I Want It Now

by Kingsley Amis

The quickest way to get rich is to marry someone rich, but how do you do this if you aren't yet rich? TV chat-show host Ronnie Appleyard is preoccupied with this question as he pursues wealthy heiress Simona Quick over two continents in the company of braying aristocrats, Greek shipping magnates, American dandies and the dreaded mother-in-law to be. But as he comes closer to his prize other questions present themselves. Is the androgenous Simona really worth it? Why doesn't she like sex? Is it possible to drink all day? With his unerring eye for absurdity and class satire Kingsley Amis shows us what happens when money meets naked ambition.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Novels, Modern Classics, Humor, Literary Fiction

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Best known novels of British writer Sir Kingsley William Amis include Lucky Jim (1954) and The Old Devils (1986).

This English poet, critic, and teacher composed more than twenty-three collections, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered Martin Amis.

William Robert Amis, a clerk of a mustard manufacturer, fathered him. He began his education at the city of London school, and went up to college of Saint John, Oxford, in April 1941 to read English; he met Philip Larkin and formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, the Army called him for service in July 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the royal corps of signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. He worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, and then decided to devote much of his time.

Pen names: [authorRobert Markham|553548] and William Bill Tanner

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1968
The hero,Ronnie Appleyard, is a TV presenter who uses his slight fame to start social climbing in a big way. He meets a titled girl and will do anything to marry her. She is strange, real, and insecure. They travel and are surrounded by the eccentric Very Wealthy. Ronnie is just like the hero in Lucky Jim(1954). They make faces and try to mold their personalities for the desired effect.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable up to a point: goodish yarn-spinning, Kingsleyan "does he mean it or doesn't he?" misanthropy divisible into various -isms and -phobias.

But really it seems a very simple (dated and macho) romcom: asshole transformed into nice guy by love for superficially obnoxious but actually tormented rich hottie. Love conquers all. Secondary characters generally grotesques; one or two baddies who turns who turn out not so bad.

From here to (I'm guessing) Shopaholic or Cecilia Ahem is but a short step down.

Can do better.

[Irrelevant punctilious detail: my copy is not that shown but a signed first edition hardback, which gave it a bit more period charm, for me - but evidently not enough to undermine my ever-rigorous critical standards...]

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed the Kingsley Amis books I've read. I especially enjoyed The Riverside Villas Murder.
I Want it Nowwas not my favorite of his, but still enjoyable. Cynical TV presenter, Ronnie Appleyard wanders from relationship to relationship, hoping to find a wealthy woman to marry. When he meets Simona, the daughter of a wealthy American, he thinks he might have finally found her. Instead, he finds that he loves this troubled young woman and thus begins his efforts to break down her issues and also persuade her domineering mother that he is worth becoming her future son-in-law.
The writing is sparse, satirical, at times,, but also entertaining and the main characters become quite sympathetic. I've still got a few more Amis books on my shelves. Looking forward to the next. (3 stars)

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The male lead in this one was inconsistent, which is a problem I don't recall from the other 16 Amis books I've read. Still, it was tremendously romantic -- always the greatest surprise in his writing.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly boring. I gave up after reading almost half of the book
I couldn't care less about the main characters, Ronnie and Simona.
Both of them are shallow and unpleasant.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Want It Now by Kingsley Amis, author of the fabulous Lucky Jim, included on The All-TIME 100 Best Novels list, and more than twelve other masterpieces http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/05/l...

10 out of 10





This is very awkward, for I see this novel as perfect, absolutely magnificent and yet, it does not even have a Wikipedia page, on goodreads and other sites it looks as if only a few hundred people have rated it and perhaps a few thousand have had the chance to read it…this is one of those rare moments when I wish I had a larger audience (than the two who may bother to reach the end of this note, which comes after about 30 lines or so, spoiler alert) so that I could tell them go ahead and read the book – which would have the downside that they may then say ok, we have had enough of this chap (or Jap and sap, as Vassilikos keeps saying in the divine I Want It Now) and we will stop having anything to do with him…



There are a few possibilities here, in order to explain my euphoria, all one needs to do is think of the comedian that took If by Rudyard Kipling and gave it another twist, instead of reaching the conclusion that ‘if all around you are losing their head and you keep yours’, then you are a man my son, he says you need to see a specialist and fast, which could be the most probable case here – nobody saw much in this opus and for me it is a Magnum – but there are alternatives and one that strikes me is that most readers do not have the time, or alas, the predilection, and they limit themselves to the best known, acclaimed books by a few celebrated authors and do not go on to read a dozen by the same.

In the case of Kingsley Amis, there are at least a dozen chefs d’oeuvre if you ask me, and I discovered I still have another dozen to finish, if not twice that, which would surely help me reach euphoria in the near future, just as it happened for Take A Girl Like You http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/06/t... and others - a list might be provided at the end, or if not, you can search the net, or for my take on the subject of this Magister Ludi, you can look for the name on the blog and, as they say in this world of share, like and subscribe, stay tuned!



The main reason why I love this novel might be the degree to which I identify with Ronnie Appleyard, which seems on the one hand such a relatable fellow (Jap, sap, as our Greek tycoon says) and the absolute role model for the average human, one that has plenty of flaws, some of them visible in our protagonist, and finds it difficult to see himself/herself/themselves in the superheroes that have invaded the screens of the present…besides, to begin with, Ronnie is quite obnoxious, to the point where the common reader would say, well, this is where I am so much better that the ‘hero’ who is actually something of an anti-hero, at least for some chapters, until some redeeming process comes into place…

Even then, we will not have a transformation that we see in Superman and much of the ‘art’ that is on offer now, and the main character stays accessible, he will still have to work on his flaws and he knows, admits to it, so we know that the couple will have something to keep them busy, after we close the book…I was worried that the ending I like (we all want to see a bright future) will not be in sight, but spoiler alert, I have not been disappointed and furthermore, there is food for thought, we can envisage different scenarios, and we do not have the easy exit of cheap novellas, the feuilletons that are shallow and pointless…



The writing is superb, divine and there is a feeling of envy, one would wish to have the talent, skill, ease with words, inspiration, humor, and the twist of the phrase that is absolutely glorious, but then why spend time writing (this note for instance) and waste time you could spend enjoying the nectar and ambrosia of the gods, Magister Ludi has so many novels for you to enjoy that as I have read in the introduction once, I envy you, for you may just encounter this Supreme joy and you enter a World like no other

Ronnie Appleyard is a successful young man, we would call him a talk show host today, and he evolves from being someone like Carlson (though this is a hyperbole) to becoming more of a John King, under the influence of Simon Quick aka Simona or Mona, the outré girl that he meets when attending a party – the anti-hero (he is one at this stage) likes the woman and he tries to get her to bed, for we know at that time that he is interested in money and sex, not so much in power, but other things do not come into his radar so much…



I Want It Now is also a fabulous satire that gives readers an insight into the world of the rich, we see how selfish, abusive, ignorant, pretentious, evil (think Musk and his tweets, or better still, the disgusting trump – the lack of a capital letter is intentional here – with his inflated wealth, but immense vileness) the wealthy can be, and the epitome of that is Lady Juliette Baldock, who becomes an antagonist for our hero, the mother that has traumatized her daughter, Simon, and wants to use Ronnie…

The latter is at the start a reckless, self-indulgent, superficial, rather unlikely protagonist, reminding me of One Fat Englishman http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r... - he admits that he would have married a woman for her fortune (only she had the face of a horse, thought Van Gogh was studying at the time) and this is what he intends to do with Mona, once he gets his plan working…



However, Lady Baldock only intends for the man to amuse the girl, have sex with her, but he is meant to be just an intermezzo, until she finds the rich man that will fit the description, and a battle ensues, especially after Ronnie sees that he is in love with Simon, his analysis says that he had fallen in love at first sight – we might think Blink by Malcolm Gladwell http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/05/b... it is just that he would realize this later, and it seems peculiar, for their rapprochement had gone rather wildly, with the woman falling into his arms, asking the host of the party for a…room, so that she can have sex with her man – when he says they can get to his flat, she responds ‘I Want It Now’, for she was a spoiled brat at the time – and this is one of the humorous scandals we have throughout this phenomenal saga, which is also one of redemption, a bildungsroman, where we meet the main characters when they are quite lamentable, and then we see them grow, transform, get wings, fly to incredible heights, all powered by their love for each other…



http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

[Bridget]

I enjoyed this, Amis is a graceful writer never a word or line that jarrs or feels clumsy. His satire of the rich and of tv types remains pertinent. It's an enjoyable read, probably not that memorable

[Treasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated but overall enjoyable, gets better in the second half.

[s.e · Rating 2 out of 5]

squirreled away from the Bridgton, Maine, Food City (hamburger in town,) because the cover was very evocative of the kind of homosexuality I'm always affecting myself with

Disappointing the girl on the cover, however, did not match the physical description of Simon, the heroine, who was to have skin the same color as her hair as the same color as her eyes, and highly, highly androgynous, a beauty standard every girl looks forward to, of course

terribly British and terribly 60s, some sentences were funny but on the most part was absolutely dreadful to have to read

[Richard Spindle · Rating 1 out of 5]

having read and enjoyed quote a few of his books it feels wrong to give this book a single star. However I really feel that's all it warrants. It a totally forgettable story. Even in is climax it was utterly disappointing. I recommend sticking with his more critically acclaimed novels. I loved The Rachel Papers and Lucky Jim.

[Paul C. Stalder · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But because of you I've had to give up trying to be a dedicated, full-time shit."
Surprisingly romantic and thoughtful for Kingsley. It certainly has all his trademarks - wit, sex, and drink - but expands this repertoire into something less traditionally Amis.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I Want It Now" by Kingsley Amis is a sharply satirical and indulgently comic novel that both delights and provokes in equal measure. It's a splendid display of Amis's signature wit and insightful social commentary, earning it a full 5-star rating from me.

Set against the backdrop of swinging sixties London, the novel tells the story of Ronnie Appleyard, a TV presenter who's used to getting what he wants, be it fame, women, or life's luxuries. His life takes an unexpected turn when he falls for the beautiful but elusive Simon Quick, and what follows is a comic journey of desire, pursuit, and the questioning of what one truly wants.

One of the main strengths of "I Want It Now" is its impeccable characterisation. Ronnie Appleyard, our hedonistic protagonist, is both absurdly comical and strangely endearing. His journey from a man of unreflected desires to someone who begins to question his shallow life is a fascinating one to follow. Simon, as his elusive love interest, is a compelling character too. She represents the unattainable in Ronnie's world of easy victories, serving as a symbol of his own growing disillusionment with his lifestyle.

Amis's portrayal of the swinging sixties is vivid and biting. He brilliantly captures the absurdities of the period, depicting a world of hedonism and superficiality that's as amusing as it is thought-provoking. Amidst the comic exploits and satirical portrayals, Amis raises important questions about desire, fulfillment, and the human quest for meaning.

The novel's language is another of its assets. Amis's prose is sharp, engaging, and replete with wit. His knack for comedic timing and his masterful use of dialogue make for a highly entertaining read, even as he delves into deeper themes.

In conclusion, "I Want It Now" is a novel that manages to be hilariously funny, deeply insightful, and profoundly thought-provoking all at once. It's a fine example of Amis's narrative prowess and his ability to infuse serious thematic concerns into a lighthearted narrative. For these reasons, I find it deserving of a full 5-star rating, and I highly recommend it to fans of satirical and comedic literature.

[Tim Wilder]

Amis is a skilled and amusing writer. I wonder why more of his books did not get the BBC TV treatment. Maybe it is just that the BBC reds did not like his crochety politics.

Anyway, you are missing some fun if you don't read these.

[Jethro Elsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, but not as good as the other books I've read previously by the same author, 'such as Lucky Jim' and 'Take a Girl Like You'.

[Chiefdonkey Bradey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A savage yet tender fable, love overcoming the wiles and cruelty of the rich

[Ondřej Šefčík · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zajimavy vyvoj obou hlavnich postav... uzasny styl.

[Ümit Sevgi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yunanistan ve Londra arasında geçen, oldukça demode kalan, Ronnie ve Simona'nın mutlu sonla biten, aşkın Ronnie'yi dönüştürdüğü, romantik öğeli hikayesi. Ben ayılıp bayılmadım, bir iz bırakmadı.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep reading Kingsley Amis hoping to find another book of his as good as Lucky Jim, but so far have been woefully disappointed.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed I Want It Now. It's dated, naturally, but so is Middlemarch and your-pick-of-Dickens, but at least it's set in an era that is interesting: the Swinging Sixties. Kingsley anticipates the rise in popularity of the talk show host as a celebrity in-and-of themselves: hosting the movie star and political talking heads, but always, seemingly, center stage, the real focus point. Saw main character as Christopher Hitchens, or a proto John Self. Amusing moments of wordplay. This novel is patterned on templates that Martin would perfect: the transatlantic fish-out-of-water comic novel (Money). The frienemy/doppelganger/nemesis who is, really, a nice guy, an antagonist only in the hero's mind (The Information). The supernaturally beautiful blue-balling femme fatale (London Fields). Probably other things. If this sort of thing is your cup of tea then, maybe, you, too, will want it now.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "Lucky Jim" so much that I took out a few other Kingsley Amis books from the library, including this one, which I did not enjoy as much. This novel about a striving TV commentator eager to hitch himself to a young girl who is surly and perhaps even nuts to get her money gives Amis plenty of ammunition to lob at the shallowness of TV programming, battles among the rich for status, and the lengths people will go to for power and money.

I enjoyed the tale more as it neared its conclusion, as the main characters reveal themselves to be much more likable and full-bodied than they first appeared.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed some of Kingsley Amis's earlier novels. So what is the problem with this book ?? Maybe the 1950s was a more innocent age. By the time of this book, written in the late 60s i assume, he was trying to make humour out of a world with which he had little sympathy, and his reputation as a somewhat jaundiced writer probably starts with books like this, Frankly I felt grubby reading it and stopped less than half way through.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the strengths of Kingsley Amis's novels is his willingness to make his characters suffer. This novel does not disappoint. Somehow, you do manage to sympathize with the main character and his quest for the girl Simon. There is also a hilarious scene satirizing southerners.

[j j · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, but enjoyable. It didn't turn out to be the type of satire that I expected it to be. Instead it felt like a cheesy Bollywood movie. Not so rich guy falls for rich girl but girl's Mom doesn't approve. After jumping through hoops, their love emerge victorious. zzz.

[Se84 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the "kindling" bit.

[LindyLouMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read in 1969

[Dan Honeywell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it, I did, I did, but, well, I missed the high level of Kingsley humor perhaps...

[Spencer Goodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, enjoyable romcom.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but funny and an easy read.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Left me cold as I found it really badly dated, unfunny and quite boring at times.