British Comedy Novels

[sighdone]

I'm looking for some less obvious British comedy novels. I'm a big fan of David Lodge and Douglas Adams. I've not kept up with Ben Elton, though I do enjoy his books. I'm tempted to go back to the classics of Wodehouse et al, but it would be nice to try something that's not on my radar.

Any thoughts?

[AJB]

How about: Tom Sharpe, Stephen Fry, John Mortimer (Rumpole books) and Terry Pratchett?

Amanda

[sighdone]

Love Tom Sharpe, and read them all. Same with Stephen Fry - I think The Liar is one of my favourite books of all time. Never could get into Pratchett - and I am actually slowly watching Rumpole on DVD, so maybe not a great idea to be reading it too.

[AJB]

Okaaaaay - have you read 'Case Histories' by Kate Atkinson? It's the first of a series of blackly funny detective stories.

Amanda

[sighdone]

Ooh, no. Will check that out.

Much thanks.

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Simon Brett. They're mysteries. His Mrs. Pargeter series is my favorite but the Featherington Mysteries are pretty good, too.

[sighdone]

I recognise his name, though I don't know why because he's new to me.

Another lovely add to the wish list, thank you.

[NickSpalding]

By some margin Terry Pratchett is the best selling humour writer in the UK - and deservedly so. If I could write like him... well, I'd be the best selling humour writer in the UK, I suppose.

Robert Rankin is also very funny, especially the Armageddon trilogy. If you have a thing for sprouts and Elvis, he's your man.

[Daphne]

What about Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis? - classic British humour.


As you are another Englishman abroad - here is the UK link: Lucky Jim UK Link

[Edward W. Robertson]

If you like Douglas Adams, you might try Grant Naylor. He (well, it's two people, actually) writes comedic sci-fi as well. Red Dwarf and Better Than Life are hilarious--I've read Red Dwarf so many times the cover fell off and the spine frayed in half. I taped it back together and read it some more.

The pair of authors later split up and wrote a new novel apiece, but I tried one and it was eh. But those first two are great.

[foreverjuly]

Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader was a fabulous comedy.

[sighdone]

I've read Red Dwarf and Better Than Life a number of times myself.

I do like Martin Amis, but not tried his Dad yet, so that's another for the list, thanks.

And gosh, I didn't even think of Alan Bennett.

[nogdog~6op6ou]

As far as Pratchett goes, if you are not normally a reader of epic fantasy, then I would not recommend jumping into his "Discworld" books at the beginning, as The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic are essentially a (loving) parody of the genre which might not work well for those without a lot of familiarity with the genre. I would instead recommend starting with either Wyrd Sisters or Guards! Guards!, the former being rural an the latter urban. And, of course, there is the wonderful Good Omens he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman and is a completely stand-alone novel having nothing to do with the Discworld.

[James Everington]

'A Spot of Bother' by Mark Haddon had me laughing a lot - family strife where everyone tries to muddle through and not complain in a very British way...

James

[Alessandra Kelley]

Oh yes, Terry Pratchett is great, but don't start at the beginning of his series -- he hits his stride a few books in, like NogDog says.

Have you read "Cold Comfort Farm" by Stella Gibbons?  It's an absolutely hilarious deadpan vivisection of pretentious mucky salt of the earth distressed farm family novels.  Amazing that it dates from 1932.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Have you tried Amazon.UK and looking at the top #100 in British humour, British comedy, humour etc? Fiction - humour or humour -fiction. This is one link.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/362384031/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kinc_2_3_last

[The Hooded Claw]

For English-written comedy about a historical frenchman, I recommend Adventures of Gerard and Exploits of Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle (yes, he also wrote you know who).  Gerard is a dumb as a post, yet sympathetic French officer during the Napoleonic Wars.  "How the Brigadier Slew The Fox" is one of the few things around that will make me laugh out loud even though I've read it a dozen times.

Sent from my Sprint EVO using Tapatalk

[anguabell]

Have you read "Cold Comfort Farm" by Stella Gibbons?  It's an absolutely hilarious deadpan vivisection of pretentious mucky salt of the earth distressed farm family novels.  Amazing that it dates from 1932.

This really is a marvelous book. And the movie with Kate Beckinsale wasn't bad either!

I am a great admirer of Pratchett but I agree with previous posters re first 2 books of the Discworld series.
Another book often recommended on this board: Three men in a Boat. Great read.
On more contemporary note, Jasper Fforde and his Thursday Next series. And if you like animals, there are Gerald Durrell's books (not on Kindle yet), and James Harriot (not sure about his Kindle status).

[Alain Gomez]

P.G. Wodehouse?  Always a favorite of mine.

[sighdone]

P.G. Wodehouse?  Always a favorite of mine.

Yes, I think Wodehouse may have to be re-read.