And then we came to an unexpectedly happy ending
I recently finished reading Then We Came To The End, Joshua Ferris's debut novel, recently the springboard for a long thread here. Unlike the orginal poster, I enjoyed it a lot. I'd worked long enough in an office to get some of the references; found the characters mostly engaging and well-drawn; and It had many Laugh-Out-Loud moments.
So there I was in a little restaurant in Covent Garden, just finishing lunch with a friend, with whom I swap books. I'd been warmly recommending this one, and handed it over as we got up to put our coats on. A woman from the next table leaned over and said "Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing that you were talking about that book, Then We Came To The End." Yes, I replied, it's great. "Well," she continued, "would you like it signed by the author?"
Yep, he was sitting at the next table! What are the chances, eh? Can anyone else report a similarly serendipitous meeting?
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Two close encounters with Ivor Cutler
Several years ago, my brother was looking at a little display of Ivor Cutler books in a bookshop.
A very familiar, elderly Scottish voice behind him (do the accent if you can) said:
"You're not thinking of buying any of those books are you?"
My brother, startled but delighted, replied, "Well, I was thinking I might, yes. Which one would you recommend?"
"None of them. They're all rubbish. Steal them".
Ivor Cutler used to shop at my local Waitrose. He used to cycle there, wearing a hat with a little plastic sunflower pinned to it. One day I noticed a little girl, probably about 4 years old, going around roaring like a lion at shoppers to see their reaction. Most just chuckled. Then she approached Cutler. She roared. Cutler turned round to face her, smiled, and then gave a roar back, hands raised in the claws position. The little girl looked up at him for a minute. Then she raised her claws too, took a deep breath and gave the biggest roar she could possibly muster. Cutler laughed out loud before continuing shopping. It made my day.
It's still shit, signed or
It's still shit, signed or not.
wirralboy
You are a hard man to ruin a good story like that. Mind you I've never read the book so you could be right.
Don't read that, read this...
Try the new Iain Banks tome- much more fun! Starting Middlemarch today- wish me luck!!