What do you think?
Rate this book
Vacances anglaises
A hilariously deranged trip to the further shores of lust, snobbery and adultery, Summer Things is the new comedy by one of Britain's funniest novelists. Compared to the likes of Kingsley Amis and Tom Sharpe, Connolly's unforgiving brand of prose, reveling in the grotesqueries of everyday human behavior, is achingly funny.
Elizabeth has her heart set on a traditional English seaside vacation (five-star all the way, naturally), and her oh-so-well-to-do husband Howard agrees to pay, because that is largely what Howard is for. Their neighbor Dotty, who envies Elizabeth's lifestyle, determines on the very same vacation, but Dotty's impoverished husband comes up with an appalling alternative (don't even ask). Single parent Melody is going to the seaside too, to say nothing of despicable Miles McInerney: action is what he wants. In other words, hell is about to break loose.
First published December 31, 1998
11 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 24, 2016
Oh dear. This is unquestionably the worst-written book I can remember reading, even allowing for my only foray into modern chick lit (a Sophie Kinsella).
Connolly has written a biography of PG Wodehouse, and a reviewer in The Times likened this book to one of PGW's (I can only assume the reviewer had never read any PGW), but there are no wonderful Wodehousian metaphors and I couldn't detect any similarity of characterisation or plotting.
I only got to page twenty something as I was keener to get out a blue pencil and rewrite and correct it than actually to read the story, so I never reach any of the (allegedly) really funny sections.
I rarely give up on a book and have certainly never given up on one after so few pages, but it was too dire to waste any more time; I read for pleasure, not to get cross!
Casual and even incoherent language can work in direct speech and even, if done skilfully, in narrative, but the rambling, impossibly punctuated sentences with surplus words in a random order is continuous and infuriating.
Connolly has written a biography of PG Wodehouse, and a reviewer in The Times likened this book to one of PGW's (I can only assume the reviewer had never read any PGW), but there are no wonderful Wodehousian metaphors and I couldn't detect any similarity of characterisation or plotting.
I only got to page twenty something as I was keener to get out a blue pencil and rewrite and correct it than actually to read the story, so I never reach any of the (allegedly) really funny sections.
I rarely give up on a book and have certainly never given up on one after so few pages, but it was too dire to waste any more time; I read for pleasure, not to get cross!
Casual and even incoherent language can work in direct speech and even, if done skilfully, in narrative, but the rambling, impossibly punctuated sentences with surplus words in a random order is continuous and infuriating.
September 19, 2017
Sì, è bello. Sì, è frizzante. Sì, Connolly sa scrivere e far ridere.
Ma dopo un po' il giocattolo si rompe. Bisogna anche saper gestire la mole di un testo. E questo libro è sicuramente troppo lungo. All'inizio l'ho trovato davvero brillante e divertente, ma già a metà ero un po' "stomacato" e ne avevo abbastanza dello stile eccessivamente cinico e disinvolto dell'autore. Arrivare in fondo è stato arduo.
Avete presente quei sidri di mele frizzantini e all'apparenza freschissimi e zuccherini al punto giusto, ma che nascondono una dolcezza eccessiva e dopo poche sorsate già ti nauseano un po'? Ecco, qualcosa del genere.
Ma dopo un po' il giocattolo si rompe. Bisogna anche saper gestire la mole di un testo. E questo libro è sicuramente troppo lungo. All'inizio l'ho trovato davvero brillante e divertente, ma già a metà ero un po' "stomacato" e ne avevo abbastanza dello stile eccessivamente cinico e disinvolto dell'autore. Arrivare in fondo è stato arduo.
Avete presente quei sidri di mele frizzantini e all'apparenza freschissimi e zuccherini al punto giusto, ma che nascondono una dolcezza eccessiva e dopo poche sorsate già ti nauseano un po'? Ecco, qualcosa del genere.
November 28, 2012
Was somewhat entertaining, but the style of writing took away from it. At times, it was funny, but I didn't find it to be as hilarious as others who have reviewed it seemed to think. Wasn't a complete waste of my time, and would be good for an airplane ride or the like where something serious and deeply engrossing isn't the best option. Otherwise, it's eh. Cover art of the book is awesome though! Haha.
September 29, 2024
Did not read past page 7
*spoilers* *triggers*
17 year old girl nvolved in blow jobs just not my thing so promptly called it a day
*spoilers* *triggers*
17 year old girl nvolved in blow jobs just not my thing so promptly called it a day
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
Ganz lustig und unterhaltsam für eine lange Zugfahrt zum Beispiel
September 12, 2015
Worst book ever, horrible characters, none of whom I liked nor cared about, and a complete lack of a plot. I kept reading, thinking it would get better, but it did not. Hands down one of the stupidest books I've ever had the misfortune of reading.
November 1, 2021
Written in the 90's. Should have been left in the 90's. Blurb sold it as in the style of PG Wodehouse and Tom Sharpe but lacked the charm of these authors.
October 8, 2023
“The thing is [with life] you mustn’t I think, think about it. Think about it and it would break your heart. But if you just stagger through, like I do - well yes: life's a laugh”
A potpourri of English middle-class stereotypes descend on a English seaside town for a summer holiday. They’re a disparate lot ranging from the wealthy Howard and Elizabeth to the strapped for cash Brian and Dotty, added to this there is Norman, who has funded a trip to Chicago with his boss’ daughter using ill gotten gains and Howard who stays at home on the pretence of ‘work load’ but in fact has ulterior motives. Actually at the seaside are Melody, a single mum who’d rather not be a mum, Miles, who’s married with two kids but doesn’t want anyone (especially the women he meets) to know, the ultra possessive and totally obnoxious John and his poor wife Lulu and let’s not forget Brian and Dotty’s son Colin with his breast fixation.
This novel could easily have been called Middle classes behaving badly. It’s all a bit rudimentary, it is a story of lust and snobbery. The blurb on my copy compared this to P.G. Wodehouse and Tom Sharpe. I would lean more towards Sharpe (One scene in particular involving hand cuffs is straight from Tom Sharpe’s ‘Blott on the Landscape’). All the people are over the top caricatures, they have to be to create the humour here which is mainly of the English seaside postcard variety of the ‘Carry On’ films, although it does also have its dark side. For the most part the humour works with the hapless Brian involved in some of the better scenes (his analysis of how to make love to a woman is hilariously cringeworthy). It is all a bit frantic as we bounce from one mishap to another as in the great tradition of the British farce lots of sticks are grabbed at the wrong end.
Summer Things is about frantic illicit encounters of the sexual nature, the book title being a euphemism for sex, the books opening sentence leaves you in no doubt of what’s to follow. Most of the humour works well, some of it less so. It is however, to paraphrase the great Kenny Everett, all done in the best possible distaste.
A potpourri of English middle-class stereotypes descend on a English seaside town for a summer holiday. They’re a disparate lot ranging from the wealthy Howard and Elizabeth to the strapped for cash Brian and Dotty, added to this there is Norman, who has funded a trip to Chicago with his boss’ daughter using ill gotten gains and Howard who stays at home on the pretence of ‘work load’ but in fact has ulterior motives. Actually at the seaside are Melody, a single mum who’d rather not be a mum, Miles, who’s married with two kids but doesn’t want anyone (especially the women he meets) to know, the ultra possessive and totally obnoxious John and his poor wife Lulu and let’s not forget Brian and Dotty’s son Colin with his breast fixation.
This novel could easily have been called Middle classes behaving badly. It’s all a bit rudimentary, it is a story of lust and snobbery. The blurb on my copy compared this to P.G. Wodehouse and Tom Sharpe. I would lean more towards Sharpe (One scene in particular involving hand cuffs is straight from Tom Sharpe’s ‘Blott on the Landscape’). All the people are over the top caricatures, they have to be to create the humour here which is mainly of the English seaside postcard variety of the ‘Carry On’ films, although it does also have its dark side. For the most part the humour works with the hapless Brian involved in some of the better scenes (his analysis of how to make love to a woman is hilariously cringeworthy). It is all a bit frantic as we bounce from one mishap to another as in the great tradition of the British farce lots of sticks are grabbed at the wrong end.
Summer Things is about frantic illicit encounters of the sexual nature, the book title being a euphemism for sex, the books opening sentence leaves you in no doubt of what’s to follow. Most of the humour works well, some of it less so. It is however, to paraphrase the great Kenny Everett, all done in the best possible distaste.
September 8, 2017
I'm in two minds about this book. Although I see it was first published nearly 20 years ago, I had never heard of it until I brought a copy of the companion novel, Winter Breaks, in a nearly new shop, attracted by the blurb and description. On the back of this book the author is described as an established 'very English comic author, in the tradition of P G Wodehouse'. That may be the case, but, again, I'd never heard of Mr Connolly before last week. The book is comical - in parts - and I admit that at times I was laughing out loud. The book does, however, have its longeurs and the comedy is is more or less left until well towards the end of the book. I am sure that there are women who are inveterate shoppers, men who collect man hole covers, others who are inveterate womanisers and teenage boys aching to get laid. The trouble is that none of the characters is larger than life, as a good comic character should be (and as Wodehouse characters are). Many of them are downright loathsome. I am going to read Winter Breaks, although not straight away, if only to discover whether Norman Furnish makes use of the video...
January 17, 2018
Uno dei libri più noiosi e assurdi che abbia mai letto. Diventa interessante ben oltre la metà e per quanto ci siano scene e dialoghi divertenti e surreali, con equivoci e incomprensioni che strappano qualche risata, non riesce a riscattarsi dalla noia e dalla lentezza iniziale.
Scritto decisamente bene, il libro fornisce un affresco abbastanza ironico della borghesia londinese, con personaggi stereotipati e troppo concentrati sui loro esclusivi interessi per accorgersi o anche solo tentare di ascoltare gli altri. Tutti impegnati a organizzare e trascorrere quella che dovrebbe essere la vacanza perfetta in una delle più rinomate località turistiche del paese, ma in realtà finirà per essere un susseguirsi di situazioni assurde e paradossali. E al termine per molti di loro non ci sarà nemmeno un lieto fine.
Scritto decisamente bene, il libro fornisce un affresco abbastanza ironico della borghesia londinese, con personaggi stereotipati e troppo concentrati sui loro esclusivi interessi per accorgersi o anche solo tentare di ascoltare gli altri. Tutti impegnati a organizzare e trascorrere quella che dovrebbe essere la vacanza perfetta in una delle più rinomate località turistiche del paese, ma in realtà finirà per essere un susseguirsi di situazioni assurde e paradossali. E al termine per molti di loro non ci sarà nemmeno un lieto fine.
April 2, 2020
Probabilmente un tuffo nella provocazione e nel cinismo ai tempi di un nemico potente e reale quale il COVID-19 non è azzecatissimo. E dire che ho ricomprato questo libro appositamente per la seconda volta, perché ne conservavo un ricordo esilarante di quando lo lessi ai tempi della pubblicazione, una decina d’anni fa.
Ma chissà, magari il contesto non aiuta, magari una rilettura più attenta ha portato alla luce il fatto che, okay, la scrittura è scorrevole e non mancano quadretti esilaranti, ma ben presto si sfocia nel grottesco, nel triviale, con questo nugolo di finti perbenisti costantemente e unicamente impegnata a soddisfare i propri impulsi e desideri egoistici. E il tutto per oltre 400 pagine, davvero tante/troppo per una trama già di per se’ densa e non sempre gradevole. Due stelle e mezze arrotondate per difetto . Tiè!
Ma chissà, magari il contesto non aiuta, magari una rilettura più attenta ha portato alla luce il fatto che, okay, la scrittura è scorrevole e non mancano quadretti esilaranti, ma ben presto si sfocia nel grottesco, nel triviale, con questo nugolo di finti perbenisti costantemente e unicamente impegnata a soddisfare i propri impulsi e desideri egoistici. E il tutto per oltre 400 pagine, davvero tante/troppo per una trama già di per se’ densa e non sempre gradevole. Due stelle e mezze arrotondate per difetto . Tiè!
July 12, 2021
I bought this book in a library's bargain bin and saved it for a summer holiday beach read, thinking it would be a light, comical piece.
I was not expecting British dark humour at all and if you are not familiar with the genre you may struggle to get into this book and see it to the end. I personally stopped/started it a few times before I could get my head around the style and was definitely more revolted and horrified than humored, but there were just enough endearing characters to keep me reading till the end.
Although I was frustrated by the open ending, I do want to find out what happens to some of the characters and will be seeking out the sequel.
I was not expecting British dark humour at all and if you are not familiar with the genre you may struggle to get into this book and see it to the end. I personally stopped/started it a few times before I could get my head around the style and was definitely more revolted and horrified than humored, but there were just enough endearing characters to keep me reading till the end.
Although I was frustrated by the open ending, I do want to find out what happens to some of the characters and will be seeking out the sequel.
May 31, 2022
This book was classic farce full of so many comic / tragic characters.The pace of the writing was relentless and possibly at times a little off putting but somehow it seemed necessary to create the atmosphere of a farce.Hilarious at times and certainly not portraying men in particular in a very good light but then the female characters didn,t fare much better.
My only criticism was a slightly disappointing end.
My only criticism was a slightly disappointing end.
June 23, 2018
Extreme characters are a great way to surface the unreasonable and imperfect behaviors which all of us got in us to a certain extend. But if an author is taking that path, he has to make sure the work is hilarious enough. Otherwise it will be just another stupid story. Connolly has done a good job on it.
June 12, 2023
The characters are horrible. I mean it is people you really do not want to meet in your life. The author tried to be funny but the writing was horrible. A real waste of my time. Plus Melody hates her own baby, Elizabeth is a pedophile. Kate is a slut. Howard is also a pedophile. Dotty needs a mental institution because she thinks Dawn is Maria. Norman needs to go to jail. It is a horrible book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2025
This book is a pretty good anti-example for great ones, a piece of writing that I will mind back to just to fully appreciate the high quality writing later. Messy writing style, miserable and poorly created characters, zero plot, as well as flat sense of humor (made me grimace in disgust rather than with laughter).
July 20, 2023
2.5 stars. A very British farce…. A bit like reading Abigail’s Party, but whilst it has the humour it lacks the warmth and pathos. Unpleasant characters who dislike each other - so why would a reader care about them?
January 22, 2020
Nothing sophisticated but pretty entertaining in my opinion.
July 13, 2023
Riktigt dålig bok. Läs inte den
November 1, 2024
This has to be one of the worst books I’ve ever read. It’s badly written with really horrible characters and wasn’t remotely funny. PG Wodehouse? I think not!
November 15, 2024
This is a sex comedy. Although set in the late 90s, it felt much earlier, with the attitudes.
August 13, 2020
Terrible. I had to check the publishing date - was this truly not written in the 50s? Or, perhaps, has the author never met any women? Had I been a 95 year old male, then maybe I would have found it funny. I could not finish it.
March 1, 2013
This is a real old fashioned farce - which has the feeling of all being a little contrived but does have plenty of humour and a fast pace that keeps it all going along nicely.
A middle class family (Howard, Elizabeth and daughter Katie) live next door to a more working class family (Brian, Dottie and son Colin) who are on their financial uppers.
This provides the backdrop to the two themes, sex and class, that are used to comedic affect.
They are going on holiday to the same town - intially so that Brian can keep up with his richer neighbors, although they end up in a caravan, whilst Howard is in a top hotel.
The book is split into three parts - Before (the planning of the holiday), During and after (where a re-union is held at a summer party in Howards Garden).
There are some supporting characters - Melody is a family friend of Elizabeth and has a daughter. It turns out that these two go in Howards Place.
And then there is Norman - who works for Howard and starts the book off by receiving favours from his daughter under the office desk whilst he is talking to the boss.
Norman and Katie run go off to America together - providing the author with alternating stories to play against each other.
You could go on with the plot for a long time but to summarise - howard is sex mad and sleeping with anything going - he has had Melody and is keen to stay at home to be with his beloved Zoo-Zoo - who in one well worked out shock, turns out to be a boy!
Katie is uncontollable and soon abandons Norman for an american who she spends the rest of the holiday with.
Elizabeth ends up with Colin (both seem happy about this) and there are lesbian overtones with a friend she meets on holiday called Lulu. Lulu has an overprotective husband who constantly accuses her of sleeping around with other people, including a letcherous salesman who in reality is bedding melody.
the other family are far more sombre. Brian collects man hole covers and likes DIY. There is a great joke about him putting in a cat flap from old bits of material lying around the house. Even when they don't have a cat! he is suicidal and tries to end it all on holiday as he is bankrupt. this again, is funny but farcical, as he mistypes his note and says he is better off deaf - which in the botched attempt at jumping off a cliff into a mud bank, he succeeds in.
Dottie has lost a baby and spends the book taking care of melodys daughter (Norman is the father) and re-casting her in that image.
Colin is ok - despite his fantasying about breasts - until such a point that he loses his cherry.
Over and above the laugh out loud comedy, there are a couple of real successes in this book.
The style is a little hard to get used to but the author does a terrific job of showing how peoples thoughts and words are often at complete opposites.
And have you ever seen an author with more venom and hatred for his characters. He obvioulsy adhors this selfish behaviour and all the stero types of middle england and the class system.
Wonderful book and I will look out for more from the author.
A middle class family (Howard, Elizabeth and daughter Katie) live next door to a more working class family (Brian, Dottie and son Colin) who are on their financial uppers.
This provides the backdrop to the two themes, sex and class, that are used to comedic affect.
They are going on holiday to the same town - intially so that Brian can keep up with his richer neighbors, although they end up in a caravan, whilst Howard is in a top hotel.
The book is split into three parts - Before (the planning of the holiday), During and after (where a re-union is held at a summer party in Howards Garden).
There are some supporting characters - Melody is a family friend of Elizabeth and has a daughter. It turns out that these two go in Howards Place.
And then there is Norman - who works for Howard and starts the book off by receiving favours from his daughter under the office desk whilst he is talking to the boss.
Norman and Katie run go off to America together - providing the author with alternating stories to play against each other.
You could go on with the plot for a long time but to summarise - howard is sex mad and sleeping with anything going - he has had Melody and is keen to stay at home to be with his beloved Zoo-Zoo - who in one well worked out shock, turns out to be a boy!
Katie is uncontollable and soon abandons Norman for an american who she spends the rest of the holiday with.
Elizabeth ends up with Colin (both seem happy about this) and there are lesbian overtones with a friend she meets on holiday called Lulu. Lulu has an overprotective husband who constantly accuses her of sleeping around with other people, including a letcherous salesman who in reality is bedding melody.
the other family are far more sombre. Brian collects man hole covers and likes DIY. There is a great joke about him putting in a cat flap from old bits of material lying around the house. Even when they don't have a cat! he is suicidal and tries to end it all on holiday as he is bankrupt. this again, is funny but farcical, as he mistypes his note and says he is better off deaf - which in the botched attempt at jumping off a cliff into a mud bank, he succeeds in.
Dottie has lost a baby and spends the book taking care of melodys daughter (Norman is the father) and re-casting her in that image.
Colin is ok - despite his fantasying about breasts - until such a point that he loses his cherry.
Over and above the laugh out loud comedy, there are a couple of real successes in this book.
The style is a little hard to get used to but the author does a terrific job of showing how peoples thoughts and words are often at complete opposites.
And have you ever seen an author with more venom and hatred for his characters. He obvioulsy adhors this selfish behaviour and all the stero types of middle england and the class system.
Wonderful book and I will look out for more from the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2016
AWFUL!! I never, ever throw out books. Ever. I re-home them or give them to charity, to find new owners. This one, I made an exception for. I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone reading or even buying it. I hated it from the very first page and kept hating it so I tossed it in the trash where it. IMOHO, belongs.
August 4, 2007
hilarity ensues!
February 26, 2016
An easy read, but not that funny. Characters were a bit too over the top.
May 7, 2010
It's a stitch. Reminded me of another modern take on PGW: Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan. But this one is Bitter Funny not just Screwball.
July 30, 2011
highly enjoyable
December 7, 2013
Once again an enjoyable Connolly read. Have pre-ordered Winter Break which is the follow up to this.
January 6, 2015
Rafraîchissant, bourré d'humour anglais, de quiproquo. On passe un super bon moment avec tous ces personnages qui s'entrecroisent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews