A Fraction Of The Whole
May 2008 · Penguin UK
5.0star
9 reviewsreport
Ebook
720
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About this ebook
Steve Toltz's A Fraction of the Whole is a riotously funny explosion of a novel
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008
From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz's A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.
'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant' Guardian
'Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life' Independent
'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut' Observer
'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients . . . Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls'Big Issue
Steve Toltz was born in Sydney. After graduating from Newcastle University in 1994, he has lived in Sydney, Montreal, Vancouver, Barcelona and Paris, working primarily as a screenwriter and freelance writer, but also doing stints as both a private investigator and an English teacher. A Fraction of the Whole is his first book.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008
From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz's A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.
'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant' Guardian
'Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life' Independent
'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut' Observer
'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients . . . Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls'Big Issue
Steve Toltz was born in Sydney. After graduating from Newcastle University in 1994, he has lived in Sydney, Montreal, Vancouver, Barcelona and Paris, working primarily as a screenwriter and freelance writer, but also doing stints as both a private investigator and an English teacher. A Fraction of the Whole is his first book.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Stephen Monk
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March 31, 2014
Quite simply my favourite book of all time. So many unexpected twists. Ive recommended this to umpteen people and none of them were disappointed. For gods sake Steve Toltz, write another book!
1 person found this review helpful
Violeta Farcas
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May 20, 2020
The best book I have read in the last 10 years, a book that it will be the first one to read again in a short while. Full of wit, imagination, reality, soul and heart, there is no classification yet for it. PS not for the close minded
5 people found this review helpful
About the author
Steve Toltz was born in Sydney. After graduating from Newcastle University in 1994, he has lived in Sydney, Montreal, Vancouver, Barcelona and Paris, working primarily as a screenwriter and freelance writer, but also doing stints as both a private investigator and an English teacher. A Fraction of the Whole is his first book.
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