way and likening it to cult writers in the blurb. I thought it was another case of people jumping on the bandwagon, especially with it being the writer's first novel. Still, I managed to read it in one night and it captured something in me that I couldn't put it down. This is why:Quirky and charming, yet at the heart a beautifully told and descriptive tale of a young man's struggle to find his place in the world. All this set against a backdrop of different towns and cities (so vividly brought to life in the characters he meets). Often funny but tragically so.I found myself relating to a lot of the feelings he describes even though I hadn't shared many of his life experiences and towards the end found myself actually caring about the protagonist and wanting him to succeed. I think this is definitely down to the skill of the writer; creating a sympathetic, yet not wholly unbelievable central character. This is what brought the writing to life for me.In places it reads more like poetry than prose but overall I think it works. Also I wasn't sure what the point of having illustrations was to begin with (shouldn't the writing speak for itself?) but within the context of the book, I found it enhanced the writing by adding another dimension and I think that playfulness and inventiveness is it's finest attribute. It certailny left a lasting impression on me.Altogether a wonderful and entertaining story.

Andy Weatherall posted a mix on his Rotter's Golf Club site dedicated to this great novel - so I bought it. Everyone should read Giro Playboy.. So funny it hurts. Beautifully psychotic. Uncannily observed. Hats off to Michael Smith. I'd like to have an afternoon pint with him.

The book caught my eye on a friends bookshelf and I haven't had so much fun reading a book in a long while, it is definitely a memorable book.There are so many characters in it you will identify with and the calamity which befalls the author on almost every page makes it a gem.I just bought my own copy, I had to, I will read it again I know.

I bought this book to read it on my summer vacation in Marbella at the beach and I couldn't stop laughing while reading it.Fantastic book if you wanna have a good laugh!, absolutely love it to pieces.

Stunning writing, in a style reminiscent of Kerouac in his heyday.

I did enjoy The Giro Playboy, mainly because my life is full of many similar stories, charachters, scenarios and situations. I also laughed a lot, as I found myself in agreement with some of his mindsets and takes and thoughts on and to life and existence. Saying that, I did find chunks of the book unnecessary and worth skipping. Too often, he slipped into describing a walk and the accompanying weather, like some skunk stoned teenager, which started to became a little tiresome and a little bit "wow man, look at how beautiful everything is", while attaching some equally stoned, meaning to it all.In all in all though, give it a shot, it's short and fun.

I bought this ages ago, and nearly kept reading it, but then was scared of diving in, incase it didn't live up to the lovliness of its cover. Daft I know, but I held off, and then started reading it last week. Then I met the guy who wrote it, and babbled on about how much i loved it.In the morning, still drunk, I cringed at how much I'd raved about the book, and carried on reading.I was right to rave like.The tale of a drifting doley, who lives in Brighton and London and is from the North, it's the kind of book that makes you want to write notes in the margins and big circles around paragraphs, with the words 'ME TOO!' tattooed onto the page.He writes about places I've been, characters I recognise, situations that most of us have been through at some point in our twenties, especially if you're a creative type, but it's not just that.I laughed out loud at points and felt sick and sad at descriptions of lonely people messing themselves up royally.The best thing about this book though, no matter who you are or what you've done to yourself, you can empathise with this story mainly due to the sheer lovliness of his writing, which is natural and clever and real, and his knack of describing things that are so bad you can almost taste them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first offering from Michael Smith. From his beginnings in Hartlepool's Headland (think Britain's closest knit area) through to Brighton and London, there is never a dull moment.Having grown up on the Headland myself, I was delighted to see the warts `n' all description of the area and it's many colourful characters. No punches pulled here, the picture is painted beautifully. The whole story follows the same formula.This has all the ingredients of a great read. Gritty in some parts, dreamlike in others. It brought back many memories of great days gone by. Read it, you'll love it. I certainly did. Can't wait for the next offering