What do you think?
Driving Jarvis Ham
Meet Jarvis Ham: tea-room assistant, diarist, lift-cadger, Princess Di fan, secret alcoholic, and relentless seeker of fame. Jarvis may be an all-round irritant, but he’s harmless, and deep down, you know, he’s got a heart of gold. Hasn’t he?
As his oldest (and only) friend reflects on his life with Jarvis Ham – infatuations, questionable hairstyles, home-made charity singles, reality TV auditions, paedophile alerts at the local swimming baths – he wonders what it would have been like if they had never met. But what are you going to do? He’s a mate. DRIVING JARVIS HAM is a novel for anyone who has ever found themself looking across at a childhood friend, and wondering why they still know them.
As his oldest (and only) friend reflects on his life with Jarvis Ham – infatuations, questionable hairstyles, home-made charity singles, reality TV auditions, paedophile alerts at the local swimming baths – he wonders what it would have been like if they had never met. But what are you going to do? He’s a mate. DRIVING JARVIS HAM is a novel for anyone who has ever found themself looking across at a childhood friend, and wondering why they still know them.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 8, 2012
Buy this book and read it. That's my advice. We can discuss it afterwards.
January 11, 2021
I don't read too many books written by guys about other guys, but I thought I'd give this one a crack. Keep my hand in, so to speak.
I liked the cover and it looked kind of retro. Which I guess it is in an eighties' kind of way.
Jarvis is the friend who never gets his licence. Or gets it and then keeps quiet about it so he could keep his mate driving him around.
I never did catch the name of his mate the narrator and driver.
But at any rate, the narrator seemed to like these adventures, or at least the stories that they lead to, so in my mind it seems a bit of a fair deal.
I did some research on Jim Bob and the writing of this book
The author is James Robert Morrison, a British punk band singer and the character of Jarvis Ham is said to be based on an amalgam of people he met on the road.
As such, the book is a based-on-true-events romp through Devon and London, following two dysfunctional friends as one ferries the other between jobs working in the family teahouse, The Ham and Hams and other activities that involve a fascination with Princess Di and a murder mystery surrounding a pattern of killings in roadside eateries known as 'Mister Breakfast'.
Comedic, disturbing in parts, which I imagine a humorous musician would be, the book was a rollicking read as i tried to deduce who the murderer was as I hurtled to the end.
Atmospheric, moody, driven. Three stars.
I liked the cover and it looked kind of retro. Which I guess it is in an eighties' kind of way.
Jarvis is the friend who never gets his licence. Or gets it and then keeps quiet about it so he could keep his mate driving him around.
I never did catch the name of his mate the narrator and driver.
But at any rate, the narrator seemed to like these adventures, or at least the stories that they lead to, so in my mind it seems a bit of a fair deal.
I did some research on Jim Bob and the writing of this book
The author is James Robert Morrison, a British punk band singer and the character of Jarvis Ham is said to be based on an amalgam of people he met on the road.
As such, the book is a based-on-true-events romp through Devon and London, following two dysfunctional friends as one ferries the other between jobs working in the family teahouse, The Ham and Hams and other activities that involve a fascination with Princess Di and a murder mystery surrounding a pattern of killings in roadside eateries known as 'Mister Breakfast'.
Comedic, disturbing in parts, which I imagine a humorous musician would be, the book was a rollicking read as i tried to deduce who the murderer was as I hurtled to the end.
Atmospheric, moody, driven. Three stars.
June 18, 2023
Carter USM is my favorite band of all time. Jim Bob is my second favorite solo musician. I own everything he’s ever released both musical & literary—including buying this novel when it first came out a decade ago so I could get the bonus “Day Job” EP that came with it. But for some reason or another I didn’t get around to reading the book until now.
Wish I’d done so sooner. Easily the best of his 5 novels, probably his second best work of fiction behind the “Word Count” short story included with his best solo album “A Humpty Dumpty Thing.”
Worth a read for fans of his books, his music, or both.
Bonus randomness: The reason I finally picked this up off the TBR pile is because I wanted to read Mr Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll, but my wife called dibs so I had to kill time with something else while she read it first. Completely unbeknownst to me, the plot of Driving Jarvis Ham involves a restaurant called Mister Breakfast. Strange, amusing coincidence.
Wish I’d done so sooner. Easily the best of his 5 novels, probably his second best work of fiction behind the “Word Count” short story included with his best solo album “A Humpty Dumpty Thing.”
Worth a read for fans of his books, his music, or both.
Bonus randomness: The reason I finally picked this up off the TBR pile is because I wanted to read Mr Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll, but my wife called dibs so I had to kill time with something else while she read it first. Completely unbeknownst to me, the plot of Driving Jarvis Ham involves a restaurant called Mister Breakfast. Strange, amusing coincidence.
April 11, 2020
Sometimes you just need a book that's easy to read with an engaging story and endearing characters. This is it. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cringe. I loved it.
May 6, 2025
A good read
I enjoyed this, a good story - well told. The narrator is humorous and likeable, Jarvis provides pathos by the truckload. I liked the ending.
I enjoyed this, a good story - well told. The narrator is humorous and likeable, Jarvis provides pathos by the truckload. I liked the ending.
June 23, 2013
At last, a novel (for adults) with pictures!
If you grew up in the 90s then Driving Jarvis Ham will serve as a fond, if embarrassing reminder of the gregarious luminosity of the era. Crushingly accurate in narrative, I was immediately transported back to my awkward teendom.
A memoir with a difference – Adrian Mole style but told through the eyes of Jarvis’s long-suffering best friend and accidental chauffeur, who remains nameless throughout. It’s hard not to adopt a fondness for the hapless Jarvis, although we’re constantly reminded that we should, under no circumstances, do so. As for why, well, all will be revealed…
Jim Bob’s often sardonic prose is injected with enough jocular remarks to make one chortle out loud, and while one’s never entirely settled on who the protagonist is (both characters suffer in their own ways) this is an entertaining read.
This novel won’t change your life, but it will tickle and repulse you in almost equal measure. I look forward to more musings from Jim Bob.
Thanks to Scott Pack for the book.
If you grew up in the 90s then Driving Jarvis Ham will serve as a fond, if embarrassing reminder of the gregarious luminosity of the era. Crushingly accurate in narrative, I was immediately transported back to my awkward teendom.
A memoir with a difference – Adrian Mole style but told through the eyes of Jarvis’s long-suffering best friend and accidental chauffeur, who remains nameless throughout. It’s hard not to adopt a fondness for the hapless Jarvis, although we’re constantly reminded that we should, under no circumstances, do so. As for why, well, all will be revealed…
Jim Bob’s often sardonic prose is injected with enough jocular remarks to make one chortle out loud, and while one’s never entirely settled on who the protagonist is (both characters suffer in their own ways) this is an entertaining read.
This novel won’t change your life, but it will tickle and repulse you in almost equal measure. I look forward to more musings from Jim Bob.
Thanks to Scott Pack for the book.
April 16, 2016
Many LOL moments of the dark type here plus some genuine pathos, which may have been brought to the book by me. I love an underdog and become fiercely protective of the odd, the mocked and the apparently hopeless.
You don't get much more hopeless than the hapless Ham. Princess Diana fanatic, fame hunter and secret alcoholic with a troublesome hobby that proves to be his undoing. We find out, bit by bit, what Jarvis has been up to via his nameless best friend who acts as Ham's chauffeur. This unenviable and unpaid position is carried out from a mixture of loyalty and pity.
Jarvis Ham is pitiful. He's creepy. He's cringeworthy. Yet you root for him to get some kind of break. This book is like a darker Adrian Mole segment from the nineties, written by a person who was something of a nineties symbol as part of the band Carter USM. I found it both unsettling and enjoyable.
You don't get much more hopeless than the hapless Ham. Princess Diana fanatic, fame hunter and secret alcoholic with a troublesome hobby that proves to be his undoing. We find out, bit by bit, what Jarvis has been up to via his nameless best friend who acts as Ham's chauffeur. This unenviable and unpaid position is carried out from a mixture of loyalty and pity.
Jarvis Ham is pitiful. He's creepy. He's cringeworthy. Yet you root for him to get some kind of break. This book is like a darker Adrian Mole segment from the nineties, written by a person who was something of a nineties symbol as part of the band Carter USM. I found it both unsettling and enjoyable.
September 1, 2012
Hmmm....not sure about this one.
Though, it didn't have a chance in hell, having been read straight after the king of all diary based prose (Adrian Mole), and I found it rather flat.
It held me enough to finish it, which I can't say for alot of new fiction this year and although the ending was signposted heavily throughout I found parts entertaining and the characters interesting.
It wasn't laugh out loud funny and the reason "you won't feel sorry for Jarvis" which is built up and up throughout the book is a bit crude for crudenesses sake and pretty pointless.
For anyone looking for a really hilarious and brilliant book about a self centred but entertaining character I would say read A Confederacy of Dunces instead.
An OK book, but ultimately meh.
Though, it didn't have a chance in hell, having been read straight after the king of all diary based prose (Adrian Mole), and I found it rather flat.
It held me enough to finish it, which I can't say for alot of new fiction this year and although the ending was signposted heavily throughout I found parts entertaining and the characters interesting.
It wasn't laugh out loud funny and the reason "you won't feel sorry for Jarvis" which is built up and up throughout the book is a bit crude for crudenesses sake and pretty pointless.
For anyone looking for a really hilarious and brilliant book about a self centred but entertaining character I would say read A Confederacy of Dunces instead.
An OK book, but ultimately meh.
May 18, 2014
It's more a 3.5 stars, but seen that Goodreads doesn't implement half stars I will round it up to 4.
First page and I was like: "what's this silly thing", way into the book and I was still wondering why I keep on reading it, but you know how hard it is to give up a book after you started it. But with each page I started to like the silly situations and the dark humor of the narrator, but I really wasn't prepare for the big surprise brought by the last pages.
This book really grew with each page, you just need to stick to it or as narrator puts it: "George Michael Was Right - You Gotta Have Faith"!
First page and I was like: "what's this silly thing", way into the book and I was still wondering why I keep on reading it, but you know how hard it is to give up a book after you started it. But with each page I started to like the silly situations and the dark humor of the narrator, but I really wasn't prepare for the big surprise brought by the last pages.
This book really grew with each page, you just need to stick to it or as narrator puts it: "George Michael Was Right - You Gotta Have Faith"!
May 11, 2012
Gutted, was really looking forward to this with Jim Bobs Storage Stories and the Life on the Road with Carter books being 2 of the best books I read last year.
Unfortunately, this one was mot in the sane league. It seemed hastily put together and very contrived. Ok, I enjoyed parts and Jim Bobs writing/puns and descriptions are often excellent, but I just think this story just didn't really need telling.
Ho hum, just hope the next when it comes is a return to form.
April 29, 2012
I can't say this is the best book I have ever read but it certainly was enjoyable and well worth reading.
To get the best from this book you have to really try and understand the main characters, get into their heads and walk around a little instead of just going by what is written on the page.
The trademark Jim Bob dark humour is well worth the time and money.
To get the best from this book you have to really try and understand the main characters, get into their heads and walk around a little instead of just going by what is written on the page.
The trademark Jim Bob dark humour is well worth the time and money.
December 31, 2013
I only realised fairly recently that Jim Bob was an author these days, and once I found out, I had to read this.
It's jolly good fun in a slightly dark sort of way, and it's got pictures - what's not to like?
Looking forward to the next one already which will be published under the name J.B. Morrison in a few weeks time.
It's jolly good fun in a slightly dark sort of way, and it's got pictures - what's not to like?
Looking forward to the next one already which will be published under the name J.B. Morrison in a few weeks time.
March 4, 2016
Being a lifelong Carter USM fan, I had to read this. It's an enjoyable enough read with a fair amount of black humour but I was hoping to like it more. I'd still recommend it but not as much as I do the band.
Read
April 13, 2012If this had taken longer to read, I might be harsher on its blemishes. But when it's a one-dayer, well, it's an enjoyably horrid little tale.
July 21, 2012
I had no idea what to expect from this book which is a good thing I feel. Quite good all in all.
September 8, 2013
Not at all what I expected, a good read nonetheless.
December 23, 2015
Absolute drivel!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews