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Wilt #5
The Wilt Inheritance
Henry Wilt, Tom Sharpe's beleaguered hero, returns again for another hilarious dose of quickfire farce.
Stuck in a job he doesn't want -- but can't afford to lose -- as nominal Head of the Communications Department at Fenland University, Wilt is still subject to the whims of The Powers That Be, both in and outside of work. The demands of his snobbish wife Eva, and the stupendous school fees of his despicable quadruplet daughters, cause him the biggest headaches... apart from the hangovers, that is. When Eva signs him up for a summer job, teaching the gun-toting idiot son of a lusty local aristocrat, Wilt is not amused. But, as circumstances unravel and the summer goes on, Wilt sees that the situation could be put to his financial advantage, as well as giving Eva some headaches of her own.
With Tom Sharpe's famous dark humour in full evidence, and an explosive plot which takes its readers to places they never realised they wanted to visit, The Wilt Inheritance is another instant classic from the British master of farce.
Stuck in a job he doesn't want -- but can't afford to lose -- as nominal Head of the Communications Department at Fenland University, Wilt is still subject to the whims of The Powers That Be, both in and outside of work. The demands of his snobbish wife Eva, and the stupendous school fees of his despicable quadruplet daughters, cause him the biggest headaches... apart from the hangovers, that is. When Eva signs him up for a summer job, teaching the gun-toting idiot son of a lusty local aristocrat, Wilt is not amused. But, as circumstances unravel and the summer goes on, Wilt sees that the situation could be put to his financial advantage, as well as giving Eva some headaches of her own.
With Tom Sharpe's famous dark humour in full evidence, and an explosive plot which takes its readers to places they never realised they wanted to visit, The Wilt Inheritance is another instant classic from the British master of farce.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2010
39 people are currently reading
568 people want to read
About the author
Tom Sharpe
86 books552 followersTom Sharpe was an English satirical author, born in London and educated at Lancing College and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After National Service with the Royal Marines he moved to South Africa in 1951, doing social work and teaching in Natal, until deported in 1961.
His work in South Africa inspired the novels Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure. From 1963 until 1972 he was a History lecturer at the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology, which inspired his "Wilt" series Wilt, The Wilt Alternative, Wilt on High and Wilt in Nowhere.
His novels feature bitter and outrageous satire of the apartheid regime (Riotous Assembly and its sequel Indecent Exposure), dumbed- or watered-down education (the Wilt series), English class snobbery (Ancestral Vices, Porterhouse Blue, Grantchester Grind), the literary world (The Great Pursuit), political extremists of all stripes, political correctness, bureaucracy and stupidity in general. Characters may indulge in bizarre sexual practices, and coarser characters use very graphic and/or profane language in dialogue. Sharpe often parodies the language and style of specific authors commonly associated with the social group held up for ridicule. Sharpe's bestselling books have been translated into many languages.
His work in South Africa inspired the novels Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure. From 1963 until 1972 he was a History lecturer at the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology, which inspired his "Wilt" series Wilt, The Wilt Alternative, Wilt on High and Wilt in Nowhere.
His novels feature bitter and outrageous satire of the apartheid regime (Riotous Assembly and its sequel Indecent Exposure), dumbed- or watered-down education (the Wilt series), English class snobbery (Ancestral Vices, Porterhouse Blue, Grantchester Grind), the literary world (The Great Pursuit), political extremists of all stripes, political correctness, bureaucracy and stupidity in general. Characters may indulge in bizarre sexual practices, and coarser characters use very graphic and/or profane language in dialogue. Sharpe often parodies the language and style of specific authors commonly associated with the social group held up for ridicule. Sharpe's bestselling books have been translated into many languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
August 22, 2020
I listened to the audio version, splendidly narrated by Michael Tudor-Barnes.
Satirical controlled demolition: of the British class system, family relationships, and social correctness. A tragicomedy with unlikable characters in bizarre, P.G.Wodehouse-like absurdity. A hoot if you're in the mood.
I went with the flow in this comedy of ill manners, if you will, not even remotely trying to figure out the chaos of Henry Wilt, his wife, Eve, the crazy demented quadruplets, the wealthy magistrate, pseudo aristocrats, Sir George and "Lady"Clarissa, and an uncle with a wooden leg who vanishes. Funny and dark. Fast moving. Great entertaining, relaxing experience.
It is an 'up-yours' experience. A very good one. :-)
Satirical controlled demolition: of the British class system, family relationships, and social correctness. A tragicomedy with unlikable characters in bizarre, P.G.Wodehouse-like absurdity. A hoot if you're in the mood.
I went with the flow in this comedy of ill manners, if you will, not even remotely trying to figure out the chaos of Henry Wilt, his wife, Eve, the crazy demented quadruplets, the wealthy magistrate, pseudo aristocrats, Sir George and "Lady"Clarissa, and an uncle with a wooden leg who vanishes. Funny and dark. Fast moving. Great entertaining, relaxing experience.
It is an 'up-yours' experience. A very good one. :-)
June 2, 2011
“[The wife]: «You’ve got no Get Up And Go in you, that’s what you’ve got.»
At that Wilt got up and went.” (p.2)
“[The wife]: «I know I did but I have changed my mind.»
«You haven’t got a mind to change,» her husband snarled.” (p.170)
That’s the pattern Sharpe’s jokes are based on.
Funny?
Look at the staff of his story: Wilt, a sentimental cynic who – naturally – hates his wife, Eva, a pain in the ass. Her friend, “Lady” Clarissa, (naturally) an alcoholic and nymphomaniac, “Sir” George, a weapon-freak who hates everyone, especially the “Lady”. An old Colonel who – naturally – lost a leg in the war with the “Huns”. Four teenagers who escaped from an Enyd-Blyton story, and a lunatic boy who shoots at everything and everyone he can aim at. Finally an obese secretary who claims she “doesn’t hold with gossip” but constantly tells all lies that cross her mind.
Funny?
Maybe in the times of P.G. Wodehouse or Buster Keaton. As a novel published in 2010 it looks like a Prussian Castle rebuilt in Berlin in the year 2012.
Not funny.
At that Wilt got up and went.” (p.2)
“[The wife]: «I know I did but I have changed my mind.»
«You haven’t got a mind to change,» her husband snarled.” (p.170)
That’s the pattern Sharpe’s jokes are based on.
Funny?
Look at the staff of his story: Wilt, a sentimental cynic who – naturally – hates his wife, Eva, a pain in the ass. Her friend, “Lady” Clarissa, (naturally) an alcoholic and nymphomaniac, “Sir” George, a weapon-freak who hates everyone, especially the “Lady”. An old Colonel who – naturally – lost a leg in the war with the “Huns”. Four teenagers who escaped from an Enyd-Blyton story, and a lunatic boy who shoots at everything and everyone he can aim at. Finally an obese secretary who claims she “doesn’t hold with gossip” but constantly tells all lies that cross her mind.
Funny?
Maybe in the times of P.G. Wodehouse or Buster Keaton. As a novel published in 2010 it looks like a Prussian Castle rebuilt in Berlin in the year 2012.
Not funny.
March 30, 2012
Maybe I would appreciate this book more had I read some of the series' previous entries first. However, on its own merits this book was simply awful. For a book that is supposed to be a comedy, it elicited not one single laugh from me. The 'jokes' are childish whilst the author's forays into the 'edgy' topics of sex or delinquancy are clumsy and embarrassing. Upon discovering Tom Sharpe's age, this is perhaps expected of an octogenarian writing for a contemporary audience. But for the sake of the readership and the author's own credibility, I would sincerely advise the publishers to put him out to pasture now, or at very least vet the books for the irritating overuse of certain phrases. Perhaps the only credible merit I could give the book would be the truly bizarre characters and the strength of their convictions that Sharpe manages to give them.
January 21, 2022
This is not the greatest of the series, but it was in my Audible library and worth listening to a second time.
Tom Sharpe, of course, pretty much guarantees a few laugh-aloud moments, provided one is open to unsophisticated, slapstick humour. This one delivered for me, though other books in the series, and books like Porterhouse Blue, pack more punch.
It's remarkable how few authors have the ability to make readers laugh. Tom Sharpe is one of the few that has worked consistently for me, Wodehouse of course being another one. Needless to say, the two have slightly differing views towards the British elite. Others who I have found do generate laughs, but less consistently, are Carl Hiaasen and Kyril Bonfiglioli. It's a really small club of writers who have done a lot to improve population health...
There are character-driven novels, plot-driven novels and then there are books like this which are driven by an unlikely mix of characters and plot that can only end in a farce. The interactions between Wilt and the long-suffering Inspector Flint bring back memories of other (better) escapades, including an unforgettable one with an inflatable doll.
Interestingly, Sharpe was deported from South Africa for a work mocking the Apartheid regime. So they certainly took him seriously.
Tom Sharpe, of course, pretty much guarantees a few laugh-aloud moments, provided one is open to unsophisticated, slapstick humour. This one delivered for me, though other books in the series, and books like Porterhouse Blue, pack more punch.
It's remarkable how few authors have the ability to make readers laugh. Tom Sharpe is one of the few that has worked consistently for me, Wodehouse of course being another one. Needless to say, the two have slightly differing views towards the British elite. Others who I have found do generate laughs, but less consistently, are Carl Hiaasen and Kyril Bonfiglioli. It's a really small club of writers who have done a lot to improve population health...
There are character-driven novels, plot-driven novels and then there are books like this which are driven by an unlikely mix of characters and plot that can only end in a farce. The interactions between Wilt and the long-suffering Inspector Flint bring back memories of other (better) escapades, including an unforgettable one with an inflatable doll.
Interestingly, Sharpe was deported from South Africa for a work mocking the Apartheid regime. So they certainly took him seriously.
November 14, 2013
I do remember reading Tom Sharpe years ago at university and finding Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure very funny, also Wilt and Porterhouse Blue. So, wandering through Poundland and seeing this for sale it seemed like £1 well spent. Not so. I'm tempted to go back and read (or glance) at the earlier books to see if my tastes have changed or if this just a piece of easy/lazy writing. It's difficult to believe that it would have been published without the series to support it. It is a very weak story. There are few if any comic moments. I do remember a slight exhalation of breath that may have been a laugh. The characters barely count as stereotypes they are so thinly drawn. Beyond being given names, there is little to describe them apart from some ludicrous adjectives. In fact, it is really badly written, so much so that it almost comes across as a parody of bad writing. And maybe it is. Maybe the joke is on us.
August 3, 2012
A riotous, fun-filled romp lacking only in general riotousness and fun-fillery, although there is the occasional romp mentioned. This being the first of Tom Sharpe's 'Wilt' books I have read, I may perhaps be overly harsh in my assessment, but rarely before have I been so unmoved by the trials & tribulations of the central character (or indeed any of the other characters). After struggling my way through this book over several weeks, I finally finished it and was left feeling profoundly underwhelmed and thinking 'Well that was certainly a sequence of words printed on paper'. I will certainly refrain from reading any further 'Wilt' books in future.
December 6, 2016
Tom Sharpe's Wilt series is always entertaining British satire at its best. The Wilt Inheritance doesn't disappoint. Wilt's likeable personality leads him inadvertently into often frustrating and generally unintended adventures, spiked with a good dose of humour. In the disguise of misfortune, he manages to question the behaviours of those in positions of power. Sharpe innocently weaves events around Wilt , so that they always get their 'come-uppance', (though we're not always sure about the end, until it happens). Sharpe shows his astute analysis of people's behaviour and takes the reader along the various threads of the story, culminating with a dramatic ending.
June 19, 2019
Having read most of Tom Sharpes other books this was a highly anticipated read for me. An absolutely terrible read, it felt like someone else had written the book on his behalf without anywhere near the skill. The jokes felt forced and the last half of the book felt rushed like the author had to meet a two hour deadline to complete. Sorely dissapointed!!
February 14, 2020
He was in his eighties when this was written and although not as good as his earlier work it reminded me of the affection i felt for his older novels. A good read and after all these years still funny.
July 2, 2024
Sharpe and his explosive plot takes you to visit places you never knew you wanted to visit, but can this hero survive against the bottomless vulgarity and hysteria of our cartoonish times? The protagonist Henry Wilt has had experiences in life which have left him with a rather cynical outlook, augmented further by the antics of his wicked quadruplets and overbearing, sexually repulsive wife, Eva. We encounter larger than life characters like nymphomaniac, alcoholic Lady Clarrisa and her lunatic son whom Wilt is to tutor in preparation for Porterhouse, Cambridge. We soon realise the futility of the summer as the son is unlikely to even catch the right train to Cambridge, let alone gain admission, he is a dim-wit, a dim-wit with a passion to shoot at just about anything. But the novel isn't funny, it pales in comparison to Sharpe;s other works. The play on a stereotypically prim culture which hides a tumultuous sea of deceit and sexual anarchy is not outrageous anymore. The scenarios are just too obvious, the jokes rubbish and the farcical bits are artless, feeble and far too desperate to elicit laughter. All I witnessed was a series of events that successfully won in chipping Wilt's spirit. In defense, it is still a Wilt-ish experience, but a forgettable one.
October 28, 2012
It's when Riotous Assembly was suggested to me in 1985 that my reading really took off. I read Sharpe's books in Dutch first, the switched to English. And I read them all with great pleasure, stories of unimaginable mayhem. Although I still read any new story that comes out, and still enjoy them, I never catch myself laughing out loud anymore. Is it me? Is it the stories? Difficult to say. Still a pleasant read though.
May 16, 2011
Sólo puedo decir que ha sido decepcionante. Entiendo que después de cuatro aventuras, siendo la cuarta la más floja esta fuera en la misma línea pero no ha sido así y, al igual que su protagonista Wilt, echo de menos los tiempos en los que destripaba el Sr de las Moscas con Carne Uno. Ni una carcajada, ni tan siquiera una sonrisa y eso que las cuatrillizas prometían...
August 15, 2011
The authors style of writing clearly resembles PG Wodehouse, but maybe not as funny. I'm sure a lot of people, including myself, love Wodehouse in 2011 as much as they did decades ago. Sharpe on the other feels like a cheap knockoff. The book is absurd at points, merely vulgar at most, and takes a sharp(no pun) turn towards some sort of light sadism at the end.
October 10, 2017
Glimpses of the old magic, but not up to the standard of the others in this series
September 18, 2012
En una palabra: decepcionante.
December 31, 2014
Read to complete the set!
September 7, 2025
I have been a fan of Tom Sharpe since I came across "Ancestral Vices" back in the early eighties. I thought I had read all of his books, but obviously not, as I came across this title while browsing through Waterstones in Newcastle-upon-Tyne recently. That may not be particularly relevant, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless.
"The Wilt Inheritance" is the fifth in the series that began with "Wilt" in 1976. Henry is still married to the indomitable Eva and is the father to the now-teenage quads. Between them, the Wilt family have an uncanny ability to get themselves into the kind of troubles that invariably involve farcical misunderstandings.
This time around, the Wilts are struggling to meet the fees of the private school that Eva insists on sending the girls to. When an opportunity comes up for Henry to tutor an acquaintance of Eva's, he reluctantly agrees and soon finds himself at Sandystones Hall, the ancestral home of the eccentric Gadsley family.
It soon becomes very clear that tutoring the psychopathic Edward is not going to be as easy as Henry had hoped, and that the other inhabitants of the house will not make his time there any easier. However, as you would expect (if you have read any of the previous books), things are only going to get worse when the rest of the Wilt family arrives on the scene.
What follows is a typical Sharpe farce. Misunderstandings, murderous intent and sexual predation are all mixed together in a plot that is not as unique as I would like. Tom Sharpe is at his best when he is poking fun at the establishment. And whilst he does do that here, the subject matter is not new and contains elements of previous books (the aforementioned Acentral Vices being one).
The Wilt Inheritance was Tom Sharpe's final novel, and although I did enjoy it, it was not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of his earlier work. That said, Tom Sharpe on a bad day is better than many writers at their best.
"The Wilt Inheritance" is the fifth in the series that began with "Wilt" in 1976. Henry is still married to the indomitable Eva and is the father to the now-teenage quads. Between them, the Wilt family have an uncanny ability to get themselves into the kind of troubles that invariably involve farcical misunderstandings.
This time around, the Wilts are struggling to meet the fees of the private school that Eva insists on sending the girls to. When an opportunity comes up for Henry to tutor an acquaintance of Eva's, he reluctantly agrees and soon finds himself at Sandystones Hall, the ancestral home of the eccentric Gadsley family.
It soon becomes very clear that tutoring the psychopathic Edward is not going to be as easy as Henry had hoped, and that the other inhabitants of the house will not make his time there any easier. However, as you would expect (if you have read any of the previous books), things are only going to get worse when the rest of the Wilt family arrives on the scene.
What follows is a typical Sharpe farce. Misunderstandings, murderous intent and sexual predation are all mixed together in a plot that is not as unique as I would like. Tom Sharpe is at his best when he is poking fun at the establishment. And whilst he does do that here, the subject matter is not new and contains elements of previous books (the aforementioned Acentral Vices being one).
The Wilt Inheritance was Tom Sharpe's final novel, and although I did enjoy it, it was not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of his earlier work. That said, Tom Sharpe on a bad day is better than many writers at their best.
August 31, 2022
Boris Johnson puede considerse muy afortunado porque Tom Sharpe falleciera antes de que triunfara el Brexit y se uniera un despropósito detrás de otro para intentar justificar ante los británicos que ahora viven mejor y son más independientes. Este sagaz y punzante humorista no habría dejado títere con cabeza a la hora de caricaturizar la moderna clase política británica y sus relaciones con la Unión Europea.
La herencia de Wilt vuelve a retomar a su personaje más conocido, Henry Wilt, profesor de una panda de mastuerzos en una escuela politécnica, con una vida familiar infernal y una inmensa capacidad para meterse en lios y salir bien parado, aunque sus desventuras incluyan muñecas hinchables o terroristas.
Sus cuatrillizas y su mujer, junto con otros personajes peculiares y desquiciados, logran que pase un verano que no olvidará.
La herencia de Wilt vuelve a retomar a su personaje más conocido, Henry Wilt, profesor de una panda de mastuerzos en una escuela politécnica, con una vida familiar infernal y una inmensa capacidad para meterse en lios y salir bien parado, aunque sus desventuras incluyan muñecas hinchables o terroristas.
Sus cuatrillizas y su mujer, junto con otros personajes peculiares y desquiciados, logran que pase un verano que no olvidará.
May 4, 2021
Quizás como en la cuarta entrega, Wilt no es el desencadenante de la situación, sino que se ve arrastrado a ella, siendo un mero espectador que se encuentra en el lugar indicado en el momento oportuno. En este caso se ve arrastrado por Eva y sus Quads, más una serie de nuevos personajes.
No hay tanto protagonismo en él, sino en el planteamiento de la situación, que ocupa casi toda la novela y bajo mi punto de vista, el desenlace acaba siendo abrupto y simple.
Al tratarse de la quinta y última novela de la colección Wilt, he de decir que me alegro de haber escogido leerme estos libros durante esta maldita pandemia, puesto que cada uno de los libros siempre acaba provocando varias sonrisas.
No hay tanto protagonismo en él, sino en el planteamiento de la situación, que ocupa casi toda la novela y bajo mi punto de vista, el desenlace acaba siendo abrupto y simple.
Al tratarse de la quinta y última novela de la colección Wilt, he de decir que me alegro de haber escogido leerme estos libros durante esta maldita pandemia, puesto que cada uno de los libros siempre acaba provocando varias sonrisas.
April 24, 2025
I've recently been working my way through the Wilt series. There are five in all and I'd only read a couple back in the day. My teenage memories were of inappropriately hilarious novels complete with over the top plots. And so it has proved all these decades later until now.
The Wilt Inheritance (Wilt #5), the fifth and final book in the series is pretty perfunctory stuff. It garnered a few smiles and the odd chuckle but nothing to match the quality of the first three books
3/5
The Wilt Inheritance (Wilt #5), the fifth and final book in the series is pretty perfunctory stuff. It garnered a few smiles and the odd chuckle but nothing to match the quality of the first three books
3/5
March 11, 2018
Wilt is still working at what is now Fenland University lecturing in computer studies, but not earning enough to keep his four (quads) daughters at the school his wife thinks they should attend. Then via his wife he receives an offer to tutor the son of a wealthy family for £1500 a week + a £5000 bonus should the son get a place at Cambridge. All this plus a free holiday for his family in a cottage on the rich family's estate. Needless to say, in true Wilt fashion everything goes wrong including his wife asking the local vicar to bury a coffin which is found to contain no more than a log. Why? Well you will need to read to find out!
February 4, 2023
*** Possible Spoilers ***
I think this is the best Wilt book I've read so far. Unlike many of the others, the author spreads the narrative around, sometimes following Wilt, sometimes Eva, the peripheral characters and even the quads. I particularly enjoyed the latter as they set about spreading mayhem wherever they went.
This book is a farce and for those who don't like things like Fawlty Towers and Monty Python I'd suggest moving on. Likewise if you're politically correct or under the age of 45 I doubt this one is for you. Personally I thought it was great. I believe this is the last of the Wilt series but I missed one so I'm looking forward to reading it.
I think this is the best Wilt book I've read so far. Unlike many of the others, the author spreads the narrative around, sometimes following Wilt, sometimes Eva, the peripheral characters and even the quads. I particularly enjoyed the latter as they set about spreading mayhem wherever they went.
This book is a farce and for those who don't like things like Fawlty Towers and Monty Python I'd suggest moving on. Likewise if you're politically correct or under the age of 45 I doubt this one is for you. Personally I thought it was great. I believe this is the last of the Wilt series but I missed one so I'm looking forward to reading it.
December 30, 2017
Los gastos del colegio privado de sus cuatro hijas fuerzan a Wilt a aceptar un trabajo de verano. Dar clases privadas al heredero de una familia nobiliaria cuyo mayor objetivo es ser soldado para matar gente. El retrato de la nobleza obsoleta y los problemas de la gente normal se meclan de forma hilarante.
November 8, 2018
42 WORD REVIEW:
Erstwhile satirist Sharpe seems here merely to have given up on the world. ‘Wilt’ is notionally a comedy of (ill)manners, but the line-by-line laughs are lacking and the plot, for all its spiteful bluster,
Erstwhile satirist Sharpe seems here merely to have given up on the world. ‘Wilt’ is notionally a comedy of (ill)manners, but the line-by-line laughs are lacking and the plot, for all its spiteful bluster,
September 2, 2020
The least well-written and humorous book of the Wilt series, which I guess can be attributed to the age when the author wrote the final novel. Nonetheless, the distinct style of Sharpe was visible and as a fan of the series I have to say I rather enjoyed it. I leave the book with nostalgia and an extreme feeling of sadness that the author has passed away and as such Wilt's story ends here. 😔
March 31, 2022
First time ever I’ve been underwhelmed by Tom Sharpe, and I’ve read many of his books.
Still as I’ve had so many laugh out loud moments in previous books, I thought, someone else said, maybe I’d changed as I’ve got older.
So currently reading Wilt on High, which I’m pleased to say is very funny and sees the old rascal back on form.
Still as I’ve had so many laugh out loud moments in previous books, I thought, someone else said, maybe I’d changed as I’ve got older.
So currently reading Wilt on High, which I’m pleased to say is very funny and sees the old rascal back on form.
June 18, 2018
The author is amazing with his style of writing. A serious situation which would interpret to take 4 pages would be covered by Tom in 10 lines and in the most laughable way possible. Thank you for a book which makes you smile.
February 12, 2019
Wilt remains a consistent and likeable character but Eva is now simply a harridan and the quads are downright sociopathic; I actually found their actions quite distasteful.
An easy read but even for a farce, it stretched credibility to breaking point. Plus Myra Hindley jokes are really never okay.
An easy read but even for a farce, it stretched credibility to breaking point. Plus Myra Hindley jokes are really never okay.
June 27, 2019
Está bien, aunque lo realmente gracioso se da al final y en pocas páginas, cuando de repente hay un tumulto de personajes. Antes van presentado a todos pero se alarga. Final de saga, que hay que leer.
August 29, 2019
So ends not only the Wilt saga but Tom Sharpe’s output. Nice, in a way, to go out on a Wilt, probably his most loved misfit, but unfortunately not as good as the Wilts of old. A better book than The Gropes for sure and at least this one had a better, if slightly rushed, ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews