The Planner

by Tom Campbell

James is exactly what you'd expect from one of London's most promising, young town planners. He's cautious, respected by colleagues and performs well in team meetings. But while James understands the glitter and grime of the city better than almost anyone, he hasn't actually experienced much of it. And, as he watches his university friends blossom bewilderingly into rich and successful adults, he has the nagging sense that he has somehow fallen by the wayside. That is, until he meets Felix, who navigates the glamorous and cynical capital with sophisticated ease. Felix introduces James to a London that he has never known, and which doesn't feature in the planning a world of private clubs and executive football boxes; of book launches, contemporary art galleries, suburban drug dealers and dates with women even more exotic than the peculiar vodka shots they drink. But London is an expensive city in many ways, and the world Felix has opened up comes at a cost. James may know how to design housing estates and high streets, but is it really possible to redraw the masterplan for his own life? And what will he lose along the way?

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2014

Reviews

[David Staniforth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, engaging writing style that took me on a different kind of reading journey. Didn’t really deliver the promise it began with and kind of ended a couple of chapters short of what I expected.

[Lita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of writing a story hand in hand with London planning (each chapter starts with a quote from the London Plan) was interesting (especially for me as an urbanist and as someone who has lived in London, specifically in Crystal Palace, the same as the main character), but the execution was lacking in something... I think the author didn't deliver on the promise of discovering the city together with the main character, we were too caught up in his personal drama of not being succesful enough in his thirties. I would really give 2.5 stars because I think London could have added so much more to the story!

[Arlo White · Rating 1 out of 5]

started promising only got worse hate James and all the gross men only like rachel and lionel

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book in a charity shop and left it on my bookshelf for two years. I randomly decided to pick it up and believe I read it at the right time - just as I entered the working world as a Londoner! Living in the gritty streets of London I could totally relate to James self-deprecating humour and how authentic his life was. However, I did have high expectations and given the story was based around London, that itself warranted an interesting story. I expected a dark turn with Felix and James's character and was slightly disappointed with how abruptly Felix had disappeared given the revelation about his sexuality. At times I did become more interested in Felix himself than James so would have appreciated some closure with him. I thought James was a good protagonist, but soon got tired of the whining given how James was privileged in some ways- yet he was still likeable! I thought the writing was excellent, funny and witty and would highly recommend this book for any 20-30 somethings working and feeling unfulfilled. I expected a plot and an ending, but it felt more like reading someones diary. I was disappointed with the ending as I would have liked to have known whether James had taken the job offer in Nottingham, however in some ways it was poetic. The book was unfinished. Overall, I enjoyed reading it and it did keep me entertained but I felt it had so much more to offer given the backdrop.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

James is a young disillusioned government employee working in city planning. He almost completely by chance meets Felix, drags him into a London he had never seen before, a world filled with attractive young people, clubs, and drugs.

I absolutely love the simple language and fast pace of the book--very gripping and it was hard to put the book down. Recently moving to London myself, I shared similar sentiments harbored by James.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if it was a parable about what can go wrong when you do new things to please your newly acquired cool friends, or when you do things to please your mother. Either way, there was enough to like in this story to keep me entertained.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pick up from local library, and end up enjoy every single page of it. The ending is suprsing, probably to drastic for my taste, but on the other hand, totally believable. I guess that is difference between fiction and biography, which is what I read most of the time recently.

[Brendan Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A local government town planner grows weary of his daily fistings and voluntarily resigns in order to join the relatively glamourous private sector. How do they come up with these crazy plots? Escapism at its finest.

[Evelyn Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was good and the writing was okay. The reason I gave it five stars is because I am also a town planner in london who has worked in local government so so many of the references triggered find memories. A really enjoyable little read for that reason

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing as well as the story and the characters that pepper it. Found the ending disappointing, so giving it a 3.5 out of 5.

[Sandy]

To be honest...i couldn't finish it! and i'm a planner in london. I understood his pain but the story dragged.

[Helen King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this based on the topic, but no.

[Mark Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Planner (2014) by Tom Campbell tells the story of two months in the life of James Crawley, a young town planner working in the public sector for Southwark Council (south London borough across the River Thames from the City of London), who is having a 'mid-life' crisis in his early thirties. James has learned to play it safe. He knows a great deal about regulating city life but very little about actually experiencing life in one of the greatest cities in the world. In James' opinion, he lacks a 'worldview'. This is when he meets Felix, a brand planner in the advertising industry. Felix takes on James as a project to help him develop this worldview to better guide him. Felix does so by introducing James to the darker social mores of London. As one might expect, this includes recreational drug use, observations in class, professional and sexual politics, and a pseudo-erotic rite-de-passage.

The personal revelations in The Planner are hardly surprising (people are not always as they appear) or earth-shattering (people are stupid and need to be told what to do, i.e. what one might expect from someone choosing town planning as a profession). This is especially true since it's readily apparent this is the worldview James already holds at the start of the story, so acute self-awareness is the only lesson he learns on this journey. However, it is in the atmospheric description of the social mores of Londoners (including lingering remnants of the class system) and the locales/neighborhoods of London itself where Campbell's The Planner really shines. This includes all-too-familiar witty commentaries on the dreariness and inherently self-defeating proposition of the town planning profession itself in the absence of naked tyranny. Some of it is very cynical (e.g. everything is branding). You may not be entirely satisfied where The Planner ends up but you'll enjoy the journey getting there, which so often describes what the city is really all about (3 1/2 stars out of 5).

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

James is in a rut. His friends are leading successful, extravagant lives while he is busy working in the public sector. When new friend Felix propose he helps James embark on a journey of self-actualisation, James has no choice but to accept. So begins a story of clubs, drugs, mingling and all manner of pretentious thoughts and behaviours.

Tom Campbell has succeeded in writing a book where none of the main characters are likable (and, honestly, I'm not yet certain that he wasn't trying to achieve this). Felix is one of the most ostentatious characters I have ever come across, and James wants nothing more than to be like him.

I think this is simply a case of second book syndrome. I haven't read Tom Campbell's last major book (Fold), but I can only assume that the publisher was so impressed that they tied Campbell into a multi-book deal - and this is the result: A book that didn't really deserve to get published but exists nonetheless.

There are better books available for a similar audience. Jonathan Tropper's books are funnier and you don't get the feeling when reading them that the author is trying his hardest to sound smart. Likewise Mil Millington's books are hilarious in comparison but have a similar feel to them (thirty-something British man struggling with life).

All that aside, I did follow through with the book until the end and it was certainly readable enough to keep me occupied. It helps that it's not an overly long book!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, Tom Campbell's second novel, is as witty, clever and enjoyable as his first, Fold. The story follows James, who feels he's stuck in a hum-drum job in the public sector with not enough money and status to attract women and live life to the full in London. James is in a dilemma of whether to stay in London living in a flat with mates and getting nowhere fast or to accept a promotion with higher pay in provincial Nottingham. James meets Felix who sets about remodelling James' life and introduces him to all the good and expensive things on offer in London which he thinks James should experience and enjoy – including private sex clubs and drugs. This is going to end spectacularly well or devastatingly badly – you'll need to read it to find out which.

Campbell is a talented and clever writer with huge diction, giving us an inside view of public sector life and perspectives with a witty and cynical voice. His interesting and flowing style is of realistic people living normal and realistic lives so the whole book, whether you like where the story is heading or not, has a believable touch.

I found this a very enjoyable and humorous 'lad-lit' style book and would certainly recommend.

[Jess Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book, and impulsively purchased it, as I myself am a Town Planner. James' character is extremely relatable, and his job in local government is not atypical to real life. As a planner, the most common question I'm asked is 'so what does a town planner actually do everyday?'. I was thrilled to see this end up in the book and how James' character dealt with the question. His response? - simply walking away. This is my opinion is the easy way out, as trying to explain to someone what a town planner does, when they have absolutely no idea is the most difficult part about the job.

Overall, I didn't really like where the storyline took its readers. There was no major plot twist or happy ending. James' slowly and progressively started acting out of character and somewhat went off the rails, and then the story came to and end. There are many questions left unanswered. Where will he go and what will he do next?

[John Naylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.

I actually received this book over a year ago and read the first chapter then. My initial impression was that every character was unlikable so I moved on to other books.

I think the first four lines are pure poetry. I went back to this book and found out the characters are supposed to be unlikable. There is not one character I would want to meet. The story is not a bad one and it is well told but it also not very exciting. The ending was predictable.

It is a perfectly readable book but not a really enjoyable one. It labours for most of the story. The ending was a relief in some ways. I think it is a book best read by London professionals on holiday. It is not bad but it could have been so much better. 3 stars.

[Cathy Porteus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sent this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

I'm afraid I didn't really enjoy this book. I found the story fairly dull and depressing. The main character is fed up with all his friends and can't afford to live in London. He's offered a better paid promotion in another city, but instead of jumping at it, he decides to try and get the best out of London, with the help of a dubious new acquaintance.

I didn't believe that he wouldn't just go for the golden opportunity or that a random stranger would be interested enough to try and tempt him to stay.

The book is well written but didn't appeal to me at all.

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-something James Crawley's career as a town planner working for an inner London Council is in the doldrums. Experiencing an early onset mid-life crisis, James comes under the influence of a svengali-like mentor and embarks on a journey to discover a seamier side of London and a lifestyle at odds with his previously sheltered existence.

This is a cautionary tale for anyone working in the public sector, particularly local government. Tom Campbell has written a clever and witty account of the perils of succumbing to temptation. His writing displays an insider's, often cringe-worthy, insight into the world of local government bureaucracy.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book enjoyable. It's basically about a man that doesn't like his life, job, and becomes friends with a man called felix that goes on to show him London properly, sex bars, private football boxes, art exibitions ect. It's gripping in a weird way i can't explain but I did enjoy it, I began to dislike the main character James as the book progressed, but I always love to hate people in books lol so yeah overall enjoyed the book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsure what to make of this one! It was easy to read and I got through it fast but not sure about the story line!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

fab book a must read

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous novel, insightful and witty. Tom Campbell is up there with the great (but no longer incomparable!) Nick Hornby.

[Kel Sta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining if a little bleakly realistic at its end. A cautionary tale?

Appropriate soundtrack = The Wombats' Glitterbug album

[Deon Bent · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kind of hard to follow.
Left a few things open ended. Felt like the book ended before it was really supposed to...

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars!)

In so many ways this is a very British novel. It’s obsessed with the class system and makes many sharp and witty observations on it and it seems to set much of its action in pubs. It also tackles more universal subjects like peer competition and how friendships can change as we age and move in different directions.

There are plenty of amusing episodes that challenge and expose much of the BS of the big city, like the up market book launch to the all night party in a Camden housing estate, though I did find the scene at the Chelsea match perhaps a little overdone and not wholly authentic though it still made its points well enough.

On the down side, it has its flaws, there are no shortage of grating clichés, like the gadget obsessed Chinese businessmen in the strip club, two alcoholic Scotsmen in the pub or the mention of ill mannered Israelis and South Africans, to mention only a handful. There are some jarring inconsistencies (like how the scene ends where Rachel meets Felix) and I found the ending pretty weak and abrupt too.

Overall this is a nicely written book with plenty of light and dark threads of humour weaving throughout with some choice lines and cutting insights. This book raises some very important points and questions relating to London today with regards to planning permission and how to stem the constant greed of circling property developers and how difficult it must be to try and maintain a balance and keep everyone relatively happy with what gets built, where and why.