The Shrapnel Academy

by Fay Weldon

An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here

The Shrapnel Academy is a military school named for Henry Shrapnel, inventor of the exploding cannonball. It is January, time for the annual Eve-of-Waterloo dinner, and the guest list--a mix of truly disparate characters--is a sure recipe for combustion.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Novels, Humor, British Literature, Feminism

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Fay Weldon CBE was an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrayed contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very blah.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneasy read, initially, as Fay Weldon takes on the weighty subject of war, not just that of murderous weapons but of class and race also. A microcosm of multicultural society, upstairs and downstairs, trapped by snow in a country house one weekend. Misunderstandings occur, with both hotheads and more rational minds on both sides of the divide, male, female, child, animal … and then Weldon sends the whole thing up.

Not her best, but still worth a read.

[Peter Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like Fay Weldon's ascerbic view of the world but while there are some pithy comments this book lacked a credible plot on which to pin them. In fact, the plot was so odd and its denoument so ludicrous that I just felt like I'd wasted my time reasing this. I have she devil lined up to read at some point (my original entry drug to Weldon) and can only hope it delivers but than this load of old nonsense.

[Pat Morris-jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn’t sure re this book at beginning. Easy to read but just that. As time progressed it became apparent that she is so clever. I always knew it but the more I read the more I think it. She just presents things as simple and you can see it as you wish. Love Fay Weldon....

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the weird ones.

[Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Příjemnej nadprůměr, vtipný, kritický a absurdní.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read with that tongue in cheek writing style that makes me smile. Yes, the ending was a bit of a disappointment.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovee

[Ela · Rating 4 out of 5]

’The shrapnel academy is similar to an arts centre, but military in its nature.’
‘Oh, I see,’ she said. He doubted that she did.’

A well written, darkly humorous social satire. Above and below stairs at a military academy a host of characters come together on a dark stormy night.

[Mark Speed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I borrowed this from my mother, who's a big fan of Weldon.

I found the plot to be a pretty thin idea stretched to beyond breaking-point. One of those ideas a writer has that they're itching to write but that doesn't quite have enough content in it... but there's a publisher's contract to be fulfilled, so something has to be written. And this is it. I remember being unconvinced by the characters. If you're going to do satire, parody, comedy, then you have to know how to 'go large'. And it was full of annoying factual inaccuracies. Sloppy all round.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slightly amusing satire on war and the arms industry and also on the way that western nations treat migrant workers. In many ways, it seems very appropriate for our times, even though it was written thiry years ago. It's not difficult to read, even though the writer takes some brief excursions into wars throughout history. The authorial voice often addresses the reader directly with sardonic asides. On the whole, I liked the style and thought it was worth reading, even though I wouldn't rave about it.

[Dawn Beatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago, while living in London as an American Army wife. I thought it was hilarious, more than a "bit" true