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The secret vodka drinker
Bobby Booth’s 40th birthday party, an alfresco celebration he has planned with some care, ends in disaster when one of his guests complains that a couple are making love on the lawn. The news is shocking enough, but made much worse when he is told that the female participant in this ill-considered frolic is his wife, Josie.
Life gets worse the following week when Bobby loses his job as a teacher after an argument with a pupil. As one of the newly unemployed, and with his marriage disintegrating around him, he returns to the pub he used to use and consoles himself with vodka.
There he finds his old friend Roland who he hasn’t seen for years and their discussion centres on Bobby’s poverty and what is to be done about it. Bobby is hoping that Roland will come up with one of his money-making ideas, but in the end it is Bobby who has a flash of inspiration – a firm devoted to selling electric cars.
With Josie seeking a divorce, and the police threatening to prosecute him for assaulting a pupil, Bobby tires to concentrate on creating his car firm.
The only consolation in his life is a reunion with his first wife Caroline who has lived alone since their divorce.
Life gets worse the following week when Bobby loses his job as a teacher after an argument with a pupil. As one of the newly unemployed, and with his marriage disintegrating around him, he returns to the pub he used to use and consoles himself with vodka.
There he finds his old friend Roland who he hasn’t seen for years and their discussion centres on Bobby’s poverty and what is to be done about it. Bobby is hoping that Roland will come up with one of his money-making ideas, but in the end it is Bobby who has a flash of inspiration – a firm devoted to selling electric cars.
With Josie seeking a divorce, and the police threatening to prosecute him for assaulting a pupil, Bobby tires to concentrate on creating his car firm.
The only consolation in his life is a reunion with his first wife Caroline who has lived alone since their divorce.
197 pages, Unknown Binding
First published July 25, 2012
14 people want to read
About the author
Guy Bellamy
24 books9 followersGuy Bellamy (1935–2015) was an English author known for humorous novels. He wrote 14 novels, starting with The Secret Lemonade Drinker in 1977. His last, The Secret Vodka Drinker, appeared in 2012.
Bellamy was born in Bristol in 1935, but grew up in Surrey. Upon leaving school, he joined the RAF for National Service. He worked as a journalist on local newspapers in the Surrey area before going on to work on Fleet Street, becoming one of the youngest sub-editors on the Daily Express at the age of 24. He then worked at The Sun, before leaving in 1977 to focus on writing novels.
Bellamy was born in Bristol in 1935, but grew up in Surrey. Upon leaving school, he joined the RAF for National Service. He worked as a journalist on local newspapers in the Surrey area before going on to work on Fleet Street, becoming one of the youngest sub-editors on the Daily Express at the age of 24. He then worked at The Sun, before leaving in 1977 to focus on writing novels.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 2, 2013
I have read all the books that Guy Bellamy has written so was very happy to discover this latest work.
I found the amount of typos in the Kindle addition an annoyance but that might just be my inner pedant.
I felt that the book could have done with a better editing but it is an enjoyable, entertaining read.
If you have enjoyed any of the author’s other work then you will be familiar with his style which draws you into the story right from the start.
The characters are all engaging and if you can get past the rather idealized world where customers buy a car in the same way one might buy a newspaper or where a person walks out of one job straight into another then you will love this book.
It is not gritty realism but if you enjoy escaping into a better world when you read a book then give it a go.
At less than £2 for the Kindle edition it is a bargain.
I found the amount of typos in the Kindle addition an annoyance but that might just be my inner pedant.
I felt that the book could have done with a better editing but it is an enjoyable, entertaining read.
If you have enjoyed any of the author’s other work then you will be familiar with his style which draws you into the story right from the start.
The characters are all engaging and if you can get past the rather idealized world where customers buy a car in the same way one might buy a newspaper or where a person walks out of one job straight into another then you will love this book.
It is not gritty realism but if you enjoy escaping into a better world when you read a book then give it a go.
At less than £2 for the Kindle edition it is a bargain.
September 1, 2013
Very easy to read but a rather overly simplistic plot.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews