The Tap Dancer, Andrew Barrow
The Tap Dancer, Andrew Barrow
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

The Tap Dancer

Author: Andrew Barrow

Narrator: John Sackville

Unabridged: 6 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 07/20/2023


Synopsis

‘My favourite novel and one I wish I’d written.’ ALAN BENNETT Winner of the McKitterick Prize for best first novel by an author aged over 40, and the Hawthornden Prize for imaginative literature. Everyone craves retirement from the Civil Service, don’t they? That time for an ageing patriarch to enjoy the fruits of a well-earned pension and the respect of his family; maybe even to indulge in a love of music halls and metropolitan life. If only people would listen and do as they were told… His fourth son William, the long-suffering narrator, is the constant butt of his father’s jokes and victim of his brothers’ indifference. But as death, divorce and other darker dramas follow, father and son slowly establish a strange harmony.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Betty-Lou on January 18, 2024

Alan Bennett said about this book ‘My favourite novel and one I wish I’d written’. As a fan of Alan Bennett, I purchased this book. Alan, it is a comedic treasure. 👏🏻......more

Goodreads review by Debbie on January 22, 2017

I enjoyed this book, very funny in places but tinged with lots of sadness. Some of the antics of the father, the main character in the family were distinctly familiar to my dad, perhaps these are common traits for us all as we get older?......more

Goodreads review by Gregory Beaman on October 12, 2023

A quirky tale of a traditional retired senior civil servant and his relationship with his sons, wife and in-laws. Often amusingly absurd and touching it draws the reader in and becomes increasingly difficult to put down. A very traditional feel for a relatively modern book.......more

Goodreads review by Lawrence on February 13, 2010

Probably one of the greatest unsung writers in the world! I'm in it aka Toby!......more

Goodreads review by Paula on April 11, 2024

I enjoyed this book which was recommended on A Good Read - Written by a journalist about his family of four brothers and a very eccentric father ( and mother to a lesser extent) it is full of funny characters who are well drawn and reveal much about a certain class in the 60s - Caught between middle......more


Quotes

‘It’s hilariously funny; it’s also really weird – a bit like English people.’ India Knight Craig Brown ‘Andrew Barrow’s The Tap Dancer … must be my favourite novel and one I wish I’d written.’ Alan Bennett ‘Andrew Barrow’s first novel is reminiscent of John Mortimer’s . Both are portraits of ageing patriarchs whose behaviour is outrageously self-centred but who retain a place in their children’s affections by their sheer eccentricity.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘A comic masterpiece … Andrew Barrow’s insight into the minutiae of English family life is absolutely brilliant … his ear for dialogue is matchless … this is a great literary creation.’ Spectator ‘Weird but wonderful first novel … brilliantly funny … horribly true.’ Harpers & Queen ‘A magnificent creation … Could rank alongside Mr Pooter and Nancy Mitford’s Uncle Matthew.’ Independent ‘All the characters, even the minor ones, are perfectly realised, thanks largely to Barrow’s remarkable skill at pinpointing the social and psychological undercurrents of casual conversation.’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Father, tap dancing weirdly across the kitchen in moments of glee, has immense vitality … A comic masterpiece.’