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130th out of 1,753 books
—
1,538 voters
All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye
Jane Fleming, forty-six and three years a grandmother, has always played by the rules, never hurt anybody, never lied, never even had a parking ticket. But she’s about to put all that right in a very big way…
Intrigue. Espionage. Advanced technology. Clinical violence. Hoovering.
It’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
Intrigue. Espionage. Advanced technology. Clinical violence. Hoovering.
It’s all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
Hardcover, 407 pages
Published
May 5th 2005
by Not Avail
(first published 2005)
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Utterly stupid and yet very, very entertaining. This is Brookmyres best for some time and nice to see a reversal in what I thought was becoming a downward trend.
Its all a James Bond type fantasy.... lived out by a 44 year old grandmother. Only Brookmyre could give such a plot.
Starts with a group of crack experts breaking into a defence facility. You think they are criminals but they are a security team testing vulnerability.
Then we have a story emerging. A young scientist has discovered the abil...more
Its all a James Bond type fantasy.... lived out by a 44 year old grandmother. Only Brookmyre could give such a plot.
Starts with a group of crack experts breaking into a defence facility. You think they are criminals but they are a security team testing vulnerability.
Then we have a story emerging. A young scientist has discovered the abil...more
I like to think that I’m a pretty open minded reader, I will give any genre a go and always finish a book no matter how dire it is. My boyfriend is the complete opposite. For him reading consists of Christopher Brookmyre, Christopher Brookmyre and Christopher Brookmyre. I thought this author must be good if he’s created this much of an addiction so I gave him a try. Now all I can say is, “I want to read another one!”
Brookmyre introduces us to a variety of unique main characters, most of which fo...more
Brookmyre introduces us to a variety of unique main characters, most of which fo...more
Like with every Brookmyre I've ever read, all I could think of after finishing this was how soon I could get another Brookmyre to read. If I saw a granny reading one in the street within an hour of finishing this, I would have robbed her. These books are drugs.
I think I know why. There's a brutal humour, cleverness and charm in Brookmyre's writing, but there's something else too. A third of the way through All Fun And Games, I faced up to the truth that I was reading a thriller. There. I said it...more
I think I know why. There's a brutal humour, cleverness and charm in Brookmyre's writing, but there's something else too. A third of the way through All Fun And Games, I faced up to the truth that I was reading a thriller. There. I said it...more
All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye = (A Granny ^ kick arse) + Eclectic group of criminal mastermind do-gooders for hire.
If I forced myself to choose a favourite Brookmyre book, this may be the one I would choose. If I forced myself. Maybe.
The start of this book actually made me pretty damn angry. One character for what a complete tit he was, in every single way imaginable, and the other—his wife and main character of the story—for letting her life get taken away from her. For putting...more
If I forced myself to choose a favourite Brookmyre book, this may be the one I would choose. If I forced myself. Maybe.
The start of this book actually made me pretty damn angry. One character for what a complete tit he was, in every single way imaginable, and the other—his wife and main character of the story—for letting her life get taken away from her. For putting...more
I truly wanted to love this book... there were some very memorable, clever lines and a fun story. Additionally, it's not very often one sees "hacking" represented realistically, especially when it's just a plot device. It was a nice change.
Unfortunately what spoiled the book for me was how the characters would suddenly start these internal monologues about how evil and stupid all religion is. I get that the author is an atheist, and that's fine, but the preaching really got in the way of the sto...more
Unfortunately what spoiled the book for me was how the characters would suddenly start these internal monologues about how evil and stupid all religion is. I get that the author is an atheist, and that's fine, but the preaching really got in the way of the sto...more
Intussen ook nog wat gelezen: van een uitstap naar Londen eens All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye (2005) van Christopher Brookmyre meegebracht. Aan de stapels boeken te zien moet Brookmyre een held zijn in z’n land, en dat is eigenlijk best te begrijpen. Het is immers een bijzonder flukse, slim in elkaar gestoken roman met een gezonde combinatie van humor en actie, pulp en literatuur. De uitgerekte proloog was aanvankelijk wat verwarrend, waardoor het meer dan vijftig pagina’s duurde...more
A very clever read that takes me right back to the East Kilbride, I hear the characters and see the locations.
For me this book was compulsive first time round and a proper treat to regularly re-read for my brookmyre fix. I particularly enjoy the thread of romance and like to imagine the author is a big softy under the vigilante violence.
If pushed I'd choose this as my favorite Brookmyre although (with the exception of Ducks) I've loved every single book once I get past the first 70'ish pages.
For me this book was compulsive first time round and a proper treat to regularly re-read for my brookmyre fix. I particularly enjoy the thread of romance and like to imagine the author is a big softy under the vigilante violence.
If pushed I'd choose this as my favorite Brookmyre although (with the exception of Ducks) I've loved every single book once I get past the first 70'ish pages.
Getting into this has proven impossible so far. The humour is really quite hammy and getting through the few pages I've managed has been an effort. Perhaps I'm just not in the mood for something comedic that's putting me off, or perhaps it's the pile of books from the library that sit there, enticing, assuring me that they're going to be more exciting and enjoyable.
I'll give this another shot in a little while, but for now I don't think I can manage it.
I'll give this another shot in a little while, but for now I don't think I can manage it.
The cover promises more humor than I picked up on, but it was written by a Glaswegian and has many unfamiliar words and phrases. Maybe the humor was hidden in them. It's something like "a housewife joins the A-Team", and the plot is somewhat of a stretch. It kept my interest up to the end, though, so I'd recommend it for a light read. I picked it up at the National Gallery gift shop in Edinburgh, which explains the local theme.
This was a fun, quirky thriller that injects a middle-aged English woman into a James Bondish type adventure. For reasons that make sense, she must join a group of agents for hire and take on some very tough customers. What surprises everyone is that she has a natural talent for this sort of thing and author Christopher Brookmyre uses this story twist to poke fun at conventional thrillers.
A thriller with its tongue firmly in its cheek, but with enough of the genre to keep the plot sailing along. And its Bond, Jayne Bond. She's a great character and the kind of mum to die for ... or who would die for you. Christopher Brookmyre has another series of novels with Jack Parlabane as the main character. The Parlabane series are also funny and exciting and intelligent.
I was at the point of giving up and putting the book down by chapter four or so - there was action, but nothing that made me care about the story - but thankfully it did get interesting after that and turned into a fun, addictive read. I don't think it's something that I'd read again, or that I'll track down his other books, but it's a good story, worth reading.
This is a great romp by Christopher Brookmyre with all the trademark Brookmyre ingredients of murder, mayhem, twists, turns and humour, where the one thing you can be sure of is that nothing is as it seems.
The heroine of the book is a dutiful, downtrodden middle aged wife and mother. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much! Great fun.
The heroine of the book is a dutiful, downtrodden middle aged wife and mother. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much! Great fun.
One of the "stand-alone" Brookmyres: not part of the Parlabane or Angelique de Xavia sequences. Possibly a good introduction to his books if you haven't read him before. A life of action-packed, life-threatening adventure suddenly descends upon a Scottish housewife. Full of typical Brookmyre sardonic humour and geekery.
Action, guns, sex, murder! What more could you ask for? Personally, I'd ask for an action hero who isn't a grandma.
I liked this book well enough. The story was fun and the pace was fast. But I also had to read about old people sex. And I kind of felt bad for the scientist for having to be rescued by his mom.
I liked this book well enough. The story was fun and the pace was fast. But I also had to read about old people sex. And I kind of felt bad for the scientist for having to be rescued by his mom.
This book is exactly what it wants to be: a clever indulgence with just enough grounding to keep you in the fantasy. I especially enjoyed the dialogue. Though the book took a bit to get going, it ended up being a perfect summer read. This is my fist Brookmyre book, and I look forward to reading more.
Feb 09, 2013
Laura
added it
I picked this up on a trip through Heathrow airport. (At the time, fewer of his books were available in the US, so there was actually some reason there. ) Sometimes books make the best souvenirs. :)
Another fun read. Being a grandmother is no obstacle to kicking butt.
Another fun read. Being a grandmother is no obstacle to kicking butt.
Absolutely great read, if you like Brookmyre's style you'll love this. You need a sense of humour and the imagination to enjoy reading stories that are far fetched but why els would you read a book like this! Not as funny as some of his other books but some nice twists and turns along the way.
Impressive book - not sure is these are ever turned into films - but this is all action and full of hollywood "coincedences". I guess my love for these is the same as other's love for Bond. I don't know why people like Bond films...so I guess maybe others may not like these!
What a fun book. A little comedy mixed with a little action. It was well written, the characters were engaging, the story was interesting. I just randomly picked up this book at the library while I was on vacation. I'll definately read the other stuff he's written.
Very typical thriller with no real interesting twists and very typical characters...even the middle aged heroine (a sop to the the aging boomers market..a very cynical piece of writing). Many will enjoy this because almost no thought is required.
Absolutely loved this book, the characters were funny & realistic in their fabulous Scottishness. Was great to read slang I hadn't heard for years & some I'd forgotten. This is my second Brookmyre book but certainly won't be my last!
I wish I could find more books like this one! A strong female heroine with non-stop action. And there is humor in it! Super fun reading with so much action its hard to put it down. A most excellent book.
A really, really good read. The characters are excellent, the false trails and surprises are superbly carried out, and the things Jane does to get her son back are staggering. Truly an excellent book.
I wouldn't have chosen this myself, but it was a book club choice and after wading through the first chapter started to thoroughly enjoy it. Completely ridiculous, but sometimes that's just what I want.
Liked the first chapter, then a little slow to get going, but in the end up to his usual standard. Made me paugh out loud a couple of times. Liked it!!!
James Bond meets Good Housekeeping. Brookmyre brings Glasgow's dark sense of humour to the world of international espionage. Maybe not as many laughs per page as his other books, but the humour here is in the absurdist juxtaposition of the characters involved.
I don't really get why some people rave about this author. To me this book is a holiday read. Nothing wrong with it and at times was quite enjoyable but at the end it didn't leave me with a satisfied feeling.
Another great book in the brookmyre vein. You know what you getting james bond meets hollyoaks! But it works. Love this as much as any of the others i read and will be picking up another one soon!
Feb 14, 2010
William Gerke
marked it as to-read
Mentioned in the Boskone 2010 panel on the Heroine's Journey as an example of a grandma going off and having adventures.
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Christopher Brookmyre is a Scottish novelist whose novels mix politics, social comment and action with a strong narrative. He has been referred to as a Tartan Noir author. His debut novel was Quite Ugly One Morning, and subsequent works have included One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night, which he said "was just the sort of book he needed to write before he turned 30", and All Fun and Games unti...more
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Jan 05, 2013 10:21am