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Toby #1
Foreign Matter (In Trouble with My Fantasies)
Toby travels with a woman who pays. He's got it made, except that her nine-year-old daughter is smarter than he is, and treats him as her yo-yo.
"He had just about enough intelligence to open his mouth when he wanted to eat, but certainly no more."—P.G. Wodehouse
Original hardcover published by Atheneum/Macmillan, New York:
“A very, very funny book."—The West Coast Review of Books
“Fresh and spirited.”—Publishers Weekly
“Enormously enjoyable.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A complete success.”—Books in Canada
“A delightfully comic creation.”—The Montreal Gazette
“Funny, ebullient comedy of errors.”—Santa Cruz Sentinal
“The feel of a Peter Sellers movie.”—Wichita Eagle-Beacon
“Fast-moving and funny.”—Anniston Star
“The most hilarious book I have ever read.”—Goodreads
“Physical comedy sequences on par with the best of Chaplin and Keaton.”—Amazon
“Could bode well for his future.”—The New York Times
"This was the most hilarious book I have ever read. I laughed out loud again and again. I kept thinking this is the craziest book I have ever read and why I am reading it and then I would hit another part that had me laughing some more. I was kind of sad when I finished it."—Pat Thompson, customer review
"I could easily recommend FOREIGN MATTER for its laugh-out-loud plot, characters, and dialogue, but MacLean's true mastery lies simply in his love of language and his endlessly inventive and amusing turns of phrase...MacLean also knows how to present physical comedy sequences that are on par with the best of Chaplin and Keaton."—jon zelazny, customer review
The West Coast Review of Books:
Unlike so many humorous novels of today that are either bitter and biting or so outrageously silly that it leaves the reader feeling empty, this one’s truly a very, very funny book…Robert MacLean writes as a true humorist with witty observations and illuminations that wrap themselves warmly around the funny bone. Yet he is not above writing a hilarious slapstick when the need arises. MacLean’s observations on such everyday matters as flying, sleeping, eating and life in general are alone worth the price of the book. However, the addition of a wild and unpredictable plot with characters so wonderfully rich and eccentric, makes the book even more of a joy.
Kirkus Reviews:
The high jinks of a loveable ne’er-do-well expatriate—in an often very funny novel in the style of P.G. Wodehouse or Kingsly Amis. Toby Tucker is an amiable, quite lazy young man in his late 30’s who has left New York with numerous collection agents on his tail: “Most of them couldn’t make it as thugs, and they’re bitter about it.” An energetic comedy of errors…fighting his way through blinding hangovers to somehow blunder through victoriously—but he’s enormously enjoyable while he’s at it.
Publishers Weekly:
Toby Tucker is the feckless, likeable hero of this comic tale of modern undirected life. After supporting himself in Europe as a tour guide, Toby takes up with Marcie, a young American widow whose allowance from Hazelton Harding, her wealthy father-in-law, guarantees a lifestyle Toby is sure he was born for. When Haze threatens to cut off Marcie so she’ll move back to the States with the daughter Toby warily refers to as “the child”—Toby alternately falls and steps into a plot to reestablish the status quo…. a happy ending for nearly every one of the vivid characters who cavort across the pages of this fresh and spirited first novel.
Books in Canada:
Engaging and stylishly written. A happy self-indulgent fugitive from the “it-isn’t-doing-you-any-good-unless it hurts society”…The characters are drawn well, the locations (Greece) are convincingly detailed, the prose is witty and polished. As light entertainment, the book is a complete success; this is the funniest first novel I’ve read so far.
Ebook design by 52 Novels
Cover by Peter Ratcliffe
"He had just about enough intelligence to open his mouth when he wanted to eat, but certainly no more."—P.G. Wodehouse
Original hardcover published by Atheneum/Macmillan, New York:
“A very, very funny book."—The West Coast Review of Books
“Fresh and spirited.”—Publishers Weekly
“Enormously enjoyable.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A complete success.”—Books in Canada
“A delightfully comic creation.”—The Montreal Gazette
“Funny, ebullient comedy of errors.”—Santa Cruz Sentinal
“The feel of a Peter Sellers movie.”—Wichita Eagle-Beacon
“Fast-moving and funny.”—Anniston Star
“The most hilarious book I have ever read.”—Goodreads
“Physical comedy sequences on par with the best of Chaplin and Keaton.”—Amazon
“Could bode well for his future.”—The New York Times
"This was the most hilarious book I have ever read. I laughed out loud again and again. I kept thinking this is the craziest book I have ever read and why I am reading it and then I would hit another part that had me laughing some more. I was kind of sad when I finished it."—Pat Thompson, customer review
"I could easily recommend FOREIGN MATTER for its laugh-out-loud plot, characters, and dialogue, but MacLean's true mastery lies simply in his love of language and his endlessly inventive and amusing turns of phrase...MacLean also knows how to present physical comedy sequences that are on par with the best of Chaplin and Keaton."—jon zelazny, customer review
The West Coast Review of Books:
Unlike so many humorous novels of today that are either bitter and biting or so outrageously silly that it leaves the reader feeling empty, this one’s truly a very, very funny book…Robert MacLean writes as a true humorist with witty observations and illuminations that wrap themselves warmly around the funny bone. Yet he is not above writing a hilarious slapstick when the need arises. MacLean’s observations on such everyday matters as flying, sleeping, eating and life in general are alone worth the price of the book. However, the addition of a wild and unpredictable plot with characters so wonderfully rich and eccentric, makes the book even more of a joy.
Kirkus Reviews:
The high jinks of a loveable ne’er-do-well expatriate—in an often very funny novel in the style of P.G. Wodehouse or Kingsly Amis. Toby Tucker is an amiable, quite lazy young man in his late 30’s who has left New York with numerous collection agents on his tail: “Most of them couldn’t make it as thugs, and they’re bitter about it.” An energetic comedy of errors…fighting his way through blinding hangovers to somehow blunder through victoriously—but he’s enormously enjoyable while he’s at it.
Publishers Weekly:
Toby Tucker is the feckless, likeable hero of this comic tale of modern undirected life. After supporting himself in Europe as a tour guide, Toby takes up with Marcie, a young American widow whose allowance from Hazelton Harding, her wealthy father-in-law, guarantees a lifestyle Toby is sure he was born for. When Haze threatens to cut off Marcie so she’ll move back to the States with the daughter Toby warily refers to as “the child”—Toby alternately falls and steps into a plot to reestablish the status quo…. a happy ending for nearly every one of the vivid characters who cavort across the pages of this fresh and spirited first novel.
Books in Canada:
Engaging and stylishly written. A happy self-indulgent fugitive from the “it-isn’t-doing-you-any-good-unless it hurts society”…The characters are drawn well, the locations (Greece) are convincingly detailed, the prose is witty and polished. As light entertainment, the book is a complete success; this is the funniest first novel I’ve read so far.
Ebook design by 52 Novels
Cover by Peter Ratcliffe
Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1988
5 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Robert MacLean
24 books5 followersRobert MacLean is an independent filmmaker.
His recent The Light Touch is on Amazon Prime www.tinyurl.com/2p8burxa,
Tubi https://gdpr.tubi.tv/
and Scanbox www.tinyurl.com/38h6n5dh,
his 7-minute comedy is an out-loud laugh www.tinyurl.com/d3b4kz,
and he has several ready-to-go projects of all budget sizes www.tinyurl.com/9xfmbxw.
He is also a novelist www.tinyurl.com/4wwy7m6h,
a playwright www.tinyurl.com/7w59x58w,
a blogger www.tinyurl.com/9e7wrxg,
a YouTuber www.tinyurl.com/3s9faye2,
a film reviewer www.tinyurl.com/tx2s2j6h,
a literary critic www.tinyurl.com/y6kknspe,
and a stand-up comic poet www.tinyurl.com/y8z4t7bj.
Born Toronto, PhD McGill, taught at Canadian universities, too cold, live Greece, Irish citizen. No brains, but an intellectual snob.
His recent The Light Touch is on Amazon Prime www.tinyurl.com/2p8burxa,
Tubi https://gdpr.tubi.tv/
and Scanbox www.tinyurl.com/38h6n5dh,
his 7-minute comedy is an out-loud laugh www.tinyurl.com/d3b4kz,
and he has several ready-to-go projects of all budget sizes www.tinyurl.com/9xfmbxw.
He is also a novelist www.tinyurl.com/4wwy7m6h,
a playwright www.tinyurl.com/7w59x58w,
a blogger www.tinyurl.com/9e7wrxg,
a YouTuber www.tinyurl.com/3s9faye2,
a film reviewer www.tinyurl.com/tx2s2j6h,
a literary critic www.tinyurl.com/y6kknspe,
and a stand-up comic poet www.tinyurl.com/y8z4t7bj.
Born Toronto, PhD McGill, taught at Canadian universities, too cold, live Greece, Irish citizen. No brains, but an intellectual snob.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 16, 2011
This was the most hilarious book I have every read. I laughed out loud again and again. I kept thinking this is the craziest book I have ever read and why I am reading it and then I would hit another part that had me laughing some more. I was kind of sad when I finished it.
June 21, 2012
Kinda like Wodehouse meets, I dunno, Steely Dan? An odd but often very amusing book, wherein the narrator, in classic PGW style, has to stir his stumps to save his life of leisure from interruption, only here the opposing parties are 80s Eurotrash. Unique.
June 23, 2012
Clever story. A, a bit confusing, but overall entertaining.
December 29, 2012
Robert MacLean tries hard to invoke the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse and the Thin Man-movies with William Powell & Myrna Loy. Maybe I was in the wrong mood, but I can not bring myself to finish the book.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews