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Skios

3.11 of 5 stars 3.11 · rating details · 1,056 ratings · 330 reviews

The great master of farce turns to an exclusive island retreat for a comedy of mislaid identities, unruly passions, and demented, delicious disorder

On the private Greek island of Skios, the high-paying guests of a world-renowned foundation prepare for the annual keynote address, to be given this year by Dr. Norman Wilfred, an eminent authority on the scientific organizatio...more

ebook, 224 pages

Published June 19th 2012 by Metropolitan Books (first published May 3rd 2012)

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Jul 31, 2012 Xirxe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, verschenkte-bücher

Ach war das schön! Endlich mal wieder eine Komödie im besten Sinne des Wortes. Kein lauter Schenkelklopfer, eher eine 'Schmunzelgeschichte' da man das Grinsen nicht wieder wegbekommt, bevor man das Buch aus der Hand legt.
Dr. Norman Wilfred, ein berühmter Wissenschaftler, reist auf die kleine griechische Insel Skios, um dort bei der Fred-Toppler-Stiftung (die die zivilisierten Werte fördert, was immer die auch sein mögen) einen Vortrag zu halten - der Höhepunkt der jährlichen Hausparty. Gleichzei...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Aaron (Typographical Era) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, man-booker-2012, nook

Humorous. Hilarious. Absurd. Funny. All of these words can be used to adequately describe the tightly written, complex ensemble of off the wall characters that populate the world of Michael Frayn’s Skios, but only one word can accurately describe the story itself: farce. Judging this novel by the very definition of this word – a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot – Skios effortlessly exceeds all expectations, but is worthy of the Man Booker Prize? U...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Jim Leffert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the author of that sublime theatrical farce, Noises Off, comes this loopy tale. It's about an array of misguided characters who get into a barrel full of pickles at a foundation’s annual conference at the foundation's archeologically rich and scenic estate on Skios, a Greek island. Front and center, we have the invited keynote speaker, Norman Wilfred, who ends up elsewhere on the island, and a charming bounder named Oliver Fox, who is taking his place. Fox, who has swiped Wilfred’s identity...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, british, favorite, fiction, islands, funny

Skios may a play posing as a novel, but it is in good company: practically all the characters in this very funny farce are pretending to be someone they are not. And those that don’t pretend to be someone else have it forced upon them. I listened to the audio production of this book, performed with great comedic timing by Robin Sachs, and feel sure that this book is best enjoyed as a performance rather than as a reading experience.

The Fred Toppler Foundation, established by a once-stripper wife...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Regi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Wow, I must be out of touch with what constitutes good writing because I absolutely hated this book and wanted the hours of my life I spent reading this book given back to me. Possibly this is what they call "beach reading" or whatever but it was just a waste of ink, time and a few good trees.

The cover and the dust jacket summary were enticing, but the story was just awful. I had expected a "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "A Fish Called Wanda" comedy but got basical...more Spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Wow, I must be out of touch with what constitutes good writing because I absolutely hated this book and wanted the hours of my life I spent reading this book given back to me. Possibly this is what they call "beach reading" or whatever but it was just a waste of ink, time and a few good trees.

The cover and the dust jacket summary were enticing, but the story was just awful. I had expected a "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "A Fish Called Wanda" comedy but got basically a reminder of how absolutely stupid people can be when they don't have enough sense to exercise their brains.

For example, a character thinks her friend is in Switzerland because the friend keeps saying "skiers" - the name of the Greek island is actually "Skios" - and despite talking about tropical temperatures, and pronouncing the words correctly, it never clicks in anyone's head that they are on the same island.

The character flies to that island to rendezvous with someone she previously met for 5 minutes - no address, no contact information, no idea what is going on. Seriously, was I wrong to think "axe murderer" set-up? I mean no one does stupid stuff like that anymore, how hard up to get laid were they, and why would I sympathize with someone so desperate and lacking self-confidence?

The worst part of the book was the main character who starts all the trouble in the first place. It is implied that he is some kind of well-known lovable, charming, irresistible, yet accomplished con-artist or grand schemer, but in his thoughts he just seems pitifully delusional and not even sure of his own identity or why he does what he does - which bring up the question, "What exactly IS he doing?"

The next to last chapter consists of the author breaking the "4th wall" or whatever they call it in the movies when an actor looks at the camera and seems to be interacting with the audience. In the book, the writer goes on this theoretical and philosophical random discourse about what would happen, what could happen, and what might happen if certain characters in the book had done certain things, and then he just ends it with a ridiculous set of circumstances that is only welcomed because the book ends.

I don't know what everyone else saw in this book, I'm just amazed by the rave reviews. At the core I only saw a cast of characters driven by their sexual urges (although there is little sex in the book, it is a motivation for all sorts of activities) and the ambition of everyone to be someone or be somewhere other than who/where they were.(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Forthbridge rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Frayn is very interested in philosophy and even when he is writing a comic novel he raises a lot of interesting questions. Identity is one of these and when speaking about it in at the Edinburgh Book Festival the author cited the case when one promoter put out several versions of the same performer. The promoter had found one talent and franchised, so the Marty Melodymaker playing in a show in Memphis had a doppelganger in Sacramento also playing to an appreciative audience. A fraud, but...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Judith rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was going to be very gently disparaging about this book, always thinking that the author could accidentally happen on this site and accidentally read a review and he seems like a nice guy so I didn't want to accidentally hurt his feelings. Then I did something I never do which was to look at the other reviews on this site BEFORE I wrote my review and I saw that he has such rave reviews he can toss off mine like crumbs from the breakfast toast. So since there is no risk of the author slitting h...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Helena Halme rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read a few of Michael Frayn's books and although they're not my kind of novels, I've enjoyed reading them and even found myself thinking back to the characters long after. This is strange, since I feel the characters are exactly what annoy me in his stories.

Take Skios, his latest book. All the main protagonists in this novel are far too close to being caricatures for my liking: There's the celebrated scientist Dr Wilfred, who is due to deliver a speech at a high-brow event at something cal...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Frayn’s novel Skios is comic, witty, provocative and outlandish. I picked it up because it is set on a Greek island, and I love Greek islands, and it clearly was determined to make farcical fun of a foundation pow-wow, and that appealed to me, too. There’s something about pretentious gatherings in idyllic places--islands, old castles, alpine lodges and seigniorial estates--that begs for laughter but seldom is given its due.

Frayn’s central device is the core of comedy going back millennia...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Ben Dutton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Frayn has nothing left to prove. Already an award-winning playwright and novelist, he won over the critics many years ago. He is well known for his farces – the play Noises Off, his 1999 novel Headlong, for instance – and Skios doesn’t do anything to change this reputation. This is a farce of basest kind, and all the better for it.

The plot of Skios is tough to summarise: let’s just say that two men arrive on the Greek island of Skios, one for a date, the other to give a talk, and throug...more Michael Frayn has nothing left to prove. Already an award-winning playwright and novelist, he won over the critics many years ago. He is well known for his farces – the play Noises Off, his 1999 novel Headlong, for instance – and Skios doesn’t do anything to change this reputation. This is a farce of basest kind, and all the better for it.

The plot of Skios is tough to summarise: let’s just say that two men arrive on the Greek island of Skios, one for a date, the other to give a talk, and through a simple act of misrepresentation by one, they end up switching lives. I believe Frayn has gone on record as saying he wanted to see if a theatrical farce could work on the page, as a novel – and this is the best description of how Skios works. It is a theatrical farce that would work really well with actors to bring it all to life. In fact, as I read, I kept picturing the stage (and the screen, as this could work very well as a film). That is not to say that it reads like a film treatment, which some novels these days certainly do, but that certain trappings that you would accept on stage don’t work as well on the page.

All of the above sounds like major criticism of the novel. It is, but this is not to say that for the majority of its length, Skios is actually very funny. It’s base – there are national stereotypes, it is crude, and it becomes overly complicated in the final act – but Michael Frayn does pull off (just about) the crude theatrical farce as novel. It does, however, fall apart in the final few chapters. It has the problem that all farces have – how to resolve all the problems created in a satisfying manner. Frayn brings all the storylines towards collision, and then suggests what is going to happen and then has something else happen entirely. Events that have had no real meaning in the novel take on significance and it becomes distinctly unsatisfying. To me it was a real misfire of an ending that undid a lot of the good work that had come before it.

Skios is not a novel you are ever going to read more than once: it is all surface sheen and no true depth, and it is best read in one sitting (I gulped it down in three hours), but for entertainment it is a good laugh, if overly slight.

Will it win the Booker?

Its appearance on the Man Booker longlist does seem more like a gratuity to Frayn: he’s not yet won the Booker, and he probably should have done so for Headlong (where he had the misfortune to come up against JM Coetzee firing on all cylinders with Disgrace), and it has been ten years since his last novel. Seniority in his field could see him put through to the shortlist, but Skios is not his best novel, not by a longshot, and so this might see him getting culled. (less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Sandie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's the annual event everyone's been waiting for on the private Greek island of Skios. Nikki, the manager of the prestigious Fred Toppler, has scored a major coup, one that should cement her position as the next Director of the foundation. For the guest lecturer, she has obtained the services of the renowned science management guru, Dr. Norman Wilfred. Rich and famous people are flying in from all over the world, eager to hear the latest nuggets of wisdom from Dr. Wilfred. This will be a major...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Esmeralda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dr. Norman Wilfred has flown to Skios to give a distinguished speech to a group of rich academics at the Toppler Foundation. Due to an unfortunate string of coincidences, he is whisked off to a villa while a con artist, Oliver Fox, takes his place at the Toppler gathering. At first blush, this may seem to be only a farcical comedy of errors. Fun is poked at the distinguished empty-headedness of academia, at silly assumptions people make when they don't have all the information (which, of course,...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Elisha Condie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm helpless when presented with these kind of books (...or movies...or tv shows...) - characters stumbling over one another in a carefully choreographed farce gets me Every. Single. Time. I love it.

This author wrote the play "Noises Off" which I saw as a kid and still remember just loving. This book is about the fancy Toppler Foundation on the island of Skios in Greece. An intellectual is due to speak, gets mixed up in a case of mistaken identity with the charismatic free spirit who takes it...more

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Jul 30, 2012 notgettingenough rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humour, modern-lit

This is the only novel I've read by Frayn which has somewhat disappointed me and I think I know why. It isn't a novel. It's a play, or more likely, it's a screen play.

One of the very finest things Frayn does (and that is high praise indeed) is frantic farce. He does Fawlty Towers better than John Cleese did it. The human disposition for disaster is something he explores hilariously in Noises Off and again in Clockwise. Not for the first or last time I rue the ignorant critical reception this mov...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: uk-fiction

I think that 3.5 to 3.75 stars is a good rating for this novel. Farce is not something I normally read, so I had to really keep an open mind here. Actually, I liked it and it did make me laugh out loud in spots.

I'm not keeping my ARC so it needs a home -- if you live in the US and you want this book, it's yours. Be the first to leave a comment expressing that you want the book, and I will send it to you, postage is on me. So here's the review:

(ARC - many thanks to the publisher and my apologies...more I think that 3.5 to 3.75 stars is a good rating for this novel. Farce is not something I normally read, so I had to really keep an open mind here. Actually, I liked it and it did make me laugh out loud in spots.

I'm not keeping my ARC so it needs a home -- if you live in the US and you want this book, it's yours. Be the first to leave a comment expressing that you want the book, and I will send it to you, postage is on me. So here's the review:

(ARC - many thanks to the publisher and my apologies for taking so long to read it. )
-read in June-

Talk about a light read! While I wouldn't use the term "sidesplittingly funny" to describe this book, it is fun in a schticky, farcical kind of way, populated with oddball characters and set on the Greek island of Skios.

The basic setup for the novel is as follows: The Fred Toppler Foundation was conceived of as a "center of wisdom and civilization, a place of beauty where the finest minds in the English-speaking world can mix with the leaders of English-speaking society." Prior to the annual Fred Toppler lecture, the residents have been spending time at the "Great European House Party," taking seminars about Minoan cooking, learning traditional Macedonian dancing or Late Medieval flower arranging, followed by afternoons of swimming, "civlized conversation," and other venues for "spiritual refreshment." The speaker for this year's event is Dr. Norman Wilfred, who is set to enlighten everyone on "The Promise of Scientometrics." All the logistical details are handled by Mrs. Toppler's PA Nikki, who as the novel opens, is heading out the door for the airport. For Nikki, the event absolutely must go off without a hitch -- she's got designs on moving up to a directorship. Nikki arrives at the airport, picks up Dr. Wilfred and returns to the Foundation. But, uh-oh! The Dr. Wilfred she's picked up is not the real Dr. Wilfred at all, but Oliver Fox, a young guy who has recently decided to take opportunities when they are presented. To Nikki's "Dr. Wilfred?" he smiles and says "I cannot tell a lie;" meanwhile, the real Dr. Wilfred has been dealing with a luggage mix up -- all of the information except his lecture notes are in his bag, and he can't seem to reach his PA. He gets into a taxi where the driver says to him "Phoksoliva?" ready to take Dr. Wilfred to a villa that was supposed to be a temporary love nest for Oliver Fox and a Georgie, a girl he had met in a bar, an arrangement Fox is already sorry he made. From there it's a crazy muddle, as the real Dr. Wilfred finds himself alone in the villa with Georgie, as Oliver Fox posing as the real Dr. Wilfred is winning friends and influencing people at the Foundation, and as things quickly go downhill on both fronts. But just when the reader is ready to let the whole farce run its logical course, there are still a few more surprises to be had.

There are some funny moments in this book that actually made me laugh out loud. There is the story of how Mrs. Toppler came to be Mrs. Toppler and came to Greece after her husband's death (she was formerly Bahama LaStarr, Vegas show dancer; before that she was Apricot del Rio); in another the real Dr. Wilfred, who while at the villa thinks he's actually at the Foundation center and calls the main desk to try to get directions to the breakfast area and ends up finding only goats; and the scenes with the taxi driving brothers Stavros and Spiros. The characters are also quite funny in their own right -- not just the main players, but some of the people who have come to stay in Skios: Cedric and Rosamond Chailey who slip away when "anything so American" is being discussed; Chuck Friendly and his wife Mrs. Chuck Friendly, to name only a few. Then there's Dr. Wilfred himself, whose egotistical and academic exterior conceal silk underwear, a hidden mole fetish and healthy sexuality, among other things.

The fun of this book is not so much in the schticky kind of situations caused by the mix-up of identities, for which, I might add, you absolutely must suspend all disbelief for several reasons, most notably that it's highly dubious that Nikki wouldn't even know what her famous keynote speaker looks like. I much more enjoyed the characters, the interplay between them and the sheer implausible silliness of it all. Frayn's wonderful way with detail and description are also plusses, as is his take on in-crowds, reputation, and credulity.

Skios is funny, but then again, funny is in the eye of the beholder, so it's one of those books you have to experience for yourself. I'm not a huge reader of farcical kinds of stories, but the novel did produce a few hearty chuckles and a kind of fun tension wondering if "Phoksoliva" would ever make it up to the podium to deliver the Toppler Lecture. I'd say give it a try -- its humor, satire and wit make for an easy and fun summer read.
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Jul 02, 2012 Mal Warwick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Funny Story by a Veteran British Playwrignt and Author

You may have heard of Michael Frayn without remembering his name. The successful British playwright and novelist is best known for the stage plays Noises Off, a frequently produced farce of mistaken identities, and Copenhagen, which portrays a meeting in 1941 between two of the giants of 20th Century physics, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, at a time when Heisenberg was thought to be working on an atomic bomb for the Nazi regime.

In Skios,...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

Michael Frayn is probably best known for his novel Spies although he has written lots of different novels, plays, articles and non-fiction books too. Spies is one of those books I have known about and been interested in for a long time but somehow never gotten around to actually reading. Part of the reason I accepted the request to read Skios was because I thought it being a review book would make me read it rather than just putting it on my to be read pile, and if I liked it I might actually ge...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dr. Norman Wilfred is a guest speaker at the Fred Toppler Foundation. He will be talking about his theories in science. Oliver Fox is traveling to the island of Skios for a hook up. While at the airport, Oliver has a freak out moment. He wonders what it would be like to be someone else. When Oliver gets the opportunity, he runs with it but will he make the most of it.

While, I was expecting to laugh a lot more then I actually did, there were still some funny moments. My favorites scenes involved...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Chuck rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Skios is absolutely hilarious . . . at least until one crosses the midpoint. As Shakespeare demonstrated with The Comedy of Errors, it is possible to construct a successful comical farce, based on mistaken identities, in a relatively short amount of space. If Michael Frayn had followed the Bard's example, he might well have produced a clear winner. But Frayn apparently couldn't resist the temptation to extend and to complicate, and in the process of falling into that trap, he ends up undercuttin...more Skios is absolutely hilarious . . . at least until one crosses the midpoint. As Shakespeare demonstrated with The Comedy of Errors, it is possible to construct a successful comical farce, based on mistaken identities, in a relatively short amount of space. If Michael Frayn had followed the Bard's example, he might well have produced a clear winner. But Frayn apparently couldn't resist the temptation to extend and to complicate, and in the process of falling into that trap, he ends up undercutting his own effort.

Set on the mythical Greek island of its eponymous title, Skios centers on a well-endowed foundation that hosts an annual bash for benefactors and celebrities. The highlight of the event is a keynote address, to be given this time by Dr. Norman Wilfred. But who is the real Dr. Wilfred? Frayn's background in philosophy is evident as he humorously explores questions of identity, while effectively skewering academics, social climbers, power-grabbers, the rich, and the well-connected.

This isn't a very demanding novel, and it's worth reading all the way to the end, even though its humor largely subsides as the plot thickens unnecessarily. The climactic ending is especially disappointing. Instead of allowing the keynote lecture to proceed (with great comedic potential), Frayn introduces a chaotic conclusion that seems quite gratuitous (this comes after an authorial catalog of possible endings, none of which materializes). After all, given Dr. Wilfred's strict deterministic views, what does happen was bound to happen, for the seed of each moment of the universe was contained in the previous one, and the whole series unfolds according to the laws of causality. One might have hoped that Frayn would replicate Dr Wilfred's logic in finishing off the story. But nothing in Skios that preceded the denouement seemed to anticipate the conclusion that the author opts for, and the actual result pales in comparison with its possible alternatives.

Michael Frayn is a celebrated novelist and playwright, and even in a lesser work such as this one, his writing is pleasing and his intelligence is apparent. If it's entertainment that you seek, you'll probably find that Skios fills the bill . . . even if you give up on it by half-time.(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: man-booker-nominees

This will never win the Man Booker 2012 (for which it has been longlisted). It's much too entertaining and not nearly as depressing as The Gathering, Finkler's Question, or Sense of an Ending, all of which I found completely dreary. Skios is fun, light, and ridiculous. It's a glass of sparkling wine on a hot sunny day in the Greek Islands. Booker winners tend to be more like a glass of whisky, straight, on a rainy day in Ireland, served to you by a surly bartender in need of Prozac.

A fun read, f...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Catherine Woodman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The second of my 2012 Man Booker long list books is also not a likely winner--it is just too fun and upbeat to be competative, I fear. Frayn is the author of one of my modern favorite plays (Copenhagen), but this book is squarely in the realm of his other well loved play 'Noises Off'. It plays on the theme of mistaken identity from start to finish, and while the premise is a bit of a stretch, suspention of believe is often a necessary first step in enjoying fiction. So off we go. Dr Norman Wilfr...more The second of my 2012 Man Booker long list books is also not a likely winner--it is just too fun and upbeat to be competative, I fear. Frayn is the author of one of my modern favorite plays (Copenhagen), but this book is squarely in the realm of his other well loved play 'Noises Off'. It plays on the theme of mistaken identity from start to finish, and while the premise is a bit of a stretch, suspention of believe is often a necessary first step in enjoying fiction. So off we go. Dr Norman Wilfred is a "genuine celebrity" in the world of science management; he is the key note speaker at the Fred Toppler Foundation on the fictional Greek island of Skios, invited to give his classic lecture "Innovation and Governance: the Promise of Scientometrics". Snore. Fortunately, that is not what ends up happening.
Let the exchange of identity begin! At the airpoort Oliver Fox by chance picks up Dr Wilfred's identical suitcase at the carousel, and when he sees Nikki, the foundation-appointed minder, waiting at arrivals with a sign saying "Dr Norman Wilfred", he decides to assume the academic's identity; he is soon charming the other guests with his clueless but witty remarks on scientometrics. Dr Wilfred, meanwhile, is duly whisked off by Oliver's pre-ordered taxi to a villa (again, you have to suspend belief to like this), where he goes to sleep and wakes up to find Oliver's newly arrived weekend guest, Georgie, in his bed. Of course, Georgie and Nikki are the best of friends, Nikki, while not quite sure hoe Dr. Winfred got to where he is at so young an age, is more occupied with planning a brief fling with him than sussing out his real identity, and there apeear to only be two cab drivers on the whole island, and they are brothers who communicate with each other--mandatory for the farce to be completely pulled off. Meanwhile, Oliver's angry girlfriend arrives on the island; a Greek shipping magnate and a Russian oligarch also become embroiled in the action. It is a romp, pure and simple, and I for one very much enjoyed it.
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Aug 07, 2012 C_ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alle-fertig-und-zu-hause, deutsch, lies, lustig, poetisch-literarisch

Dieses unwahrscheinlich humorvolle Buch (auf eine dauerschmunzelnde und anspruchsvolle Art humorvoll, nicht auf eine kreischend lachende, flachwitzige Art humorvoll) lebt von seinen außergewöhnlichen Charakteren in außergewöhnlichen Situationen. Da wären zu nennen:

Nikki: eine dezent blondierte, dezent gebräunte, nicht ganz so dezent ehrgeizige junge Frau, die als Personal Assistent einer unglaublich reichen in keinster Weise dezenten Witwe angestellt und für das Event des Jahres der Fred-Toppler...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is to the Greek island of Skios that the extremely wealthy and discretely sun-tanned are invited by the Fred Toppler Foundation - a place in which they hope to rub shoulders with similar types whilst absorbing what they can from the greatest cultural minds of Europe. Professor Norman Winifred has been invited to give this year's lecture, only he finds his suitcase has gone missing at the airport...and so begins the sun-drenched farce. A sort of 'Benidorm' with posh people, if you will.

Overal...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Veronica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, binned

No, no, no, no! I'm so disappointed with this book. I might have accepted it from some lesser author, but this is Michael Frayn. I have some sympathy with the author of this review. If it had been a film, it could have kept me entertained for 90 minutes. But a book gives you longer to mull over the unlikeliness of the events, the stupidity and implausibility of the characters, their sheer annoyingness. After page 80 I skim-read to the end. There were about 10 pages in the middle where it seemed...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Elaine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Wow, this really disappointed. The first several chapters were pitch perfect farce, I literally LOL'ed several times, in that surprised belly laugh way that gets fellow commuters looking at you oddly. But then when Frayn has all his ingredients in place, comedic error succeeding comedic error at a hectic pace, the book suddenly bogs way down in static meditation on identity (really!), a long long denouement that resolves little or nothing, and jarring violence that is utterly out of place in the...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Readingjay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, british, humour, booker

What, humour on the 2012 Booker longlist? Not just humour, but farce, pure and simple. Opening and closing doors, of the taxi and bathroom kind, three women, misunderstandings and a stolen identity - all the elements are there. How can it all possibly end? Knowing the conventions, we understand that all three women must be brought together in the denouement and the imposter exposed, but how will Frayn bring it off? Well, he manages to sublimely, and in the telling throw in a fair measure of sati...more

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May 17, 2012 Sam Woodfield rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've recently reviewed this novel for a UK retailer.
The novel is based on a small, peaceful Greek island and revolves around Oliver Fox, who steals the identity of an eminent lecturer, Dr Norman Winston, and this starts a chain of events which will bring the lives of those in the novel together until Fox, Winston and their fellow islanders are thrown together in the strangest of circumstances.
I have to say I was disappointed with the novel. The story moved very quickly, which normally I wouldn't...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Bettina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Irgendwo inmitten der vielen griechischen Inseln könnte es so eine wie Skios geben: Vielleicht zwanzig Kilometer lang und in bester Lage hat sich eine bedeutende Stiftung zur Förderung wissenschaftlicher und kultureller Inhalte niedergelassen. Der jährliche wissenschaftliche Hauptvortrag dort wird nicht nur von trockenen Wissenschaftlern gehört, sondern hauptsächlich von reichen Mäzenen und Geschäftsleuten, die von Wissenschaft keine Ahnung haben. Aber sie geben einen mondänen Rahmen ab, in dem...more Irgendwo inmitten der vielen griechischen Inseln könnte es so eine wie Skios geben: Vielleicht zwanzig Kilometer lang und in bester Lage hat sich eine bedeutende Stiftung zur Förderung wissenschaftlicher und kultureller Inhalte niedergelassen. Der jährliche wissenschaftliche Hauptvortrag dort wird nicht nur von trockenen Wissenschaftlern gehört, sondern hauptsächlich von reichen Mäzenen und Geschäftsleuten, die von Wissenschaft keine Ahnung haben. Aber sie geben einen mondänen Rahmen ab, in dem Geschäfte gemacht werden. Szientometrie ist das Zauberwort des wissenschaftlichen Hauptvortrags in jenem Jahr, in dem das nackte Chaos auf der kleinen Insel ausbricht.

Nikki Hook konnte den Experten auf diesem Gebiet gewinnen, Dr. Norman Winfred, und hofft, sich ausgiebig in dessen Renomée sonnen zu können. Eine leitende Position in der gastgebenden Fred-Toppler-Stiftung wäre ihr ganz lieb. Dummerweise sieht der am Flughafen ankommende Oliver Fox so gut und leger aus, wie sie sich einen Wissenschaftler am liebsten vorstellen würde. Fox ergreift die Chance, die ihm die sehnsüchtig träumende Nikki bietet, lässt den Seitensprung mit Georgie sausen und versucht sich als Hochstapler. Winfred gerät ohne nennenswerte Griechisch-Kenntnisse an einen Taxi-Fahrer ohne nennenswerte Englisch-Kenntnisse und landet aus Versehen bei der sehnsüchtig wartenden Georgie.

Soviel Durcheinander kann kaum gut gehen. Das kann man sich denken. Oliver Fox hat mit seinem absichtlichen Rollenwechsel noch relativ viel Glück und laviert sich geschickt durch den gesellschaftlichen Event. Norman Winfred jedoch, der unfreiwillig vertauscht wurde, erwischt es weniger gut. Nach mehreren Fehlversuchen gelingt es ihm (wenn auch mit Hängen und Würgen), zur Stiftung zu gelangen. Dort finden sich überhaupt überraschend viele Menschen ein, die irgendwie mit Oliver, Nikki und Georgie verbunden sind. Der Showdown wird entsprechend unübersichtlich.

Das Geschehen auf Skios erinnert mich an die unterhaltsamen Komödien der Boulevard-Theater, in die mich meine Eltern immer schleppten und die auch zum Unterhaltungsprogramm im Fernsehen gehörten. Seltsame Verwechslungen, Leute, die sich knapp verpassen, Menschen, die etwas bemerken, aber nichts sagen und am Ende treffen alle plötzlich und unvorbereitet aufeinander. Es gibt Missverständnisse und es gibt meist jemanden, der noch ein ganz eigenes Süppchen kocht. Das plätschert leise vor sich hin bis zum bitteren Ende. Frayn übertreibt übel, aber das fällt kuam auf, weil das grausame Chaos nicht so weidlich ausgebreitet wird wie all die Pannen und Kuriosa zuvor. Das angerichtete Drama geht in irgendeiner Zeile nahezu unter, weil Nikki und Georgie diesen Abend gemütlich ausklingen lassen. Wie auch immer sie das unter diesen Umständen schaffen, aber bei den jungen Frauen kehrt Ruhe ein. Und Oliver Fox kehrt zu seiner Paraderolle als Oliver Fox zurück.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Ritja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england, humor-satire

Ich habe das Cover gesehen und fühlte mich angesprochen.
War es der Esel?
Was es das Orange?
Ich weiß es nicht - außer, dass mir die Leseprobe gut gefallen hat.

Eine junge Frau, an der so ziemlich alles dezent und nett ist, bereitet eine Rede vor. Schon in den ersten Zeilen und Seiten spürt der Leser die kleinen und feinen Seitenhiebe auf so manches abgehobene Seminar, welches Menschen für viel Geld besuchen. Auch Nikki bereitet ein solches Seminar vor und muss nun einen Redner vom Flughafen abho...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Linda Lackey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every summer I long for a funny book. Something absurdly entertaining that will take me out of this world into a madcap world of laughter and I expected Michael Frayn, whose famous play Noises Off is very funny, to deliver. At best, it reminded me of an episode of Three's Company. Set on the private island on Skios at Greek villa conference center where wealthy philanthropists have gathered to hear world-renowned lecturer Dr. Norman Wilfred speak, a case of switched personalities occurs. Enter...more

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About Michael Frayn

Michael Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce Noises Off and the dramas Copenhagen and Democracy. His novels, such as Towards the End of the Morning, Headlong and Spies, have also been critical and commercial successes, making him one of the handful of writers in the English language to succeed in both drama and prose fiction. His works often rais...more

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“The almost egregiously English couple, Cedric and Rosamund Chailey, had slipped quietly away when the conversation turned to God. It had not seemed polite to be present when anything so American was being discussed.” — 1 person liked it

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