The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger

by David Nobbs

The much-anticipated latest novel from David Nobbs, The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger, is the spiritual follow-up to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and is as witty as it is prescient.

Meet Sir Gordon Coppinger: globally-successful financier and owner of Canary Wharf’s The Coppinger Tower. A reluctant father, shameless adulterer, and devotee of all things extravagant, Gordon lives an exclusive life filled with fine wines and surrounded by servants and mistresses. It would seem to be a world without want.

So when revelations about his scandalous relationships and less than honest business practices emerge, the glamorous façade begins to crumble and those around him start to fear the worst. But, much to Gordon’s surprise, all he can feel is relief.

The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger is a brilliant and often extremely funny examination of modern British values and the craving for a public fall from grace. In a world that is built on the crazy principles of wealth and celebrity, and which is driven by the insatiable desire to attain more and more, we meet the perfect anti-hero: Gordon Coppinger, a man going quietly sane.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Contemporary

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 22, 2012

Reviews

[Grace Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, when I learned the title for David Nobbs' new book, my first thought was: hasn't he already done this? Didn't he once write a book with a very similar title? I, of course, was thinking of "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Perrin." Reggie might have been one of the most popular and well-loved of his character creations, but my first thought on marking the similarities in the titles was alarm bells. It struck me as an author who has run out of ideas and is striving to recapture some of his earlier, glory days. The Times, in a review of the book, have stated that "nothing that Nobbs has written since [Reggie] has had quite the same impact"; and it's true that this isn't the comic masterpiece that was Reggie Perrin.

Within the book, title aside, there are shades of Reggie - only this time the story is told from the insufferable viewpoint of the CJ character - Gordon Coppinger. Gordon, like CJ, is a man who knows how to make people uncomfortable, and with the clever use of office furniture (hard chair or easy chair?) emphasise their powerlessness in his company. I also detected shades of one of my other favourite characters of Nobbs' creation, Henry Ezra Pratt, within the novel. The grim Climthorpe United scenes really reminded me of the scenes within the Pratt novels relating to Thurmash United.

All of the above said, though, this is a completely different book from either Reggie or Henry Pratt. As time has passed, Nobbs's work has adopted a more serious tone and this is a serious novel about a man who is losing everything but slowly finding his humanity again. Yes, there are some good one-liners in it - Nobbs still hasn't lost his way with words and that neat and witty turn of phrase which characterises his work - but, overall this is a book which is filled with pathos for the human condition in the modern age. Like all Nobbs' work, it's worth reading, on the understanding that it will make you cry as well as laugh out loud.

Like one of the other reviewers, I found that the plot was a little muddled at times and I didn't really get where it was going. Still, I enjoyed it, and that's an end result in itself. It didn't take me long to read and it was a pleasurable way to pass the time.

The part where Hugo warns Gordon that he is about to be arrested and they discuss any plans he might make in anticipation of this is particularly pertinent:

"'Leave my clothes on a beach and start a new life?'
'Well, it's been done before.'"

It certainly has.

[Ross Whamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always makes you smile with one liners and a turn of phrase.

Gordon is an updated CJ who discovers too late his humanity.And pays the ultimate price.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two books in a row with a self-centred womaniser as the main character, so it was interesting to see how my reaction differed!

Even though Gordon Coppinger isn't really a very nice character, I stayed with him throughout his story. And it wasn't because I wanted to read about his fall from grace - against all reason, I couldn't help getting attached to Sir Gordon and hoping he would find a way out of his travails eventually. Which just shows how cleverly the author handled the story, I guess.

This was one of those books that I couldn't put down because I was enjoying it so much, and yet at the same time I scolded myself for reading it so fast because I didn't want it to be over.

Two minor gripes - one was that the story starts with Gordon experiencing self-doubt for no apparent reason, and it's only later that things start to unravel. There's no cause and effect between the two and I felt there should've been. The other was the ending, which disappointed me.

[Doug Lewars · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a modern variation on the Gatsby tale but focused primarily on the wealthy individual itself as opposed to someone on the periphery. I came across it when I was using Goodreads list of books that relates to a specific search. So I searched for Tom Sharpe - my favorite author but very, very dark comedy - selected one of his books at random and then checked what else people liked that might be similar. This isn't as humorous as Sharpe's material but I did have a couple of chuckles throughout the course of the book. Basically it's the story of a wealthy narcissist who find himself, much to his surprise, beginning to notice and empathize with other people. In the end his world falls apart but he doesn't seem to mind much. I can't say that this is brilliant comedy but I enjoyed it and I can recommend it to others - perhaps older readers.

[Jonkers Jonkers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the book and there were certainly parts that amused me. I haven't actually read 'The Rise and fall of Reginald Perrin' but if it's anything like as good as the program, then this is not in the same league. It was reasonably easy to read and kept me interested enough. I did feel a bit muddled at times and wondered if some parts really added much to the story. Good fun though.

[James Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Nobbs - perhaps best known for the Reginald Perrin saga - was an accomplished comedy writer and, though this book was written towards the end of his life, he's on fabulous form here, charting the fall from grace of a rich, powerful man who, through embarking on a voyage of self-discovery, rediscovers his better side - though not without consequence.

To avoid any plot-spoilers, I'll say no more other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are skilfully drawn and the story holds the attention from start to finish.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical David Nobbs book with most of the virtues, but lacking a bit of charm perhaps and a wider set of characters. Perfectly good fun, but not stunningly good.

[David Short · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a similar vein as his other books, but this one less successfully in my view. A bit too much "grim up north" and stock characters

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seldom particularly funny so don't walk into this expecting a laughfest of any kind, but for a fairly gentle satire of current England you could do a lot worse. Lionel Asbo, by Martin Amis, for example, shows a writer of rare talent who seemingly just couldn't be bothered to do more than toss out a few tabloid caricatures. David Hobbs does something a little similar but because he genuinely likes the characters, for all their flaws, he makes them breathe, engage in proper conversations, strive to make something of their lives: they are believable. and for this I forgive the plot contrivances, I even forgive the fact that a tycoons fictional football team rediscover their form against Portsmouth FC.... A decent book, 3.5 stars but minus a half for the slur on Pompey. (Forgive? Yes. Forget? Never!)

[Steven Pilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Nobbs. I spent a lot of my youth reading Reginald Perrin and love the Pratt of the argos books

This is a gentle tale of a bad man trying to change and discovering its harder than you may think.

Nobbs doesnt create a reality but creates a world where you dont mind the lack of reality. Its fun, may make you sad if you are that kind of person but it has a sense of humour, whips along at a cracking pace and leaves you thinking one more chapter.

This is not a book that will change the world but it will whilst you read it make it a bit better

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It gets two stars because I didn't hate it all the way through, I just didn't "get" it. I didn't find the humour that funny, it wasn't absurd enough to be absurd or sharp enough to be that satirical. I found the plot a bit of a muddle and the pacing a bit patchy. It dragged at times. And I hated the ending. I don't know if he was aiming for emotional resonance, but it felt like he ran out of steam and it was a bit of a cop-out. The protagonist didn't really redeem himself enough for it to work.
Otherwise, it's a gentle read and can be mildly amusing in places, it just didn't suit me.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had wondered whether it would be a bit of a let-down after having enjoyed the 'Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin' but, although there were certain similarities, it was highly readable and had a gentle wit, a bitingly acute observation and an honesty that came through in the final stages. It was good fun, too! The plot was varied and had some unexpected turns. There were a few twists in the plot that I found stretched credibility a little, but overall it was an amusing and enjoyable read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a patch on Reggie Perrin. I wonder why copy your own title and inevitably invite comparison; if it had been called anything else it would have sat more easily. Coppinger is basically CJ at the start (rather than Reggie)and it didn't have the sense of the absurd or the witty word playing dialogue of the earlier books. Not altogether unenjoyable but was expecting far greater things really

[eLwYcKe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked Gordon, despite his many shortcomings. He was always calm in a crisis and I admire that.
This was quite a pleasant, mildly humorous read and not the savage satire these times might deserve.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

A melancholic satire full of timely references but a little short on giggles.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for Reginald Perrin in the library and found this - by the same author , almost the same title , but absolutely not the same quality .

[Jason Willson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this. Not a page turner but I liked the character although he was a bit of a twit. One part of the book really made me laugh out loud though as it was unexpected.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very amusing. Nobbs was not on top form with this one.