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Lad
"A brilliant and brutal look at UK lad culture...It's witty, shocking, thought-provoking and sad - Five Stars" - Tracy Fenton, Founder of The Book Club on Facebook "A witty and stinging satire of lad culture" - TV Life magazine, Daily Star on Sunday "A dark, funny and rewarding read - Five Stars" - John Marrs, author of The Wronged Sons, A Thousand Small Explosions and Welcome to Wherever You Are" Danny Small loves life just the way it is... It's a cheeky Nando's. It's a big sesh down the gym. It's double shots of Sambuca. It's a scrap at closing time. It's a few Stellas before kick off. It's larging it in Marbella. It's not being tied down. It's working hard and playing harder. It's a relentless cycle of booze, birds and banter. It's the lad's life. ...but when everyone else is growing up and moving on, life in the fast lane gets pretty lonely. Danny's mates are settling down. Girls are demanding commitment. His boss is onto his schemes. Even his mum's on his case. Does the banter finally have to stop, or does a real lad just crank it up a notch?
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2016
11 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Webber
5 books23 followersAndrew Webber is a writer of contemporary fiction based in London.
His debut novel Lad, a satirical take on UK lad culture was released in October 2016.
His novella (Today) and short story collections (We Are All Lost) have common themes, focusing on the isolation and weariness with modern life felt by many ordinary people.
He is a voracious reader, with a particular fascination with John Niven, Chuck Palahniuk, David Mitchell, Murakami, Alan Watts, psychology, philosophy and Soreen Malt Loaf.
His debut novel Lad, a satirical take on UK lad culture was released in October 2016.
His novella (Today) and short story collections (We Are All Lost) have common themes, focusing on the isolation and weariness with modern life felt by many ordinary people.
He is a voracious reader, with a particular fascination with John Niven, Chuck Palahniuk, David Mitchell, Murakami, Alan Watts, psychology, philosophy and Soreen Malt Loaf.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 5, 2024
Every office has a Danny and I think the author has captured the lad culture down to a tea.
Brilliant read. Funny, witty and sums up the 21st century lad well.
I would definitely read more by this author.
Four stars.
Brilliant read. Funny, witty and sums up the 21st century lad well.
I would definitely read more by this author.
Four stars.
October 5, 2016
Wow - what a book, what a character, what a journey. Webber has created a lead you both loathe and are fascinated by at the same time. Just when you believe the protagonist, Danny and his selfishness can't get any worse, Webber finds a way to take it a step further with an action or a comment that makes you shake your head or want to throw your Kindle at the wall. But Webber's brilliant characterisation means that you don't just spend a book reading about someone you hate. You actually want to know what makes him tick and what makes him the way he is, and each sign of vulnerability leads you into wanting to know more. And that for me is the sign of a talented writer; someone who can make you care and for someone you hate! Lads mags and lad culture may have made way for the metrosexual, but 'lads' still exist, and thank goodness they do otherwise this brilliant novel wouldn't exist.
October 4, 2016
Lad by Andrew Webber is an incredibly brutal yet brilliant look at today's LAD culture in Britain. Meet Danny, the most offensive, politically incorrect, sexist, unscrupulous young man who is living out his dream by bedding a different women each night, conning vulnerable people at work and generally loving life. Or is he? This witty and sometimes shocking story is both thought provoking and sad at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed it but if you are easily offended this really isn't the book for you. 5 stars
October 8, 2016
The lad of the title is Danny, an estate agent who feels the world owes him a living and that women should fall at his feet. He lives for drunken sessions with the lads and nights of steamy sex with women he is quite happy never to see again. He's not terribly scrupulous about how he comes about his money, having a few irons in the fire which his boss isn't aware of.
Danny's not a likeable lad but there's a huge amount of humour in this story which is laced with irony. He's critical of others for doing very similar things to those he is quite smug about doing. You follow his often disastrous exploits wondering why he can’t see his own biggest problem – himself and his attitude to others. It's compelling reading and you feel pulled along in the wake of his personal disasters, wondering if he'll ever grow up. A really good read.
Danny's not a likeable lad but there's a huge amount of humour in this story which is laced with irony. He's critical of others for doing very similar things to those he is quite smug about doing. You follow his often disastrous exploits wondering why he can’t see his own biggest problem – himself and his attitude to others. It's compelling reading and you feel pulled along in the wake of his personal disasters, wondering if he'll ever grow up. A really good read.
November 2, 2016
Danny is the Ultimate 21st Century Lad. He is the King of Banter. All the women want him; all the other guys want to be like him - or do they? He is amoral, alcoholic, violent, selfish and criminally dishonest but that's everyone else's problem as long as our Danny is having a good time. Why should he change his wicked ways just because the people who care about him want to move on and grow up?
Lad is a extremely entertaining read. It is funny, engaging, even a little tragic. You find yourself rooting for the appalling Danny even though you know he's a wrong 'un; he really can't help it. You even feel concern for him when his inevitable downfall strikes.
I defy anyone to put this book down once they've started reading. Classic Bants.
Lad is a extremely entertaining read. It is funny, engaging, even a little tragic. You find yourself rooting for the appalling Danny even though you know he's a wrong 'un; he really can't help it. You even feel concern for him when his inevitable downfall strikes.
I defy anyone to put this book down once they've started reading. Classic Bants.
November 3, 2016
Danny is the lad of this story. We all know someone like him and unless you're in his circle of friends you do your best to stay away from him. Strange then that it's difficult to stay away from this book.
The writing is excellent and the banter funny. Danny's personality is a mix of confident, brash 'front' mixed up with insecurities and vulnerability, and it's this that keeps you reading. I found myself laughing at some of Danny's observations and thanking my lucky stars that my daughters haven't met lads like him at the same time!
Compulsive, banter filled reading.
I chose to read a free copy of this book.
The writing is excellent and the banter funny. Danny's personality is a mix of confident, brash 'front' mixed up with insecurities and vulnerability, and it's this that keeps you reading. I found myself laughing at some of Danny's observations and thanking my lucky stars that my daughters haven't met lads like him at the same time!
Compulsive, banter filled reading.
I chose to read a free copy of this book.
January 4, 2017
My goodness, lock up your daughters because Danny is on the prowl. The man who switched between making me cringe and want to punch him in the face, to making me want to give him a square meal, a proper talking to and a good cuddle (in a big sister kind of way!). I loved this book WAY more than any self-respecting woman should, and as advised by a friend, had to remind myself to 'tut' every so often. By the end, I was thoroughly on Danny's side and wanted nothing more than for him to settle down with the love of a good woman. Absolutely brilliant. 5*.
March 2, 2018
Danny is just one of the lads and constantly on the pull by any means possible, pub, or Tinder or just pure luck, his not yours. He is a love ’em and leave ’em sort of bloke, that may see them again, if they are lucky, but nothing ever serious. Danny is most women’s worst nightmare. He knows all the right things to say, he seems to care but it is all a cover because he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Meet them, woo them, bed them, leave them. Next!
Sounds awful and I haven’t even started on his sexist and racist remarks or that he is a con man. He really isn’t much of a catch, even if he was on the market. But I asked myself, Is Danny really happy? Bloody right he is! He feels he has the world at his feet, a new girl in his bed when ever he wants and money in the bank, oh and mates, they really look up to him.
Well I thought, this is different. What author in their right mind would write a character that everyone loathed? Well an author that has the confidence and talent to pull it off because it is hilarious in parts and jaw dropping in others. It was his way of thinking that really tickled me as I was privy to inside his mind. It wasn’t a pretty place to be. There were Danny’s feelings, Danny’s needs, and everything else Danny and a massive wall.
This is a very entertaining read as long as you do it with tongue in cheek and don’t offend easy, just read it as exaggerated fun like it is meant to be. Very clever , very funny and very recommended
Sounds awful and I haven’t even started on his sexist and racist remarks or that he is a con man. He really isn’t much of a catch, even if he was on the market. But I asked myself, Is Danny really happy? Bloody right he is! He feels he has the world at his feet, a new girl in his bed when ever he wants and money in the bank, oh and mates, they really look up to him.
Well I thought, this is different. What author in their right mind would write a character that everyone loathed? Well an author that has the confidence and talent to pull it off because it is hilarious in parts and jaw dropping in others. It was his way of thinking that really tickled me as I was privy to inside his mind. It wasn’t a pretty place to be. There were Danny’s feelings, Danny’s needs, and everything else Danny and a massive wall.
This is a very entertaining read as long as you do it with tongue in cheek and don’t offend easy, just read it as exaggerated fun like it is meant to be. Very clever , very funny and very recommended
November 5, 2016
Having been warned not to read this if easily offended I knew what to expect from this book. I wasn't offended but found it impossible to find any redeeming qualities in the main character, Danny. He's a misogynistic, racist, self-centred, vain, immature thirty something man who appears to be completely amoral.
That said, the author has a very engaging style of writing and this was a very quick read. There is a sort of morbid fascination with characters who are so unashamedly selfish, who think of no one but themselves. As the mother of two daughters around the same age, I can only hope that neither of them ever come across a Danny as I have no doubt that they exist and that there are an endless supply of women who think that they can change them.
I don't suppose that I am the target market for this book, wrong generation, but I did sort of enjoy it, it was amusing in parts, quite distasteful in others.
I did wonder what the author thinks the response to the book would be if the main character was Danielle rather than Danny?
That said, the author has a very engaging style of writing and this was a very quick read. There is a sort of morbid fascination with characters who are so unashamedly selfish, who think of no one but themselves. As the mother of two daughters around the same age, I can only hope that neither of them ever come across a Danny as I have no doubt that they exist and that there are an endless supply of women who think that they can change them.
I don't suppose that I am the target market for this book, wrong generation, but I did sort of enjoy it, it was amusing in parts, quite distasteful in others.
I did wonder what the author thinks the response to the book would be if the main character was Danielle rather than Danny?
October 31, 2016
Andrew Webber dreamed up Danny - the most despicable vile character ever and somehow managed to get me rooting for him -- now that's clever!! Trust me you'll love to loathe Him.
A brutally stark insight into the 'Lad culture' with it's crass approach to any kind of respect for women or fidelity -- they booze, preen, swear, cheat and have, it seems, zero morals. What happens when friends grow up? When bosses discover underhand/downright illegal tactics? Can our anti-hero be reformed?
An absolute 5 star read - I devoured this book, resenting anything that got in the way of my reading! highly recommended to those who are not easily offended.
A brutally stark insight into the 'Lad culture' with it's crass approach to any kind of respect for women or fidelity -- they booze, preen, swear, cheat and have, it seems, zero morals. What happens when friends grow up? When bosses discover underhand/downright illegal tactics? Can our anti-hero be reformed?
An absolute 5 star read - I devoured this book, resenting anything that got in the way of my reading! highly recommended to those who are not easily offended.
December 23, 2016
Danny Small has it all: flash car, string of girls, nice pad and a job as an estate agent – which allows him to coin it in with his on-the-side property sale fiddles. It’s all boys’ trips to Marbella and banter-filled booze sessions and acrobatic bedroom antics until stupid o’clock in the morning, washed away the next lunchtime by a few pints of Stella tinged with vodka. And then the merry-go-round starts again. And Danny is loving living it large. But slowly, it’s starting to unravel and his past is about to catch up with him…
With ‘Lad’, author Andrew Webber has pulled off the difficult feat of making a thoroughly unlikeable – to say the least – character wholly believable and fascinating to read about; think Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson in Filth or Kill Your Friends’ Steven Stelfox. Danny is a man-child, a creature very much of another time who has failed to mature, and who is rapidly being left behind by friends, workmates and worried family. He is vulgar, crude yet occasionally witty (although not as witty as he thinks he is) and possesses a complete lack of self-awareness: where he thinks he’s an iconoclast, he’s actually a sad individual, a throwback to another era, one of Loaded and FHM and shouting lager-lager-lager while bedding as many women – who, of course, he mentally rates out of ten as soon as he meets them – as is humanly possible.
This is a car crash in action – you watch, wincing, rubbernecking with eyes almost squeezed shut, as Danny hurtles onwards, blissfully unaware of how his life is falling apart around him, and how he is treating the one woman who actually loves him unconditionally as a casual, easy-going ‘thing’ to be discarded for booze and betting Saturdays with the other ‘lads’. This is done with some considerable skill, and therein lies the tension of the book: Webber cleverly allows us to see it coming, and our ‘hero’ simply cannot, and despite him being a loathsome creature we feel for him, such is his utter inability to comprehend what his happening to him.
But it’s not all ‘birds and booze and bantz’, because there is an undercurrent of melancholy beneath the bawdy humour and often cringe-inducing incidents, as Webber hints at what has gone before, and the events that made Danny become the unreconstructed man he is today. These allusions are neatly and subtly woven into the narrative, and only towards the end of the novel – in a particularly moving chapter – do we learn the true extent of Danny’s previous problems – when, after so many pages of gawping at his uncouth behaviour, we finally understand why he is such a damaged individual who deserves our sympathy.
With ‘Lad’, Webber has crafted a terrific cautionary tale and an excoriating study of the culture, wrapped in a compelling, fast-paced read. The final chapters are hold-your-breath great, and you find yourself in the strange position of rooting for a person you should never be rooting for, hoping that at last things will come good, and Danny will turn his life around.
Thoroughly recommended.
With ‘Lad’, author Andrew Webber has pulled off the difficult feat of making a thoroughly unlikeable – to say the least – character wholly believable and fascinating to read about; think Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson in Filth or Kill Your Friends’ Steven Stelfox. Danny is a man-child, a creature very much of another time who has failed to mature, and who is rapidly being left behind by friends, workmates and worried family. He is vulgar, crude yet occasionally witty (although not as witty as he thinks he is) and possesses a complete lack of self-awareness: where he thinks he’s an iconoclast, he’s actually a sad individual, a throwback to another era, one of Loaded and FHM and shouting lager-lager-lager while bedding as many women – who, of course, he mentally rates out of ten as soon as he meets them – as is humanly possible.
This is a car crash in action – you watch, wincing, rubbernecking with eyes almost squeezed shut, as Danny hurtles onwards, blissfully unaware of how his life is falling apart around him, and how he is treating the one woman who actually loves him unconditionally as a casual, easy-going ‘thing’ to be discarded for booze and betting Saturdays with the other ‘lads’. This is done with some considerable skill, and therein lies the tension of the book: Webber cleverly allows us to see it coming, and our ‘hero’ simply cannot, and despite him being a loathsome creature we feel for him, such is his utter inability to comprehend what his happening to him.
But it’s not all ‘birds and booze and bantz’, because there is an undercurrent of melancholy beneath the bawdy humour and often cringe-inducing incidents, as Webber hints at what has gone before, and the events that made Danny become the unreconstructed man he is today. These allusions are neatly and subtly woven into the narrative, and only towards the end of the novel – in a particularly moving chapter – do we learn the true extent of Danny’s previous problems – when, after so many pages of gawping at his uncouth behaviour, we finally understand why he is such a damaged individual who deserves our sympathy.
With ‘Lad’, Webber has crafted a terrific cautionary tale and an excoriating study of the culture, wrapped in a compelling, fast-paced read. The final chapters are hold-your-breath great, and you find yourself in the strange position of rooting for a person you should never be rooting for, hoping that at last things will come good, and Danny will turn his life around.
Thoroughly recommended.
November 8, 2016
Lad
Oh how the other half live. This is an uncompromising look at what it means to be a young man today. I suspects crowd of young men across the land will be cursing Andrew Webber out for pulling back the curtain to reveal just how low the young male of the species will stoop to get a warm body in his bed of a night.
Danny Small is kind of repellent, a manipulative womaniser and the stereotype of everything your mother warns you about. Using vulnerable women as playthings, drinking, carousing and scrapping his way through life.
The trouble was whilst I did not warm to Danny, I was saddened to recognise a permissiveness in the girls he chooses that in some ways encourages a pattern to form. Yes he takes advantage of every little area of weakness ,but It is a universal truth that if you think you can get away with a behaviour you will continue it until something places a barrier in your way.
This book is as much about how young women perceive themselves as how young men act out within their groups
Danny is a child in a man’s body, who needs to be leader of the pack , to be centre of attention to feel valued, who needs to schedule everything from food to sex, allowing not a moment of time to be truly alone with himself to consider the reality of his life .
Danny is not likeable, but he is pitiable. He is in denial about his own culpability in the ways he hurts , manipulates. His journey Is not an Arc, it is more a free-fall that never quite hits the bottom hard enough to be redemptive .
This is a perceptive and quite sobering book, brilliantly evoking a scene that makes every mother with sons shudder and Father shake his head as little whispers of the lad he was himself rise in his memory.
Excellent but not fulfilling, you just want to add your own chapter where you enter and give him a good talking to but sadly Mr Webber was not available to take notes from the thousands of people ( I hope )will read this story and decide on what they want to say to him, whether it is to pat him on the back or slap some sense into him!
Oh how the other half live. This is an uncompromising look at what it means to be a young man today. I suspects crowd of young men across the land will be cursing Andrew Webber out for pulling back the curtain to reveal just how low the young male of the species will stoop to get a warm body in his bed of a night.
Danny Small is kind of repellent, a manipulative womaniser and the stereotype of everything your mother warns you about. Using vulnerable women as playthings, drinking, carousing and scrapping his way through life.
The trouble was whilst I did not warm to Danny, I was saddened to recognise a permissiveness in the girls he chooses that in some ways encourages a pattern to form. Yes he takes advantage of every little area of weakness ,but It is a universal truth that if you think you can get away with a behaviour you will continue it until something places a barrier in your way.
This book is as much about how young women perceive themselves as how young men act out within their groups
Danny is a child in a man’s body, who needs to be leader of the pack , to be centre of attention to feel valued, who needs to schedule everything from food to sex, allowing not a moment of time to be truly alone with himself to consider the reality of his life .
Danny is not likeable, but he is pitiable. He is in denial about his own culpability in the ways he hurts , manipulates. His journey Is not an Arc, it is more a free-fall that never quite hits the bottom hard enough to be redemptive .
This is a perceptive and quite sobering book, brilliantly evoking a scene that makes every mother with sons shudder and Father shake his head as little whispers of the lad he was himself rise in his memory.
Excellent but not fulfilling, you just want to add your own chapter where you enter and give him a good talking to but sadly Mr Webber was not available to take notes from the thousands of people ( I hope )will read this story and decide on what they want to say to him, whether it is to pat him on the back or slap some sense into him!
October 31, 2016
I absolutely LOVED this book, God only know why because I absolutely HATED the main character, Danny. To me this says that Andrew Webber is one helluva writer; he managed to write a character I would not give the time of day in real life AND make me want to keep reading.
This book is about the extreme end of lad culture in the UK and Danny is the one who believes in it 100% and believes his mates do to. (I'm sure it's all too easy to imagine the type of person I'm talking about!) The language, the misogyny, the drug taking and the drinking make it sound like a boring story of a bunch of guys who don't, (or won't,) grow up, but actually it's so much more than that. To be honest in the end I just felt sorry for Danny, although I'm sure he would've said I was 'soft' or a 'lezzer' or something equally vile!
A huge recommendation from me as long as you don't mind swearing, sex and misogyny!
This book is about the extreme end of lad culture in the UK and Danny is the one who believes in it 100% and believes his mates do to. (I'm sure it's all too easy to imagine the type of person I'm talking about!) The language, the misogyny, the drug taking and the drinking make it sound like a boring story of a bunch of guys who don't, (or won't,) grow up, but actually it's so much more than that. To be honest in the end I just felt sorry for Danny, although I'm sure he would've said I was 'soft' or a 'lezzer' or something equally vile!
A huge recommendation from me as long as you don't mind swearing, sex and misogyny!
October 28, 2016
I was warned before reading this book if you're easily offended not to do it. Well I did wonder at the start if I had made the wrong decision to read it. Yes the main character Danny is the boy you most definitely wouldn't want your own daughter bringing home but he is a loveable rouge who you grow to feel sorry for and was definitely worth sticking with to the end. The only thing that prevented me from giving this book a 5* review was the one sale Danny made as an estate agent that I just couldn't forgive him for. So the book would get 5* but Danny gets just the 4* if that makes sense :) so an over all 4 1/2 * review :)
November 2, 2016
Got into this book rearly quickly and made me slightly nostalgic. Really got into the character of Danny and could really relate to him although I was never like him growing up, I was more like his housemate than him. The stoRye follows Danny through a couple of months going into all his exploits and dodgy dealings working in an estate agents and going out drinking every lunchtime and evening and ending up in the local nightclub pulling various women. Wasn't too sure about the first part of the ending as thought it slightly unbelievable but thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone who doesn't mind swearing in a book.
November 10, 2016
As I began to read this book my first impressions were of horror, what a loathsome character Danny is...but somehow Andrew Webber manages to weave his magic words and this haphazard, jumped up prat of a man is someone you almost feel sympathy for. A young man with the world at his feet and yet he only wants to spend his time getting drunk and getting as many women to fall for his charms as possible. I found myself rooting for him, hoping that he'd somehow settle down with a wife and children... This is a book to make you gasp and laugh in the same breath. With thanks to TBC and Andrew Webber for allowing me to read this book for review.
November 3, 2016
This is a great read. You'll hate Danny. You'll think he is vile. You won't question why he is the way he is. But just maybe there is a different side to him. Maybe. You will find yourself exercising your own moral compass over his behaviour. I imagine most readers would rate the different aspects of his behaviour, which bit makes you sneer at him, judge him or look down your nose at him. Very well written. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, but would happily buy this and recommend it
November 23, 2016
Thank you to TBC and the publisher who gave me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Not a book for the easily offended, and with a loathsome main character in Danny, LAD was a fascinating read all the same. Not my usual kind of book at all, but so brilliantly written that I couldn't help but enjoy it, even as I cringed at some of the awful things that happened.
A wonderful insight into the lad culture prevalent in Britain today, this is a book that I will not easily forget. A recommended 4 stars.
Not a book for the easily offended, and with a loathsome main character in Danny, LAD was a fascinating read all the same. Not my usual kind of book at all, but so brilliantly written that I couldn't help but enjoy it, even as I cringed at some of the awful things that happened.
A wonderful insight into the lad culture prevalent in Britain today, this is a book that I will not easily forget. A recommended 4 stars.
October 28, 2016
What's not to like about LAD? It's a funny, frighteningly realistic story of youth culture in Great Britain in 2016. Danny is the type of 'LAD' you pray that your daughter will never meet and that your son will NOT become. I can't say I laughed out loud at any point but I was amused. The story didn't take any input on my part and it was, what I consider, to be a good, light read. But sometimes that's exactly what you need and this book fits the bill.
November 3, 2016
Lad is a fantastic book from start to finish. The main character in the book is the most vile specimen of the male species you could ever want to meet but we've all met a Danny in our time. It also tells a very vivid story of life today and the way we seem to live. I absolutely detested Danny from the outset but I still wanted it to work out for him in the end. Save writing any spoilers, I will let you read to see what happens! A fabulous read over all too soon!
November 3, 2016
What can I say??? Is it normal to feel guilty for enjoying a book? Danny is vile, you wouldn't want him to be your son, husband, boyfriend or mate. I'm certain you wouldn't want him as your estate agent there is nothing to like about him no redeeming features. It's great to see him rise, fall, compromise and then....... This book is a reflection of the new lad culture of selfish selfies and self centred, sex fuelled shallow lifestyles. Enjoyed every word.
November 20, 2016
OMG - I loved this book. Danny is the worst type of bloke you can imagine or would want to know but I loved reading about him! He thinks only of himself to the detriment of all those around him. Nothing or no one is sacred! But when his life starts to unravel he sees that he has to make changes if he doesn't want to end up on his own. Andrew Webber has created a character that you love to hate but can't stop reading about!
An easy read - absolutely at 5* book for me.
An easy read - absolutely at 5* book for me.
November 1, 2016
I loved this book although the main character Danny is not a likeable character at all. He is very vile, sexist, politically incorrect and not afraid to speak his mind. The writing was brilliant with lots of funny parts. There is a heck of a lot of swearing in it. Great book I would totally recommend. Thanks to TBC on Facebook for a copy
October 30, 2016
Wow - it's been a long time since I read a book in one day! Well written and couldn't put it down! While I hated the main character for what he was, we all know someone like him! I hated him and felt sorry for him at the same time - cant wait to get my teeth in another book by this author!
November 11, 2016
Wow I totally loved this book. The author takes us on a journey through the life of Danny, the most despicable estate agent and boy about town you will ever meet. It would appear that Danny has no moral compass but can he turn his life around? Go buy this you won't be disappointed.
October 31, 2016
Danny is the sort of character you love to hate but want to turn out alright in the end! I won't tell you if he does but the author keeps you guessing! Not my usual genre but I loved it!
January 7, 2018
Danny is obnoxious, arrogant, looking for his next deal, next buck, next shag. He is thoroughly unlikeable with very few redeeming features which is as I believe the author intended. Easy to read and enjoyable; summing up the lad culture.
November 16, 2016
Actually 4.5 Stars.
This is the story of Danny, unscrupulous Estate Agent by day, serial womaniser by night with gym, pub/club and football at the weekends. When we first meet him he appears to be living the dream. He has several "appropriate" ladies on speed dial, literally at his beck and call and, thanks to some "interesting connections" at work, he is well able to finance his lifestyle. He's the popular one in his group of like-minded individuals. Out for what he can get, never mind who gets trampled on in the process. He really is quite a despicable character indeed. But then things start to unravel as he starts to lose the things he counts on. With the big picture out of reach due to his "live in the moment" attitude, will he be able to hold on to enough of the good things he has left or will his life completely implode?
This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted, Danny is wholly unlikable. He's sexist, obnoxious, ignorant, self-centered and very, very immature. Oh and he's a bit of a con-man to boot. Some of his antics had me seething and, to be honest, I'm not unfamiliar with characters such as Danny, and a lot of is is nothing I haven't seen before, but his behaviour even managed to shock the heck out of me! That said, I did find him to be a very believable character overall and also found him very entertaining at times, especially with some of his internal dialogue which made this book, for me, a very informative insight into the wonderful world of Lad Culture.
The rest of the characters were also very well described, especially Danny's colleagues and mates. Being a fan of the program myself, I especially enjoyed the Soccer Saturday observations; very accurately portrayed indeed.
Whatever you think of him, Danny really is a product of his own making. He does because he can and he seeks out people to enable his behaviour. That's actually quite a sad reflection of society as it can be today. That people can be used, abused and manipulated so easily is what's really shocking about this book. But, despite all the nasty stuff being portrayed on the page, despite loathing the main character, being disgusted by his behaviour, you just can't stop reading. Whether that's cos you are waiting to see if he really can stoop even lower or you're hoping he get his comeuppance, like a car crash, you just can't help but keep looking.
If you like character driven insights into modern culture and aren't afraid of a bit of sex, drugs and rock n roll, all peppered with swearing and misogyny then I can heartily recommend this book. If however you are easily offended then walk on by. If you are still undecided I would advise you have a crack at the sample and take it from there.
This is the story of Danny, unscrupulous Estate Agent by day, serial womaniser by night with gym, pub/club and football at the weekends. When we first meet him he appears to be living the dream. He has several "appropriate" ladies on speed dial, literally at his beck and call and, thanks to some "interesting connections" at work, he is well able to finance his lifestyle. He's the popular one in his group of like-minded individuals. Out for what he can get, never mind who gets trampled on in the process. He really is quite a despicable character indeed. But then things start to unravel as he starts to lose the things he counts on. With the big picture out of reach due to his "live in the moment" attitude, will he be able to hold on to enough of the good things he has left or will his life completely implode?
This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted, Danny is wholly unlikable. He's sexist, obnoxious, ignorant, self-centered and very, very immature. Oh and he's a bit of a con-man to boot. Some of his antics had me seething and, to be honest, I'm not unfamiliar with characters such as Danny, and a lot of is is nothing I haven't seen before, but his behaviour even managed to shock the heck out of me! That said, I did find him to be a very believable character overall and also found him very entertaining at times, especially with some of his internal dialogue which made this book, for me, a very informative insight into the wonderful world of Lad Culture.
The rest of the characters were also very well described, especially Danny's colleagues and mates. Being a fan of the program myself, I especially enjoyed the Soccer Saturday observations; very accurately portrayed indeed.
Whatever you think of him, Danny really is a product of his own making. He does because he can and he seeks out people to enable his behaviour. That's actually quite a sad reflection of society as it can be today. That people can be used, abused and manipulated so easily is what's really shocking about this book. But, despite all the nasty stuff being portrayed on the page, despite loathing the main character, being disgusted by his behaviour, you just can't stop reading. Whether that's cos you are waiting to see if he really can stoop even lower or you're hoping he get his comeuppance, like a car crash, you just can't help but keep looking.
If you like character driven insights into modern culture and aren't afraid of a bit of sex, drugs and rock n roll, all peppered with swearing and misogyny then I can heartily recommend this book. If however you are easily offended then walk on by. If you are still undecided I would advise you have a crack at the sample and take it from there.
January 5, 2017
4.5 stars
Now THIS is proper lad lit, not those soggy stories written by David Nicholls et al, and I'm sure that Danny, the anti-hero of this darkly humorous drama would agree. Danny's a hard drinking, sharp dressing and (most of all) chick pulling estate agent wheeler-dealer. Women are for conquest only, his world revolving around material acquisition, banter with the lads, football, the gym, and nights out in the sort of places that make me want to go and sit in a darkened room, alone, for the rest of my life. But Danny's world is changing, as his friends move on and somehow the old life is losing its glister....
This book is so well written, I had to tear myself away from it to do things I had to do, but still read it over the space of about 20 hours. It has just the right amount of pathos and humour, it's realistic, current, and just flows. All the characters leap off the page at first meeting. When Danny's life starts to fall apart, I expected a predictable rock bottom then learning curve, but I was pleasantly surprised. By the end of it, I was on his side (anything but the awful Sarah - dying to write more but don't want to go down the spoiler road!). I was glad it ended how it did ~ but I wanted to read more ... come on, Mr Webber, I'm sure it would run to a sequel....
The only slight downside for me was the psychological stuff about why Danny was the way he was; I found that too spelled out, too clear cut; I like to be left to make up my own mind. Aside from that, I think that sometimes men like Danny are like that simply because it's the way they're made. On the whole, though, it's a great story, well plotted, a cracking read, and I recommend it!
Now THIS is proper lad lit, not those soggy stories written by David Nicholls et al, and I'm sure that Danny, the anti-hero of this darkly humorous drama would agree. Danny's a hard drinking, sharp dressing and (most of all) chick pulling estate agent wheeler-dealer. Women are for conquest only, his world revolving around material acquisition, banter with the lads, football, the gym, and nights out in the sort of places that make me want to go and sit in a darkened room, alone, for the rest of my life. But Danny's world is changing, as his friends move on and somehow the old life is losing its glister....
This book is so well written, I had to tear myself away from it to do things I had to do, but still read it over the space of about 20 hours. It has just the right amount of pathos and humour, it's realistic, current, and just flows. All the characters leap off the page at first meeting. When Danny's life starts to fall apart, I expected a predictable rock bottom then learning curve, but I was pleasantly surprised. By the end of it, I was on his side (anything but the awful Sarah - dying to write more but don't want to go down the spoiler road!). I was glad it ended how it did ~ but I wanted to read more ... come on, Mr Webber, I'm sure it would run to a sequel....
The only slight downside for me was the psychological stuff about why Danny was the way he was; I found that too spelled out, too clear cut; I like to be left to make up my own mind. Aside from that, I think that sometimes men like Danny are like that simply because it's the way they're made. On the whole, though, it's a great story, well plotted, a cracking read, and I recommend it!
January 7, 2017
I read and reviewed Andrew Webber's novella - Today - earlier last year, so to speak. When I heard he'd released - Lad - his debut novel, I knew it was going to be good. And I wasn't wrong.
Danny Small is a real Jack-the-Lad of a character. Estate agent by day, self-obsessed, self-preening Lothario every other minute he is a awake. He treats women as sex objects to fill his diary, women who, according to Danny, should be grateful for the opportunity. Danny is the definition of hedonism, liking nothing better than going to the gym, getting smashed with the lads, and trawling the night clubs for another notch on his huge bedpost . . .
I tell my writing students if they want to tackle the writing of a novel in the first person narrative, the narrator needs to be strong enough to, literally, carry the entire novel. It needs to feel as if the narrator is sitting in front of you, telling you his tale. Webber achieves this wonderfully well. It is an even greater achievement, considering how odious Danny can be at times. This, make no mistake, is fine, fine writing.
As the novel unfolds, we begin to get a different sense of Danny. We get the feeling there is more to him that meets the eye. There is a sense Danny has a story, that he wasn't always this way. We gain a deeper understanding of Danny, we realise his behaviour is merely a symptom of a deeper loss.
Do we exonerate Danny? It's a challenge, I must admit. But when even Danny realises enough is enough, it becomes easier.
But can one such as Danny ever really change?
Lad is a first rate novel, told by a writer in full command of his craft. I can't wait to see what Webber comes up with next . . .
Danny Small is a real Jack-the-Lad of a character. Estate agent by day, self-obsessed, self-preening Lothario every other minute he is a awake. He treats women as sex objects to fill his diary, women who, according to Danny, should be grateful for the opportunity. Danny is the definition of hedonism, liking nothing better than going to the gym, getting smashed with the lads, and trawling the night clubs for another notch on his huge bedpost . . .
I tell my writing students if they want to tackle the writing of a novel in the first person narrative, the narrator needs to be strong enough to, literally, carry the entire novel. It needs to feel as if the narrator is sitting in front of you, telling you his tale. Webber achieves this wonderfully well. It is an even greater achievement, considering how odious Danny can be at times. This, make no mistake, is fine, fine writing.
As the novel unfolds, we begin to get a different sense of Danny. We get the feeling there is more to him that meets the eye. There is a sense Danny has a story, that he wasn't always this way. We gain a deeper understanding of Danny, we realise his behaviour is merely a symptom of a deeper loss.
Do we exonerate Danny? It's a challenge, I must admit. But when even Danny realises enough is enough, it becomes easier.
But can one such as Danny ever really change?
Lad is a first rate novel, told by a writer in full command of his craft. I can't wait to see what Webber comes up with next . . .
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