Making Nice

by Ferdinand Mount

Bloomsbury presents Making Nice by Ferdinand Mount, read by Paul Blezard.

The deliciously sharp new novel from Ferdinand Mount, author of the Sunday Times Book of the Year Kiss Myself Goodbye

Ferdinand Mount’s stinging satire plunges into the dubious world of London PR firms, the back rooms of Westminster and the campaign trail in Africa and America. We follow the hapless Dickie Pentecost, redundant diplomatic correspondent for a foundering national newspaper, together with his stern oncologist wife Jane, and their daughters Flo, an aspiring ballerina, and the quizzical teenager Lucy.

The whole family find themselves entangled in an ever more alarming series of events revolving around the elusive Ethel (full name Ethelbert), dynamic founder of the soaring public relations agency Making Nice.

With echoes of Evelyn Waugh and The Thick of It, Making Nice is a masterly take on the madness of contemporary society and the limitless human capacity for self-deception.

Genres: Fiction, Modern, Humor, Satire

Audible Audio

Published September 30, 2021

About the author

Ferdinand Mount was born in 1939. For many years he was a columnist at the Spectator and then the Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times. In between, he was head of the Downing Street Policy Unit and then editor of the Times Literary Supplement. He is now a prize-winning novelist and author of, most recently, the bestselling memoir Cold Cream. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferdinand Mount writes an astute and keenly observed satire of our contemporary world infected by the dark arts of the PR world, of spin doctors, slippery, manipulative, intent on shaping society with the cancer of their lies, illusions, deception and distorted truths, where there is no low they will not stoop to. Dickie Pentecost, diplomatic correspondent on a financial paper takes his family, oncologist Jane and his teenage daughters, 14 year old Lucy and 16 year old Flo 'champing', camping on the grounds of deconsecrated church, St Dingle, where they meet 'Ethel', short for Ethelbert, performing his devotions in front of altar. After this, he seems to know and turn up where ever they might be, insinuating himself within the family. He charms all of them, a mesmerising figure, making quite the impression.

However, he even turns up in London, and you have to wonder how he got the phone number of their ballet obsessed daughter, Flo. At this stage, alarm bells should have been ringing, but Dickie is made redundant, and the families woes pile up with their daughters, particularly Lucy's health issues, she is experiencing seizures that results in Jane giving up her job to take care of her. This makes it paramount that Dickie gets a job, but its not easy, until out of the blue, the dodgy Ethel offers him a lucrative position as Director of Public Affairs at his Making Nice PR agency. Before long, the entire family is being corrupted, once parsimonious, morally upstanding citizens, they are taking numerous 'freebie' holiday hotel breaks, with Flo even acquiring a summer job with the agency.

Dickie finds himself out of his depth in Africa which he has to hastily flee, then in the US working on the election campaign of Senator Jerry Faldo with the temptingly beautiful Dr Betsy Broadlee, before he is unceremoniously sent back to Britain. He finds himself tasked with ghostwriting the autobiography of the odious MP, Bryce Wincott, only to then stumble into government as a Special Adviser (SPAD). As matters become increasingly untenable for Dickie and his family with the principles and moral free territory that is the shameless, ego driven Ethel (Is that even his name?), what will he do? This is a terrifically witty, entertaining and perceptive read with its echoes of Evelyn Waugh, where virtually all the characters are unlikable, with the narrative portraying so many of the ills of our world. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Making Nice’ is a public relations agency, working mostly to improve the public profile of not-so-nice politicians and businessmen. At the heart of it is Ethel (aka Johnny Evers), a spritely Puck-like character who seems to know everything and be everywhere. Journalist Dickie Pentecost, first meets Ethel (which he tells him is short for Ethelbert) while on holiday with his wife and daughters. Ethel seems to keep turning up and then disappearing again but somehow manages to keep in touch with the family once they return home to London. After returning to work, Dickie finds himself suddenly unemployed, but Ethel pops up once more with the offer of a job as a PR spin doctor at ‘Making Nice’.

Dickie is too helpless and naïve to help make anyone look good, and is soon floundering at the job. Nevertheless, he finds himself sent to Africa to aid the team running the election campaign for a corrupt politician. When that goes pear shaped, Ethel appoints him as a data manager for a US senator running for re-election and then as a special advisor to a dodgy British MP, whose ‘autobiography’ he is also supposed to be ghostwriting. Meanwhile, Ethel is behind the scenes, orchestrating everything, including Dickie’s family life.

This is a witty satire about the state of modern-day politics and the PR spin doctors who manipulate what they want the public to see and think. While all the characters are somewhat farcical and exaggerated, and I did love Ethel’s ethereal persona, Dickie seemed too hapless to be placidly going along with what was happening to him, especially for someone who has had a former career as an International investigative journalist. However, despite that, there are many places where the events skimmed unsettlingly close to reality and those who follow politics closely will likely find much to laugh at.

With thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for a copy to read

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dickie Pentecost is a journalist when we first meet him, on holiday with oncologist wife, Jane and daughters, Flo, and Lucy. Driven by the weather to sleep in a Church, Dickie wakes to find a strange young man seemingly worshipping at the altar. Introducing himself as Ethel (short for Ethelbert), he keeps popping up in odd places and seems to know just where Dickie – and his family - will be. This is more than Dickie himself knows, for life is about to take a sudden change. Not that he particularly liked his job, but, when he suddenly finds himself on the street with a box of his belongings, desk cleared, and suddenly redundant, he wonders how he will find a new role. When circumstances mean that Jane leaves her job, then Dickie needs to start earning some money and, seemingly, Ethel is the man to offer him employment. Enter, public relations agency ‘Making Nice,’ housed in a building off Tottenham Court Road and run by Ethel and his partner, Gloria Wormsley.

The blurb for this novel mentioned Evelyn Waugh and there is something of Waugh’s early novels in this, with the oddly named and eccentric characters. Dickie soon finds himself flying around the world; sent off to Africa to help organise the re-election of a client, to the USA as Data Manager for the campaign of Senator Jerry Faldo, standing for presidential nomination and, closer to home, to a client’s investment in his daughter’s ballet school. Dickie is often hapless, confused and out of his depth, while Ethel remains a disquieting presence, pulling the strings off-stage. This is a clever novel, with dark humour, rooted in the ambitious, modern world of public relations I am delighted to have read this and certainly wish to explore more of the author’s work. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little ambivalent about Making Nice; it’s well written and quite a decent satire of the spin industry, but it didn’t feel particularly original and had an implausibly gullible character at its heart.

Dickie Pentecost is an experienced and respected political correspondent for a rather staid newspaper. While on holiday with his family he meets the charismatic and rather mysterious Ethel (short for Ethelbert) who is terrifyingly knowledgeable about the Pentecost family. When Dickie is made suddenly redundant, Ethel appears with a lucrative job offer at Making Nice, a flashy “reputation management” company. This leads him into the PR world world of spin, distraction and outright lies where truth and integrity are alien concepts and people are just data to be manipulated.

It’s well enough done and it’s certainly a very timely satire, but I did think that it had largely been said before in plenty of TV programmes like Ballot Monkeys and books like Robert Webb’s Come Again. Dickie is an experienced international journalist and I found it very hard to believe that he was so naive that he couldn’t quickly see through a corrupt African politician or the monstrous backers of a US presidential candidate. I thought his family story was better, but the denouement of the whole book was very conveniently quick and pat, so it felt a bit unsatisfactory.

Making Nice was well enough written to (just!) round 3.5 stars up to 4. It’s readable and enjoyable, but perhaps not as scathing or funny as it intended to be.

(My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley.)

[books4chess · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You see, Dickie, capitalism may be the only game left in town, but it's not a game people like playing much. So we're engineering a paradigm shift, the ambition is to transform the System into a game you can't' help falling in love with."

The story follows 'Dickie', who after a chance encounter with 'Ethel' joins the PR team 'Making Nice' and becomes wrapped up in the fast-paced, ever-changing world of spin and politics. The story throws in many curveballs and humorously exaggerates every situation to the point of sheer ridiculousness - subjectively in an effort to highlight the state of current affairs.

After finishing the story, I described it as being dragged through a hedge backwards. Everything happened so quickly and yet nothing actually really happened. I felt like the random friend thrown into a poor production that doesn't really serve a purpose or understand what's going on, but is just kind of there, enjoying the vibes. It's good vibes for sure, but a little more depth or analysis in a closing chapter could have brought the book to the next level for me.

3 / 5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so confused. What did I just read?! 1.5 stars

Hard to be objective because I have zero interest in politics and PR (if you're wondering why I decided to read this, it was for book club and I didn't realise before starting it), but I'll try.

Yes, I understand that this is satire, but it doesn't really work as a novel for me. Essentially, there was no plot other than a series of failed campaigns, with the narrator dragged along for the ride as a hapless witness. Besides the satire on PR and politics, there's nothing to this book, really. Unless you want to count a satire on bad parenting, I guess. And while satire is an exaggeration, this was just absurd to me most of the time. It was ridiculous, but never amusing or entertaining for me.

I found it difficult to distinguish between the narrator's and the author's voice, to be honest (perhaps because the author himself was involved in politics and journalism). Was the writing so pretentious because the narrator was a pretentious character, or was that the author's style? Did the casual racism, sexism and homophobia remain unchallenged because the narrator thought nothing of it all, or because the author thought they didn't need to be addressed? Or perhaps by making the narrator unlikeable, the author thought it was enough?

Either way, I found nothing to like about this book, unfortunately. The rating is purely personal, as this was certainly not a book for me, but I'm not sure who would be the target audience. Maybe someone who works in that domain and wants to read something that kind of makes fun of it?

Anyway, I'm very curious to find out if someone in the book club did enjoy it and why.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dickie Pentecost is a man at loss with the modern world, despite having been a diplomatic correspondent for a national newspaper for a number of years. Now surplus to requirements in a age when news has become all about clicks on a website, Dickie is forced to try to find a job that fits his skillset in the modern world of work, and has no clue what to do next.

When Dickie's oncologist wife Jane decides to take a career break to take care of their youngest daughter Lucy, who has developed epilepsy, he is forced to find a job to support his family rather more quickly than he is comfortable with. As a result, he gets drawn into the surreal world of PR through the curiously named Making Nice agency, run by the mysterious Ethel - a man who seems to inveigled himself into their lives after a family camping trip.

Ethel is a hard man to pin down, but somehow the sheer force of his personality gets Dickie into some very sticky situations behind the scenes of political campaigns in Africa and America, and then disastrously thrusts him into the civil service machine that runs Westminster. Dickie is out of his depth from the start and always one step behind Ethel and his Machiavellian schemes - which unfortunately include Dickie's sixteen-year-old daughter Flo too.

Will Dickie get wise before it is too late?

Political satire is a curious beast, and in this age where just about anything and everything has been attempted by the characters inhabiting the political sphere at home and abroad in recent years, it's not easy to find something truly absurd to write about that doesn't come from reality. For this reason, I think this book has rather a difficult job to live up to, but Ferdinand Mount gives is a good go.

The political satire elements of this book are cleverly contrived, with authentic echoes underlying the threads of corrupt African political candidates, Trump-esque American White House hopefuls and bumbling Downing Street clowns that drive the more biting farcical goings on that Dickie finds himself embroiled in. Much of this is too close to the mark to be funny, but there is still plenty of dark humour to be derived from the way in which the most ridiculous scenarios can be spun by horrifically creative PR gurus - and some important lessons to be learned about how and why PR exists. If the concept of data mining is not something you have ever really thought about before either, then this will definitely open your eyes to quite how much of your private life can be extrapolated from the details you share on social media - scary indeed. As a vehicle to expose quite how much you can fool almost all the people, almost all of the time, this is a book that does its job well - and the years that Mount spent behind the scenes himself at Downing Street really shine through in the detail.

It is the idea that this book explores self-deception that does not fly, I think. The Pentecost family are intended as the butt of all Ethel's devious schemes in these pages, and some pretty uncomfortable plotlines result before Dickie finally reaches a long-overdue epiphany. The problem for me is that as a family they are just not relatable, or even likeable - except perhaps for Lucy. Dickie is just too naive, and he and Jane are both completely disconnected from each other and their children. I am unwilling to reveal spoilers here, but the Ethel-Flo storyline in particular is a step too far for me, and served to make me dislike the family more, rather than feel any sympathy for them - would Dickie and Jane really stand on the sidelines rather than upset the rosy-hued happiness of a sixteen-year-old? I think not. Not much humour to be derived here methinks.

All in all, this makes the book a bit of a curate's egg, with the parts clearly drawn from Mount's personal experience flowing nicely and bursting with satirical delights, and the foray into more domestic dramas leaving you with an unfortunate bad taste in the mouth - less would have been a lot more on this front. The balance is a little bit off to make this a book to shower with lyrical praise, which is a bit of a shame, because it is engaging and very well written. However, If you are a die hard fan of wickedly biting series like The Thick of It then you will find a lot in this book to draw a wry smile or two, especially if you don't really mind your characters being on the unlikeable side.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferdinand Mount's "Making Nice" is a withering satire of the world of public relations, a landscape dominated by hype, spin, deceit, and greed. The book's ill-starred protagonist and narrator is Dickie Pentecost, a newspaper correspondent who is made redundant. His wife, Jane, an oncologist, takes a leave from her job to care for their adolescent daughter, who is ailing. In desperation, Dickie takes a position in Reputation Management with a man he met on a trip—the eccentric Ethelbert Evers, Ethel for short—who runs his own PR firm.

What Dickie soon realizes is that nothing that Ethel tells him can be taken at face value.
This arrogant, self-centered, and manipulative man has a knack for persuading others to do his bidding. Among other unsavory tasks, Dickie is assigned to help a blowhard MP named Bryce Wincott write his autobiography, a project that Dickie dreads. Also troubling is the fact that Flo, Dickie and Jane's daughter, falls under Ethel's spell. Her parents are horrified that their sixteen-year-old is besotted with this egotist and charlatan.

"Making Nice" is often amusing and clever, although Ethel's obnoxiousness becomes tiresome as the story progresses. The author not so subtly alludes to the current state of public communication. PR firms often gravitate to heavy hitters who are flush with cash, but may turn out to be crooked, racist, and/or immoral. Dickie learns the hard way that it is foolhardy to compromise one's values; that his family should be his top priority; and that although insufferable people may thrive, they are hardly role models for the rest of us. Dickie must decide whether to pursue a career that does not compromise his principles or sell out to the highest bidder. This timely novel is a harsh indictment of the ways in which politics, social media, the misuse of data, and public discourse have become increasingly toxic.

[The Reader Ignites · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think, this was the perfect time of year to read this novel. The days are getting shorter, there’s a crispness to the air and I was in the mood for something a bit different.. and ‘Making Nice’ was certainly that.

Set in London, Dickie Pentecost, is recruited into the PR firm ‘Making Nice’ by the elusive Ethel (short for Ethelbert!). Having been let go of his job as a journalist, Dickie is now at a stage in his life where he is excited to start somewhere new, however little does he know that the further embroiled he becomes in ‘Making Nice’s’ ventures, the more disillusioned he becomes with the standards of others and how far they will go to get what they want. Is Ethel a genuine sort or is there more to the young man who seems to have ingrained himself in Dickie and his family’s life?

This novel was a strange one. A behind the scenes look at politics aswell as a poke in the ribs at how far society will go with self-deception, I did enjoy it but not for the satire for which it was advertised (although there was one line about Ireland rejoining the UK which I howled at 🤣) but for the storyline itself. Set amongst the political world, I wondered whether this novel would appeal to those readers who have an interest in politics, however I don’t think it’s necessary. I found it quite entertaining but found myself querying certain sideline story threads. Overall though I did enjoy it.

4 ⭐️

Kind thanks to @tandemcollectiveuk and @bloomsburypublishing for the #gifted copy.

[Jean-Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another disturbing but rollicking exploration of post-Trumpian human frolics set in the middle or at the fringes of our lovely COVID World and taking place in England or at times in the disgusting & unappetizing world of African and American politics and starring a weird bunch of morons trying to justify their utter uselessness by aimlessly running around a sick environment gone totally haywire.

I loved this novel because it helped me to finally understand and saddly accept that we are all of us currently living in a totally disgusting World.....

Ferdinand Mount is a wonderful wordsmith and one of my favorite writers but I don't really think that he managed to get any sign of empathy towards any of his characters in this one because there is nothing really funny about their empty & miserable lives and their absolutely obnoxious lifestyles, not even enough to crack a tiny little smile. It's just a scathing & vicious reminder that nowadays we are just going through hell on a daily basis.....

Higly recommended but only if you are ready to waste time with a cast of worthless creeps and forget about their stupid fictional lives as soon as you finish putting up with their idiotic shenanigans.

Many many thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for giving me the crazy opportunity to read this depressing novel.

[Zeljka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess if it wasn't for NetGalley, I wouldn't ever dream of reading, let alone reviewing this book. I generally avoid books with any hint of politics in them. However, I was intrigued by this title and its blurb.

Our protagonist went through so many bizarre marketing and political machinations that were so outlandish they actually ringed true. The book starts with our protagonist meeting for the first time a mysterious man of all trades who will affect deeply his life and family. Not soon after, he has lost his job as a political journalist, and that new acquaintance found him a new one - a sort of PR consultant, going to many places, observing a lot, but actually doing nothing at all.

I felt a bit uneasy at some parts though, related to the breezy and careless relationships the protagonist had with his wife, children, and everyone else. I couldn't fathom what was so appealing about him too, that all these shady people and PR consultants flocked to his persona. I guess I am not that savvy in political intrigues to understand that much.

Readers who like funny political satires, will very much enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An entertaining and relatively amusing satire on spin-doctors, corruption in government and shady politicians, this is ultimately a fairly light-weight and inconsequential novel with which I gradually lost patience. Dickie Pentecost is a diplomatic correspondent for a not very important newspaper who loses his job after the inevitable “restructuring”. Whilst on a family holiday with his wife and two daughters he meets Ethel, a rather mysterious, almost fey, young man who dispenses words of wisdom and advice at the drop of a hat, always seeming to be completely au fait with the Pentecost family's situation, finally offering Dickie a job which takes him on a series of picaresque adventures in Africa, the US and finally back to the UK where he takes up a short-lived government post. Nothing works out for Dickie quite as he hopes, not least because he is remarkably naïve for a newspaper correspondent and events always take him by surprise. As a social and political satire and a comedy of manners, it has its moments but the novelty wore off fairly soon and it didn’t seem to offer any new perspectives on what has become sadly commonplace and all too familiar.

[Christine (Queen of Books)]

MAKING NICE is political satire set in London.

The synopsis had me at the Veep comparison, though I have to say, I didn't find the book "deliciously funny." I think Wag the Dog may be a more apt comparison, given the book's focus on spin.

Middle-aged Dickie is laid off from his job as a diplomatic correspondent due to the newspaper heading in a more modern direction, which is awful timing given that his wife wants to take some time off work to focus on their younger daughter's health. Dickie quickly finds himself employed by Making Nice, a PR firm that often works in international politics. He's brought in and mentored by the shady Ethel, the firm's founder.

This was a fairly quick read for literary fiction. I think it might be a good fit for those who were fans of Mouth to Mouth -- Dickie and Ethel, as well as the book's tone, reminded me of that one. It never quite got off the ground for me, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for a free e-arc of this title for review.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable political satire, encompassing the world of Wonks and Spads, Westminster and Washington. Recognisable figures from the recent political world are Ethelbert Evers, head of the Public Relations firm ‘Making Nice’ ( much of Dominic Cummings here), the Republican presidential candidate in the US campaign (Trump) and various types from the right of the British Conservative Party, plus the extraordinary policies that are floated - eugenics, mass relocation of portions of the population - that could very well have emerged from the far right.
Rather disconcerting for me was one of the characters bearing my maiden name....very odd to come across this is in a novel. I’m minded to contact the author through his publishers and ask why....

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keenly observed political satire.

Dickie is called in from his holiday to receive the news that he no longer has his job as a political journalist for a small newspaper.

Even more unsettling, he arrives home to find a strange character they ran into on holiday turn up on his doorstep and offer him a job at his PR firm, having somehow found out not only his address but the fact that he has just been fired.

Depressingly accurate and very much reminiscent of an era of special advisors who played a prominent role such as Dominic Cummings and the band of Brexit charlatans, nothing about this strange character is clear or straightforward, with events constantly being spun and manipulated for the sake of power and self promotion.

[Popup-ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Making Nice' is a company specializing in reputation recovery - or as we normally call it 'spin'. They try to rehabilitate disgraced despots and failing restaurants, all powered by a blatant disregard to ethics and conventions such as due process.

The protagonist is an ex-journalist who gets mixed up in the whole messy process, and his part is rather poorly explained. He comes across as a hapless helpless hack, and it's never adequately explained what his position is in the complex schemes.

Despite the lackluster protagonist and the otherworldly conspiracies, the prose is captivating, and the story just implausible enough to be almost believable.

[Maribel Maldonado · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superbly written, satirical modern-day novel. The story touches on so many of our current affairs sometimes as a reader one feels like one could also be a character. It is a pleasure to read fiction that is so satisfying on so many levels. Read this for pure fun (it is very humorous) and for its impeccable prose and enrapturing dialogue. It is also a perfectly paced work of fiction that makes it full-circle while planting moral commentary about the state of 21st. century Western society which is likely to sprout in the reader's head long after the story has ended.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a depressing and highly entertaining story about the world we are living in, PRs and political spin doctors.
Depressing because it's a bleak depiction of reality, highly entertaining because it's a darkly humorous satire and you cannot help laughing at the farcical characters.
The author is an excellent storyteller and this story kept me reading.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[BrianC75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this satire which explores the very recent but seedy world of politics, SPADS and suspect PR through the eyes of a nearly innocent participant/colleague of the main players. Dialogue is superb and so witty with the most outlandish characters delivering the telling lines. Cummings, Trump, Boris etc all appear in disguise and the central character, 'Ethel', the dynamo behind the agency 'Making Nice' is truly superb. Will seek out further Mount books.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh .
Confused where the funny or clever parts were ? Not even smirking satire just bored ..good thing its a short book .even so I had to skim.

Also where is the plot ?!

Also bloody hell quit repeating " gtey basalt eyes! " We know what color they were from rhe 1st description! But every time he mentions or talks to him ...agsin those 3 words .

If one drinks..there's your new drinking game .You'll be quit me buzzed uf you suffer thru this suffering mess.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many of Ferdinand Mount’s books and am full of admiration for his talent and verbal dexterity. This book is well up to standard. A rollicking satire on the PR industry and its iniquities.

Mount takes a rapier to it and scores many blows.

Witty, erudite and well researched, this was a pleasure to read.

[Ashleigh Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book very hard to get into. I only managed to read 32 pages and had to give in as it was making me feel tired from reading it, and I wasn't tired. It lacked any sort of story that would draw me in and after reading only 3 chapters I found the characters annoying. The book is only around 200 pages long but I couldn't complete it

[Deb Lancaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... fine. Mildly amusing satire of PR/Spads/reputation mgt and the whole ridiculous bollocks of it all. Ethel is clearly Dominic Cummings, the author was part of Thatcher's spin team I believe so make of that what you will. I didn't really enjoy it much. V smug. V knowing. Too happy with the world that it's aiming to skewer. Meh.

[Oli Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable romp through the world of reputation management which, in my experience, may be exaggerated but is directionally spot on. There may well be people in Westminster discussing just who is being parodied in each character.

[Gay Harding · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable, but not really enjoyable. I know this sort of stuff (as in PR spin) goes on in the world but I don’t really enjoy reading about it. Besides it almost comes under the heading of fantasy to me. Satire is definitely not my thing…I guess I am too serious a reader to appreciate it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book as available in the limited selection in the Pitlochary library. It was surprisingly absorbing but I didn't find it very funny it much good as satire. It wasn't boring though and was an engaging and light hearted read.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed making nice and I’d happily suggest it to others. I read about ten books if not more a week and this one was memorable. That’s a bonus.

[Angela Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bright satire of the world of PR

[Virginprune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read quickly and don't think too hard; a nice summer read.

[Kim Mossenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK. Didn't find it such a great, cutting satire. A few good lines.