| A Spot of Bother | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Haddon
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  127 reviews
Sales Rank: 515
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0099506920
EAN: 9780099506928
ASIN: 0099506920
Publication Date: June 7, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Publisher: VintageDate of Publication: 2007Binding: PaperbackCondition: Used - good
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| Customer Reviews:
 fun from the family May 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed it - each character in the book has their own problems and their own personality, all of them clearly defined as individuals. The novel retains the original Mark Haddon humour, crisp sentences combined with honesty, and George's descent into madness is both pitiful but also hilarious. I never knew what he would do next, and though at times gruesome, Haddon's style manages to envoke humour even in the most dire of situations.
However, the novel should notably be recognised as a story on its own; without the overly high expectations people carry through after reading his previous work of "The Curious Incident...".
This also isn't a book for everyone, but if you like Haddon's style, you shouldn't be too disappointed.
 A fun read, but lacking real emotion May 8, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
When starting to read this book I thought that I was in for a real treat - an every day story told with charm, wit and clever insights into modern life.
But it carries on in that way for 500 pages without ever managing to develop the characters into people you really care about or genuinely believe in.
It has a lot going for it, but I doubt that its one that will stick in my mind or that I'd consider re-reading.
 You could develop psychological problems reading this book! May 4, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had never read any of Mark Haddon's books before so I did not know what to expect. I took this on holiday to read for fun and ended up feeling as though I was having a nervous breakdown caused by this dysfunctional family!
It developed like a soap opera with one unbelievable episode following on from the next. George really depressed me and I did not find his character tenable.
However there were some amusing aspects to the story and a few illuminating insights in this book - particularly the life-like way Jamie's character developed.
I was assured by a fellow holiday maker that I would enjoy "The curious incident ..." so I will give it a try.
A heart warming and hilarious novel May 2, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
George has just entered retirement and likes to spend his time building his studio at the bottom of his garden. He lives with his wife Jean who works part time in a bookshop. He has a son, Jamie, who is homosexual and a daughter, Katie who is about to marry a guy who the family doesn't approve of. The story is told in the weeks leading up to the wedding and shows all the problems that the family experience on the way. George finds a growth on his side and begins to believe he is dying of cancer, even though his GP has said it is eczema , leading him into a deep pit of depression, paranoia and suicidal thinking. Jean is having an affair with George's old work colleague, David, and is undecided whether to leave George for a new life or not. Katie and Ray have many of their own problems, mainly based on insecurity and jealousy, so the wedding preperations are not going too smoothly, as well as looking after her young son jacob. Jamie's boyfriend Tony dumps him after getting insulted that Jamie doesn't want him at the wedding. Each of the short chapters is from the third person perspectives of each of the different family members and Ray, giving their thoughts and emotions through all of these tradgic, funny and sometimes strange scenarios.
I love this book. I am already a massive fan of Mark Haddon's first adult novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, (which is probably one of my top 10 favourite books of all time that I read once a year), and although this book is completely different to his other book, it feels very familiar with Haddon's dark whit and touches very closely on some very serious subjects. The characters are all wonderful but could easily be anyone you know in your everyday life, making the story a lot more realistic and more believeable as everything that happens in the book could easily happen in real life. A lot of issues such as cancer scares, loneliness, nervous breakdowns, affairs, and pre-marriage jitters are covered here and are written in such a way that although they are uncomfortable subjects to read about Haddon puts a light-hearted and comical tint to them to make them a lot more pleasent and even funny to read about in these scenes.
Overall this is yet another great book from the brilliant Mark Haddon and I can't wait for him to write another, as alongside TCIOTDITNT this is one of the best pieces of recent British fiction I've read and one that will definitely be added to my "read once a year" pile.
Spot on! May 1, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
After enjoying 'Curious Incident' so much, I was actually a little apprehensive when it came to reading Haddon's next novel aimed at adults. It had a lot to live up to, and I was afraid it would fall short. It didn't.
I really enjoyed the pace of the book, with super-short chapters, bouncing from one character to another. Events build up fairly slowly towards the middle of the book, and then everything starts falling apart in a dramatic manner, and it had me so gripped that I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished.
I can't really say how it compares to his 'Curious Incident', as the two are quite different, and this one is definitely a book for adults. I not sure I enjoyed this quite as much as the first, but it was still an excellent read. It's also just the kind of book I like, with a good collection of characters, all suffering from their own problems as well as being affected by the problems of their family members. The book had a similar feeling to Jonathan Franzen's excellent 'The Corrections', but with something of a lighter feel to it.
What I enjoyed most about this book is how Haddon really seems to get inside people's heads, and writes things in such a simplistic manner yet conveys them so realistically. I felt this was particularly the case when writing about what people had dreamt whilst asleep; showing how nonsensical dreams can be in hindsight, whilst they seemed so real at the time.
A really lovely and enjoyable read, with some great humour, and some parts that will really make you cringe.
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