Synopsis
The Understudy by David Nicholls
For Josh Harper, being in show-business means everything he ever wanted - money, fame, a beautiful wife, a lead role on the London stage. For Stephen C. McQueen, on the other hand, it means a disastrous career playing passers-by and dead people. He’s 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 things get even more difficult when Stephen falls in love with Josh's clever, funny wife Nora. 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.
Reviews
'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
'Brilliant... we would recommend it to anyone'
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan on STARTER FOR T 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
'Bitterly funny'
Observer 20050508
'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
'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
'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
About the Author
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David Nicholls trained as an actor before making the switch to writing. His TV credits include the third series of Cold Feet, Rescue Me, and I Saw You, as well as a much-praised modern version of Much Ado About Nothing and an adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles, both for BBC TV. David has continued to write for film and TV as well as writing novels, and he has twice been nominated for BAFTA awards.
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 McAvoy) and THE UNDERSTUDY (not yet released). His third novel, ONE DAY, was published in hardback in 2009 to extraordinary critical acclaim, and stayed in the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list for ten weeks on publication.
Photograph © Joss Barratt/Stay Still Ltd
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Literary / Contemporary
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