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Loading ...yup i read this book… its good fun. if you enjoyed rain men and zimmer men (by marcus berkmann, a former team mate of harry thompson in captain scott’s xi), then you’ll enjoy penguins stopped play. some great anecdotal club/village crictet stuff in there though this time with the added flavour of international confrontations. also coursing through the book is a proper pasting for british airways re their utter crapness. good fun, if everyone was in england had thompson’s enthusiasm for cricket we’d retain the ashes forever.
Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Cricketers Take on the World
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of May Leave a comment on this post
Has anyone read this? It sounds quite good, and is written by the late Harry Thompson who died last year. Thompson, whose obituary features in this year’s Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, was a cricket lover and comedian (comedic writer).
He either co-wrote, produced or directed a number of the UK’s comedy staple diet: Have I Got News For You, Newman and Baddiel in Pieces, They Think It’s All Over, Harry Enfield and Chums, The 11 O’Clock Show, Da Ali G Show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Monkey Dust. What a repetoire, and I happen to have loved every single one of those (apart from Monkey Dust).
Anyway, this book looks really good and worth buying.
Tags: book, cricket-books, harry-thompson, Penguins-Stopped-Play |
8 Responses to “Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Cricketers Take on the World”
May 29th, 2006 at 2.11 am
June 8th, 2006 at 7.19 pm
I thought this was an original read, with an extremely powerful ending. No cricket fan could fail to enjoy it.
I liked the idea of looking at cricket from a village team’s perspective, and the international flavour. There are too many crappy, boring books by professional players. More original reads like this, please.
June 14th, 2006 at 9.58 pm
I heard this read on Radio4, missed the ending and so had to buy it. Wonderful, civil and amusing. One of the few books I was sad to get to the end of.
January 3rd, 2007 at 6.11 pm
This book is brilliant and the 2 chapters at the end (one written by his wife are sensationally moving). May I just say, rest in peace Harry Thompson you brilliant man and good luck to the Captain Scott XI.
June 29th, 2007 at 3.07 pm
I read the book and although not much of a cricket fan I enjoyed it very much and would now like to go see the Scott’s play but I can’t find a website for them. Can anyone help with details?
February 19th, 2008 at 10.19 am
I never read this book, but i think it is interesting.
May 17th, 2008 at 6.59 pm
I am a member of the Madras Cricket Club in Chennai formerly known as Madras,India.Saw this book in the club library and picked it up,attracted by its quirky jacket design and ofcourse the title too.Lucky I did, for it is simply a brilliant stuff. It was funny all through, turning hilarious often.
For some inexplicable reason I stopped reading the last chapter, after reading almost the entire book in one go.May be I too was weighed down with the sense of melancholy so profoundly brought by Thompson when he narrated their final arrival at Heathrow.
I did read the last chapter later. And I was moved.I felt a deep sorrow for the author whom I have not even heard of before but who struck me through this book as a gifted person with strong values and ethos.
I am sure even non-cricket lovers would enjpy this book.
May 17th, 2008 at 7.03 pm
I would very much like to convey my opinion about the book to Mrs.Lisa Thompson.Can someone help me by providing her email id please?
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