The Understudy

Description

From the bestselling author of STARTER FOR TEN, ONE DAY and US, THE UNDERSTUDY is a scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy and love. For Josh Harper, being in show-business means everything he ever wanted - money, fame, a beautiful wife, and a lead role on the London stage. For Stephen C. McQueen, it means a disastrous career playing passers-by and dead people. Stephen is stuck with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent, a daughter he barely knows, and a job as understudy to Josh Harper, the 12th Sexiest Man in the World. And when Stephen falls in love with Josh's clever, funny wife Nora, things get even more difficult. But might there yet be a way for Stephen to get his Big Break? THE UNDERSTUDY is a scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy and love.

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. David's bestselling first novel, STARTER FOR TEN, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2004, and David has written the screenplays for film versions of both STARTER FOR TEN (released in 2006, starring James MacAvoy)and THE UNDERSTUDY (not yet released).Davidalso wrote a modern version of Much Ado About Nothing for BBC TV, as part of a Shakespeare seasonscreened in 2005.

'A zippy comedy with laugh-out-loud lines, grounded on a solid plot and first-rate dialogue...irresistible' -- Daily Mail 20050408 'Bitterly funny' -- Observer 20050508 'A comic genius' -- Maria Beaumont on David Nicholls 20050211 'Darkly funny and oddly romantic.' -- More 20050501 'An unusual mix of cynicism and romance - no slush, just lots of laughs!' -- Company 20050505 'A brilliantly funny book.' -- Marie Claire 20050505 'Hugely entertaining with a high ratio of chuckles and snorts per chapter.' -- Good Book Guide 20050405 'I adored THE UNDERSTUDY. It's a fantastic comedy ... delightfully written.' -- New Woman 20050401 'A funky, less-fluffy-than-funny rom com.' -- Metro 20050414 'Deeply funny, with brilliant dialogue.' -- Good Housekeeping 20050401 'Sweet and funny.' -- Eve 20050505 Book of the Month -- Red 20050501 'Highly enjoyable ... both knowing and charming.' -- Mirror Ticket 20050325 'Both hilarious and heartbreaking.' -- Hannah Stephenson, various regional papers inc 20050329 'I laughed a lot' -- Jeremy Paxman on STARTER FOR TEN 20050329 '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 20050329 'Brilliant... we would recommend it to anyone' -- Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan on STARTER FOR T 20050329 'Funniest book of the year' -- Marie Claire 20060101 'Romantic comedy with a charming British accent...plenty of material for screwball hilarity... His prose is laugh-out-loud funny... This jaunty, big-hearted novel is chick lit with a Y-chromosome.' -- Kirk US Reviews 20050815 'Brilliantly written and very funny' -- Closer, 4 stars 20050815 'Sharply funny...wonderfully chaotic' -- The Times 20050815 'The set pieces of social embarrassment are neatly threaded together, and there are some well-crafted tender moments too... It could hold its own against a Richard Curtis script' -- Independent on Sunday 20050815 'An entertaining follow-up to Nicholls' brilliant debut' -- Heat, top ten books for March 20050815