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The Understudy

On sale

28th March 2005

Price: £9.99

Selected:  ebook / ISBN-13: 9781848944008

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***Out now: David Nicholls’s new novel YOU ARE HERE***


A COMIC MASTERPIECE BY BELOVED BESTSELLER DAVID NICHOLLS


A scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy and love


‘Irresistible’
DAILY MAIL

‘Wonderfully chaotic’
THE TIMES

‘Delightful’
OBSERVER

‘Brilliant’
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘Funniest book of the year’
MARIE CLAIRE

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 being stuck with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent and a job as understudy to Josh Harper, the 12th Sexiest Man in the World.

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?


ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS


‘One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now’
FINANCIAL TIMES

‘An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters’
DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love’
THE TIMES

‘No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does’
EVENING STANDARD

‘Genuinely brilliant’
NEW STATESMAN

Reviews

<i>Observer</i>
Bitterly funny
Maria Beaumont on David Nicholls
A comic genius
<i>More</i>
Darkly funny and oddly romantic.
<i>Company</i>
An unusual mix of cynicism and romance - no slush, just lots of laughs!
<i>Marie Claire</i>
A brilliantly funny book.
<i>Good Book Guide</i>
Hugely entertaining with a high ratio of chuckles and snorts per chapter.
<i>New Woman</i>
I adored THE UNDERSTUDY. It's a fantastic comedy ... delightfully written.
<i>Metro</i>
A funky, less-fluffy-than-funny rom com.
<i>Good Housekeeping</i>
Deeply funny, with brilliant dialogue.
<i>Eve</i>
Sweet and funny.
<i>Red</i>
Book of the Month
<i>Mirror Ticket</i>
Highly enjoyable ... both knowing and charming.
Hannah Stephenson, various regional papers inc
Both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Jeremy Paxman on STARTER FOR TEN
I laughed a lot
<i>Jack</i> on STARTER FOR TEN
Moving, wickedly observed, warm, uplifting and above all blindingly funny, STARTER FOR TEN hits the spot time after time. Read this book
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan on STARTER FOR T
Brilliant... we would recommend it to anyone
<i>Marie Claire</i>
Funniest book of the year
<i>Kirk US Reviews</i>
'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.'
<i>Closer</i>, 4 stars
Brilliantly written and very funny
<i>Independent on Sunday</i>
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
Waitrose Weekend
The humour is authentic and perfectly pitched.
New Woman
I adored The Understudy. It's a fantastic comedy . . . delightfully written
Daily Mail
A zippy comedy with laugh-out-loud lines, grounded on a solid plot and first-rate dialogue . . . irresistible
The Times
Sharply funny . . . wonderfully chaotic
Heat
An entertaining follow-up to Nicholls' brilliant debut
Observer
This bitterly funny book is a delightful reminder of how much acting we all do in the name of love
More
Darkly funny and oddly romantic
Company
An unusual mix of cynicism and romance - no slush, just lots of laughs!
Good Book Guide
Hugely entertaining with a high ratio of chuckles and snorts per chapter
Metro
A funky, less-fluffy-than-funny rom com
Good Housekeeping
Deeply funny, with brilliant dialogue
Eve
Sweet and funny
Mirror
Highly enjoyable . . . both knowing and charming
Marie Claire
Funniest book of the year
Kirkus
Jaunty, big-hearted . . . Romantic comedy with a charming British accent
Closer
Brilliantly written and very funny
Independent on Sunday
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
Waitrose Weekend
The humour is authentic and perfectly pitched