Starter For Ten

Description

It's 1985 and Brian Jackson has arrived at university with a burning ambition - to make it onto TV's foremost general knowledge quiz. But no sooner has he embarked on 'The Challenge' than he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his teammate, the beautiful and charismatic would-be actress, Alice Harbinson. When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all. He's going to win the game, at any cost, because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge...Starter for Ten is a comedy about love, class, growing-up and the all-important difference between knowledge and wisdom. Are you up to the challenge of the funniest novel in years?

David Nicholls's TV credits include the third series of Cold Feet, Rescue Me, and I Saw You. He was co-writer for the film adaptation of Simpatico, which starred Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges and Sharon Stone. STARTER FOR TEN was a Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller in 2004, and David has written the screenplays for forthcoming film versions of both STARTER FOR TEN and THE UNDERSTUDY. Most recently, David wrote a modern version of Much Ado About Nothing for BBC TV, as part of a Shakespeare season which screened in 2005.

'Brilliant... we would recommend it to anyone' -- Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan 'Trust us, you'll love it' -- Arena 20030801 'Moving, wickedly observed, warm, uplifting and above all blindingly funny... Read this book' -- Jack 20030801 'Toe-curlingly embarrassing and cleverly observed... it'll have you wincing and laughing simultaneously. Fabulous' -- Company 20030901 'A bittersweet coming-of-age tale ... A fine, funny book' -- Heat 20030906 'Nicholls' portrayal of student affectations is accurate and funny ... clever and well-written' -- Independent 20030905 'Spry, affecting debut ... If it's possible to wince with your whole body, that broadly equates to my experience of reading it' -- Time Out 20030901 'A funny, touching novel reminiscent of the classic film Gregory's Girl with an authentic 1980s backdrop' -- Sunday Mirror 20030907 'Hilarious ... you won't be able to put it down' -- OK 20030913 'Painfully funny' -- Elle 20030901 'Warm and funny ... Hilarious' -- Daily Mirror 20030901 'Hugely (and deservedly) hyped ... Achingly funny' -- She 20030901 'I laughed out loud, I cringed in recognition, and more than once I paused in admiration at an observation so wry, so on the money, I wondered why it had never occurred to me before. There have been many pretenders to the throne of Hornby; David Nicholls is his legitimate heir' -- Mike Bullen, creator of 'Cold Feet' 20030901 'For conjuring up all those cringeworthy moments of youth, this read is unrivalled' -- Glamour 20031001 'Relentlessly delightful' -- Mil Millington 20030901 'Absolutely fabulous ... brilliantly funny' -- Jenny Colgan, author of Amanda's Wedding 20030901 'Wonderfully written ... This is a lovely look back at a time when you were young enough to think that anything could happen' -- The Word 20031001 'What a delight... David Nicholls is enormously talented, he has an exquisite eye for details, humour and the ridiculous and he deserves every ounce of the huge success he will undoubtedly have with this pleasure of a book' -- Anna Maxted, author of Getting Over It 20031001 'I absolutely loved Starter for Ten' -- Emily Barr, author of Backpack 20031001 'I adored "The Understudy". It's a fantastic comedy ... delightfully written and makes you realise that even though some people are always cast as second best, that doesn't mean they're never winners.' -- New Woman 20050401 'A comic genius' -- Maria Beaumont on David Nicholls 20050401 'I laughed a lot' -- Jeremy Paxman on STARTER FOR TEN 20050401 'Moving, wickedly observed, warm, uplifting and above all blindingly funny, Starter for Ten hits the spot time after time. Read this book' -- Jack on STARTER FOR TEN 20050401 'A zippy comedy with laugh-out-loud lines, grounded on a solid plot and first-rate dialogue...irresistible' -- Daily Mail 20050408