Forward O Peasant
by Maclean J. Storer
Our Price: $16.95
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $5.55 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Maclean J. StorerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-11
ISBN: 0980514908
Number of pages: 324
Publisher: Gauss Publishing
Book Reviews of Forward O Peasant
Book Review: Marxist Mayhem in Old Saigon
Summary: 5 Stars
Forward O Peasant! certainly fulfils the prime requirement of the comic novel genre - it is very funny. Not only is it funny but it is beautifully written, with a pleasing fluency and cohesion. It drips with irony, puns, satire, wry observation and political incorrectness. The reader is in the hands of a writer who can actually write and who can, to boot, tell a good story filled with amusing incidents and larger-than-life characters. Wonderful stuff!
Forward O Peasant! is the story of Dr Phillip Snow, an English economist assigned to Vietnam by his United Nations-affiliated employer. His predecessor has gone missing and there may be some irregularities with UN funds meant to combat Bird Flu and protect endangered species. Snow's job, which he doesn't want, is to fly to Saigon and sort out the mess.
From the moment of his arrival and first taxi ride away from the airport it becomes very clear to Snow that his time in Vietnam will be neither easy nor restful; the place is chaotic, the denizens difficult to deal with. He encounters resistance to his attempts to find out what has happened to the UN aid money, which has been diverted away from its intended use and into gambling on Spanish football - all this under the auspices of the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health. No less trying are Snow's dealings with various officials, citizens and ex-pats. He doesn't like Vietnam very much, to put it mildly.
This is very assured comic writing, not dissimilar in its farcical/manic elements to the work of Tom Sharpe - I was reminded in particular of his South African novels, Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure in terms of its tone and commentary on a particular society. The narrative is as credible as it needs to be and the many characters, though in most instances drawn with broad strokes, are convincing in an hilarious over-the-top kind of way.
The pace doesn't flag and we are treated to many brilliantly funny scenes. These gems are scattered throughout and there is, literally, a laugh on every page. I loved the absurdity of the television show in which beauty contest entrants are required to strip down an assault rifle; the scene in which Snow attends a ceremony to celebrate the glorious victory over Bird Flu and becomes a Third Class Labour Hero; the Keystone Cops antics of Cam and Ti on a tandem bicycle; the marriage racket that sees the brides return after a few months to be recreated as virgins for the next round; the various enterprises undertaken by Miss Hoa in Snow's flat without his knowledge, including a nice little earner involving nose jobs. There is also some wonderful use of Vietnamese English, particularly in signs: `Clothes fit new or altercation. We provide and restore quality workman. Range of wide lady's underwear.' And an equally wonderful use of Marxist dialectic, including the wise words of Uncle Ho and an Orwellian kind of logic in dismissing criticism: `The Party was all about purity. Corruption was not purity. Therefore the Party could not be corrupt.'
Snow, a reasonably straight character, is set against a plethora of larger-than-life locals and ex-pats. From the Daughter-of-the-Revolution ideologue Xuan, to the put-upon dogsbody Mister Nghia, to the resourceful Miss Hoa, to the dodgy Dr Van Emst, to the elusive Harald Karlsson, to the amiable fool Mack, all are a lot of fun. Also a lot of fun are Snow's encounters with assorted taxi drivers, urchins, policemen, spielers and so on.
MacLean J Storer is that rare thing, a gifted comic novelist. Forward O Peasant is a great read.
Summary of Forward O Peasant
It's A Jungle Out There....Even In The City! When Phillip Snow is sent to Vietnam to investigate the disappearance of a colleague, he's not happy at the thought of spending time in a place about which he knows nothing except that it's lightly carpeted with a chemical called Agent Orange. But carcinogenic poisons aren't anywhere near as dangerous as the local officials, who will do anything it takes to stop him finding out what really happened. Surrounded by hostile Marxist ideologues, drunken expats, hypervigilant beggars, lunatic waiters, and bureaucrats with all the efficiency and charm of a sock puppet, Snow knows he is in a life-or-death battle to stop himself becoming as mad as everyone else.....Humor Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Humor Books
Snuffby Chuck Palahniuk
Anchor; Published: 2009-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Don't Eat This Bookby Morgan Spurlock
Penguin Audio; Published: 2005-05-19; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $5.73
Price in other shops:
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hellby Tucker Max
Penguin; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
The Saber-Tooth Curriculumby J.Abner Peddiwell
Mcgraw-Hill; Published: 1959-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Miss Americaby Howard Stern
It Books; Published: 2010-08-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.71
Price in other shops:
101 Places Not to See Before You Dieby Catherine Price
Harper Perennial; Published: 2010-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
My Life and Hard Times (Perennial Classics)by James Thurber
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 1999-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.71
Price in other shops:
Equal Rites: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels)by Terry Pratchett
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-09-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.15
Price in other shops:
Mirth of a Nation: Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life--Laff Tracks From America's Most Trusted Humor Anthologyby Michael J. Rosen
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-11-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $4.51
Price in other shops:
Red, White & Liberalby Alan Colmes
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-10-28; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: