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Soho, or, Alex in Wonderland
No London neighbourhood more resembles the restless downstream tide of the Thames than the ragged square mile of Soho, and into this human rabbit warren one evening slips Alex Singer, a student from Leeds in pursuit of his errant girlfriend. Twenty-four hours, three deaths, one fire and one mugging later, seduced, traduced and befriended, Alex is on his way to the Soho Ball. In this fast, funny and superbly crafted novel, Keith Waterhouse draws a vibrant portrait of London's liveliest quarter past and present and of its eccentric inhabitants.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2001
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145 people want to read
About the author
Keith Waterhouse
87 books28 followersKeith Spencer Waterhouse CBE, was a novelist, newspaper columnist, and the writer of many television series.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 13, 2016
An undemanding, inconsequential but undeniably enjoyable romp for anyone who feels an affinity with London's wonderful Soho district. The plot, a fish-out-of-water tale of northern lad Alex, who has never been south of Doncaster, arriving in Soho in search of his errant girlfriend, bears no scrutiny however Keith Waterhouse's understanding of, and affection for, Soho are obvious. Before you know it Alex, our northern protagonist, is earning some extra spending money administering a riding crop to a willing and monied new pal having previously had sex with an ageing actress. In the course of a memorable night he also encounters a cross-dresser, a final pub crawl for a cadaver, and a murder.
December 23, 2019
This was a treat, picked up secondhand. Keith Waterhouse was a fine comic writer and to find another of his books was very welcome.
It is an odyssey story whereby a young lad travels to London from Leeds to look for his girlfriend - she had stormed out following a row. He thinks she is in Soho so he trawls the pubs and clubs looking for her. The words needle and haystack spring to mind. He encounters the marginalised in a journey through the demi monde, dregs and detritus in our fine capital city. An innocent abroad.
He packs in a lifetimes worth of new experiences in the space of a day, involving cross dressers, spanking fetishists, gay waiters, an incontinent homeless lady, "resting" actors, aspiring film directors, itinerant authors, porn barons and the lowest of the low - journalists.
Waterhouse portrays a world that is gradually being lost with a sympathetic eye. The tale hovers on the point of farce as the protagonist bounces around a small territory like a pinball, meeting and re-meeting the same people in various dives, all marinaded in copious amounts of alcohol and the odd chemical stimulant.
Not one of his best, but it was still lovely to return to an author I have enjoyed very much over the years.
It is an odyssey story whereby a young lad travels to London from Leeds to look for his girlfriend - she had stormed out following a row. He thinks she is in Soho so he trawls the pubs and clubs looking for her. The words needle and haystack spring to mind. He encounters the marginalised in a journey through the demi monde, dregs and detritus in our fine capital city. An innocent abroad.
He packs in a lifetimes worth of new experiences in the space of a day, involving cross dressers, spanking fetishists, gay waiters, an incontinent homeless lady, "resting" actors, aspiring film directors, itinerant authors, porn barons and the lowest of the low - journalists.
Waterhouse portrays a world that is gradually being lost with a sympathetic eye. The tale hovers on the point of farce as the protagonist bounces around a small territory like a pinball, meeting and re-meeting the same people in various dives, all marinaded in copious amounts of alcohol and the odd chemical stimulant.
Not one of his best, but it was still lovely to return to an author I have enjoyed very much over the years.
June 6, 2017
It's curious where a reader finds book recommendations and this one was from Suggs from Madness fame. I watched a BBC programme about books that shaped Britain and Suggs's episode was set in London. Whilst recommending this book he was chatting to his mum a regular in a bar in soho typical of those featured in the book hence my picking up this volume.
The story is set over 48 hours in the early 200's as Alex Singer a student from Leeds hitchhikes to London to find his girlfriend and run off to the bright lights. assured by the lorry driver that she is bound to be on the street he heads to Soho an area not listed on a map and one that is notorious and has changed dramatically over the years. The ensuing story sees him stumbling from one misadventure to another as he bumps into numerous local characters who would have be at home in a 18th century cartoon satire. Generally artistic and dramatic he moves from pub to pub consuming alcohol and bizarre sexual encounters. Very funny and the characters light up the page so that I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, thank you Suggs and 'welcome to the house of fun' probably aptly describes this book.
The story is set over 48 hours in the early 200's as Alex Singer a student from Leeds hitchhikes to London to find his girlfriend and run off to the bright lights. assured by the lorry driver that she is bound to be on the street he heads to Soho an area not listed on a map and one that is notorious and has changed dramatically over the years. The ensuing story sees him stumbling from one misadventure to another as he bumps into numerous local characters who would have be at home in a 18th century cartoon satire. Generally artistic and dramatic he moves from pub to pub consuming alcohol and bizarre sexual encounters. Very funny and the characters light up the page so that I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, thank you Suggs and 'welcome to the house of fun' probably aptly describes this book.
February 28, 2015
This came out about fifteen years ago, when Soho was a very different place. The transition from cosmopolitan, hard-drinking, bohemian, sex-trade capital of the UK to gentrified, coffee-shop-heavy tourist trap was in full swing. Keith Waterhouse, a doyen of Soho's former era, depicts it beautifully in this bitter-sweet tale of a naive Northern lad in the Smoke for the first time.
Media student Alex Singer has been dumped by his girlfriend, so he hitches a ride from Leeds and goes looking for her in 'So-oh' - purely because she went there once. His noble quest quickly descends into a marathon all-day-and-night boozing session with some of the people who inhabit this strange parallel world. He gets taken under the wing of an ambitious young journalist, has a casual quickie with a washed-up former actress, falls into a bizarre encounter with a washed-up TV presenter, gets barred from several places, visits a book launch with a washed-up former model, accidentally finds himself in a drag club, meets a frustrated film producer, is threatened by a porn baron, and finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation. It's just a normal day for the denizens of Soho.
Funny, touching, and rather sad in places, Soho is a fitting obituary to a part of London which is hanging on by its fingertips, and a way of life which has probably vanished forever,
Media student Alex Singer has been dumped by his girlfriend, so he hitches a ride from Leeds and goes looking for her in 'So-oh' - purely because she went there once. His noble quest quickly descends into a marathon all-day-and-night boozing session with some of the people who inhabit this strange parallel world. He gets taken under the wing of an ambitious young journalist, has a casual quickie with a washed-up former actress, falls into a bizarre encounter with a washed-up TV presenter, gets barred from several places, visits a book launch with a washed-up former model, accidentally finds himself in a drag club, meets a frustrated film producer, is threatened by a porn baron, and finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation. It's just a normal day for the denizens of Soho.
Funny, touching, and rather sad in places, Soho is a fitting obituary to a part of London which is hanging on by its fingertips, and a way of life which has probably vanished forever,
August 1, 2021
More travelogue than fiction, which is perhaps less than ideal when you assume that the location - Soho, London - is universally fascinating.
June 19, 2012
Polished off in a couple of days.
This is quite poor really, although the references to London do make for an OK read of sorts.
It follows the story of Alex, who has hitchhiked to london to find his girl in soho and spends 48 hours going around the bars and meeting drunks and sexual fuck ups.
He gets involved losely with a murder investigation but by this time, I am reading just to complete and to remind myself of the referfences of a great part of town.
This is quite poor really, although the references to London do make for an OK read of sorts.
It follows the story of Alex, who has hitchhiked to london to find his girl in soho and spends 48 hours going around the bars and meeting drunks and sexual fuck ups.
He gets involved losely with a murder investigation but by this time, I am reading just to complete and to remind myself of the referfences of a great part of town.
December 18, 2009
Just like the front page.. reading it just like having a cup of coffee (realy enjoying.
It's getting better and better...
It's getting better and better...
September 27, 2019
'Soho' is your typical adventure goes wrong kind of story, starring Alex, who comes to London to find (and retrieve...) his girlfriend, in the meantime meeting a vast array of colorful characters and getting into all sorts of trouble in Soho.
I picked up this book rather indifferently from the library, because I was curious to read some Northern England literature, and the blurb seemed to point towards a crime novel. However, I would actually describe it as a comedy, think something like the movie 'Hangover', where everything goes wrong for the main character(s). That is not normally a type of story that I would be the biggest fan of, it's more something that I would read for temporary amusement and then just forget about it.
But 'Soho' started off very promising, and I could see it going towards the crime direction. The prologue is entirely about the history of Soho and the evolution of the neighbourhood throughout the years: from the 'sepia' period of the small town vibe with street shops, to the glamorous 'black and white' ages, all the way to the early 2000s, which describe it as a wild red light district. It then continues to go into the profile of some of the characters you'd meet and their common interactions.
From when Alex steps into the picture, though, the style of writing changes into playful language, emulating accents and idioms from different parts of England. While I can see where Waterhouse was going with this, it felt forced and to be honest, not enjoyable at all. It's one of those things that's funny the first time and gets old really, really fast. The story continues with essentially what is a restless pub crawl in Soho, full of misunderstandings and confusions, without really focusing on Alex's goal anymore. Furthermore, the crimes mentioned in the blurb happen in the last quarter of the book, if that! So by the time I got half way through, I felt I was wasting my time because I was missold this book.
Between the cringy writing style and the uninteresting events that happened to the main character, I can't really say this had much going for it. I am giving it one extra star for the redeeming quality of describing familiar places and it being a nod to the history of Soho, which did grab me in the prologue.
I picked up this book rather indifferently from the library, because I was curious to read some Northern England literature, and the blurb seemed to point towards a crime novel. However, I would actually describe it as a comedy, think something like the movie 'Hangover', where everything goes wrong for the main character(s). That is not normally a type of story that I would be the biggest fan of, it's more something that I would read for temporary amusement and then just forget about it.
But 'Soho' started off very promising, and I could see it going towards the crime direction. The prologue is entirely about the history of Soho and the evolution of the neighbourhood throughout the years: from the 'sepia' period of the small town vibe with street shops, to the glamorous 'black and white' ages, all the way to the early 2000s, which describe it as a wild red light district. It then continues to go into the profile of some of the characters you'd meet and their common interactions.
From when Alex steps into the picture, though, the style of writing changes into playful language, emulating accents and idioms from different parts of England. While I can see where Waterhouse was going with this, it felt forced and to be honest, not enjoyable at all. It's one of those things that's funny the first time and gets old really, really fast. The story continues with essentially what is a restless pub crawl in Soho, full of misunderstandings and confusions, without really focusing on Alex's goal anymore. Furthermore, the crimes mentioned in the blurb happen in the last quarter of the book, if that! So by the time I got half way through, I felt I was wasting my time because I was missold this book.
Between the cringy writing style and the uninteresting events that happened to the main character, I can't really say this had much going for it. I am giving it one extra star for the redeeming quality of describing familiar places and it being a nod to the history of Soho, which did grab me in the prologue.
March 13, 2014
Like Armisted Maupin's "Tales of the City" for a few square miles of London real estate, it's a fantastic spin through the life and culture of an area you don't really get to see as a tourist. You could do far worse for something to read while on the plane to England.
April 2, 2009
3.8 - Enjoyed reading this wild tale of a young man from Northern England getting sucked into Soho - very British take on the "young man leaves home to find real life"...
January 19, 2014
Very funny - a quick and highly entertaining read.
September 21, 2017
Well I made it to the end,how i'm not too sure.First Waterhouse I have read-hoping Bily Liar is a better read.
October 20, 2017
To be fair more 3 1/2.
Different story ,and amusing rather than laugh out loud funny
Different story ,and amusing rather than laugh out loud funny
November 15, 2021
Keith Waterhouse wrote one of my favourite ever books 'There is a Happy Land' back in 1968 so I was pleased to find this 2001 novel of his called 'Soho' or 'Alex in Wonderland'.
The one thing that stands out for me though is how dated it is! Written only twenty years ago, it felt stranger than reading books written much earlier. I suppose that is because it was a contemporary novel at the time it was written. The Soho described in the book has changed so much in the last twenty years and so has day to day life. Everything about the book and the times in which it is set (from the use of filo-faxes, licencing hours, the sex industry, policing) seems outdated. No doubt some of the old characters do still remain but the place itself (Soho) is very different now than it was twenty years ago.
Having said that, it is very much a satirical look at life in Soho and written in almost a fairy-tale way so at no point does it pretend to take itself too seriously and in this light, it was an enjoyable read but no more than that.
The story is of a boy from Leeds who sets out to London to find his girlfriend who left him two weeks previously. His adventures are set in and around the clubs and pubs of Soho and all the eccentric folk who frequent the said pubs and clubs. Colourful, larger than life characters. Funny and readable but not very believable!
The one thing that stands out for me though is how dated it is! Written only twenty years ago, it felt stranger than reading books written much earlier. I suppose that is because it was a contemporary novel at the time it was written. The Soho described in the book has changed so much in the last twenty years and so has day to day life. Everything about the book and the times in which it is set (from the use of filo-faxes, licencing hours, the sex industry, policing) seems outdated. No doubt some of the old characters do still remain but the place itself (Soho) is very different now than it was twenty years ago.
Having said that, it is very much a satirical look at life in Soho and written in almost a fairy-tale way so at no point does it pretend to take itself too seriously and in this light, it was an enjoyable read but no more than that.
The story is of a boy from Leeds who sets out to London to find his girlfriend who left him two weeks previously. His adventures are set in and around the clubs and pubs of Soho and all the eccentric folk who frequent the said pubs and clubs. Colourful, larger than life characters. Funny and readable but not very believable!
August 22, 2020
A naive but randy student from West Yorkshire hitches down to London in search of his girlfriend who has gone off in a huff. He finds himself in Soho and gets drawn into a world of sleazy characters, some of whom are clearly modeled on famous Sohoites of the 1960s, such as Muriel Belcher of the Colony Room and the artist Nina Hamnett. Many of the well-known Soho haunts are name-checked and a few more invented; there are even echoes of Dylan Thomas leaving the manuscript of Under Milk Wood in the Admiral Duncan. This all makes the book a bit of a love-song to a Soho fast disappearing, but with the added twist of unexpected fatalities. I found Waterhouse's rendering of the main character's Yorkshire accent irritating but the story is amusing enough. Not a great book, but quite fun.
March 3, 2020
A nostalgic trip for me after two decades in London back in my past and too many Soho nights. Implausible plot but a few funny lines. I think you'd need to have had that Soho insight to even vaguely connect to this book and even then, at times, I didn't. Of its time but then I was of that time and place myself once, so enjoyed parts of it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews