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A Polaroid of Peggy
"FUNNY. REVEALING. WONDERFUL." MAUREEN LIPMAN
Andrew Wiiliams. Mavis and Syd's boy. Hasn't he done well? Booming business, lovely wife, beautiful kids, bloody great house. What more could he possibly want?
And then an old photo turns up and Andrew's world is turned upside down.
A story of lost love and lost bearings, 'A Polaroid of Peggy' is 'Bonfire of the Vanities' meets 'Love Story' with a dash of 'Mad Men' thrown in.
Funny and poignany by turns, it asks the the most fundamental of questions: what really matters in life? And finds the ansewer is distinctly muddled.
Andrew Wiiliams. Mavis and Syd's boy. Hasn't he done well? Booming business, lovely wife, beautiful kids, bloody great house. What more could he possibly want?
And then an old photo turns up and Andrew's world is turned upside down.
A story of lost love and lost bearings, 'A Polaroid of Peggy' is 'Bonfire of the Vanities' meets 'Love Story' with a dash of 'Mad Men' thrown in.
Funny and poignany by turns, it asks the the most fundamental of questions: what really matters in life? And finds the ansewer is distinctly muddled.
380 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 9, 2015
While he's living in New York, Englishman Andrew Williams takes a Polaroid snap of a woman he loves. Twenty years later, back in England, it's discovered by his wife, who is not the woman in the photo. The story is told from Andrew's point of view, and what unfolds after this knotty event is both entertaining and, for the most part, plausible. Phillips has created a character who has the glib and self-centered persona of the stereotypical ambitious and successful Advertising Man. But it turns out that Andrew is more than that. He's also chronically insecure and prone to constant self deprecation, and the painfully honest way in which he bares his soul would make most men flinch. Funny in parts, poignant in others, 'A Portrait Of Peggy' would be good company for your next flight over the Atlantic.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
May 8, 2016
This book was won as a review copy a Goodreads first reads offer.
I really enjoyed this story even though at first I was a bit dubious due to the main character Andrew being a typical self appreciating, upwardly mobile, money is everything advertising mogul. This was the point of the whole premise of the story however, and I found within a couple more chapters I couldn't help but warm to the easy banter style of the prose. By the end of the tale, even though I did on a number of occasions want to slap him hard I was cheering him on to get even, win the golden prize and all that jazz.
The story moves back from London 1999 to 1979 New York and Andrew Williams first job in advertising. He meets a fantastically witty, beautiful and funny girl from the casting office called Peggy and falls head over heels in love. His naivety and pure stupidity end up getting him sent back to London, without a connection back to Peggy. It is a Polaroid found in an old jacket pocket by his wife that starts the whole story rolling again, jogging memories back to 1979 and then the subsequent fall out of trying to find Peggy again that hugely impacts life in 1999.
This is a story to get you asking, what is really important in life. With so much that is depressing in the news nowadays we need as individuals to ask ourselves the meaning of our own lives. Sometimes the sane option is not the right one but also the completely insane is not right either. Andrew has a number of opportunities to take stock and at least repair his errors. He doesn't manage it in a lot of ways but the ending was heart warming without being predictable.
Live life to the full but remember that the actions from today will have consequences in maybe years to come and as much as you may wish to go back in time, it's not yet scientifically possible. Living still requires an amount of responsibility.
Nice to read a romantic story from a mans point of view too. As a women I really do wonder sometimes are men that daft, do they really not think properly before they act? Certainly from Richard Phillips writing I would say no, obviously not, it explains a lot ;-)
I really enjoyed this story even though at first I was a bit dubious due to the main character Andrew being a typical self appreciating, upwardly mobile, money is everything advertising mogul. This was the point of the whole premise of the story however, and I found within a couple more chapters I couldn't help but warm to the easy banter style of the prose. By the end of the tale, even though I did on a number of occasions want to slap him hard I was cheering him on to get even, win the golden prize and all that jazz.
The story moves back from London 1999 to 1979 New York and Andrew Williams first job in advertising. He meets a fantastically witty, beautiful and funny girl from the casting office called Peggy and falls head over heels in love. His naivety and pure stupidity end up getting him sent back to London, without a connection back to Peggy. It is a Polaroid found in an old jacket pocket by his wife that starts the whole story rolling again, jogging memories back to 1979 and then the subsequent fall out of trying to find Peggy again that hugely impacts life in 1999.
This is a story to get you asking, what is really important in life. With so much that is depressing in the news nowadays we need as individuals to ask ourselves the meaning of our own lives. Sometimes the sane option is not the right one but also the completely insane is not right either. Andrew has a number of opportunities to take stock and at least repair his errors. He doesn't manage it in a lot of ways but the ending was heart warming without being predictable.
Live life to the full but remember that the actions from today will have consequences in maybe years to come and as much as you may wish to go back in time, it's not yet scientifically possible. Living still requires an amount of responsibility.
Nice to read a romantic story from a mans point of view too. As a women I really do wonder sometimes are men that daft, do they really not think properly before they act? Certainly from Richard Phillips writing I would say no, obviously not, it explains a lot ;-)
June 8, 2015
Anyone who has had a lost love, will love this book. It is a sweeping story of the advertising world and a moment in the hero's history, which changed his life. Cleverly written it has wit and wisdom,
with a detailed understanding of both advertising and the human heart. It is written on many levels and film buffs will enjoy the many references, well known and mysterious to films past and present which gives the book another dimension.
The self doubt and uncertainty portrayed by the hero, in matters of the heart, will sound deep chords in most people who have found love and lost it. Occasionally you read of real life stories of lovers being reunited after decades and wonder how it was for them. In this very enjoyable and readable story, you are kept on tenter hooks until the end, and wanting to know what happens keeps you turning the pages. I won't reveal more of it for it will surely spoil your enjoyment of this delightful debut novel. I can't wait for his next book.
with a detailed understanding of both advertising and the human heart. It is written on many levels and film buffs will enjoy the many references, well known and mysterious to films past and present which gives the book another dimension.
The self doubt and uncertainty portrayed by the hero, in matters of the heart, will sound deep chords in most people who have found love and lost it. Occasionally you read of real life stories of lovers being reunited after decades and wonder how it was for them. In this very enjoyable and readable story, you are kept on tenter hooks until the end, and wanting to know what happens keeps you turning the pages. I won't reveal more of it for it will surely spoil your enjoyment of this delightful debut novel. I can't wait for his next book.
June 9, 2015
‘A Polaroid of Peggy’ is a funny book. Funny ha ha but also funny, I thought I knew where this was going but it’s really not that at all. Most of the laugh out loud bits concern Phillip’s wicked, and only slightly exaggerated depiction of ad agency shenanigans in the late 1990ss and the unravelling of deplorable agency boss Andrew Williams, the main protagonist. I was almost going to call him a loveable rogue. But when Williams’ wife finds a 20 year old Polaroid of Peggy, his one great love from years ago, that the novel really finds its heart. And it’s the chapters set in 1979 New York recalling this romance that – whilst containing a fair share of hah ha moments themselves – lift the story into something altogether different from the comedic romp you thought you were on. This is not just a funny book about a man who has lost his way but of lost love and what might have been.
June 11, 2015
In the late 60s I got a job in a company that made commercials. There I encountered my first 'admen' - in those days they were always men - who were mostly exceptionally clever, conceited, funny, demanding, hugely creative, often thoroughly unreasonable, but with an extraordinary confidence in the persuasiveness of their ideas.
Phillips' anti-hero, Andrew, is an an adman to the core. Sporting all the appropriate character traits, along with a generous helping of neuroticism, and prompted by his wife's embarrassing discovery of an old photo, he takes the reader on a roller-coaster journey in search of something he lost.
This is a great read - clever, intriguing, funny and insightful. A sucker for a love story, especially full of unresolved sexual tension, A Polaroid of Peggy is definitely up my street.
Phillips' anti-hero, Andrew, is an an adman to the core. Sporting all the appropriate character traits, along with a generous helping of neuroticism, and prompted by his wife's embarrassing discovery of an old photo, he takes the reader on a roller-coaster journey in search of something he lost.
This is a great read - clever, intriguing, funny and insightful. A sucker for a love story, especially full of unresolved sexual tension, A Polaroid of Peggy is definitely up my street.
June 8, 2015
I got my hands on an early copy a read it cover to cover in a couple of sittings. It;a hilariously funny (most of the time) and strangely moving (some of the time} It also allows us a peek into the strange world of advertising, as practiced on both side of the Atlantic. It also does a nice trade in cross cultural Anglo/American confusion. There are some things American struggle with - "You're Jewish and English?" says one astonished New Yorker, these things being mutually exclusive in the American mind.
Give it a go. It stays with you after you've read the last page, which makes it more than worth the cover price
Give it a go. It stays with you after you've read the last page, which makes it more than worth the cover price
August 30, 2015
What a brilliant read! I found this book highly entertaining and very witty
I found myself laughing out loud at times it struck a chord with myself as sometimes I wonder what might have been when I think of the past and lost loves
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a well written,funny and simply a wonderful read
Thankyou to the kind author and to goodreads for the chance to read the book
For me personally a fantastic and well deserved 5 stars
I found myself laughing out loud at times it struck a chord with myself as sometimes I wonder what might have been when I think of the past and lost loves
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a well written,funny and simply a wonderful read
Thankyou to the kind author and to goodreads for the chance to read the book
For me personally a fantastic and well deserved 5 stars
June 9, 2015
From the very first page I was hooked. The narrative voice pulls you in and forces you to stay and find out what happens whether you like the choices Andrew's making or not. By the end I was very nearly shouting at the pages trying to get things to work out for Andrew the way that I wanted them to! Great debut novel.
June 5, 2015
Was very happy to get into bed & read this book every night. Most amusing. An insightful look behind the scenes of the advertising industry. The writing was a rollercoaster look inside someone else's thoughts & feelings. Very enjoyable. I hope we get to see another novel soon. Definitely recommend.
June 9, 2015
I found this book perfectly joyful. It took me into a fondly remembered world and made me smile a lot. The hero endures a bumpy ride with great humour and I rooted for him all the way.
June 10, 2015
With "A POLAROID FOR PEGGY", sometime copywriter, Richard Phillips becomes an author who has given us a funny, entertaining and revealing novel.
August 14, 2015
A refreshingly funny and thought provoking read. I would read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews