The Bloater

The brilliantly original rediscovered classic comedy of manners

Rosemary Tonks, Stewart Lee

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English

Vintage
20 September 2022

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Adult & contemporary romance

A sparklingly ironic comedy of manners set in 60s London. A rediscovered classic by 'the Poet Who Disappeared'

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY STEWART LEE

'Should The Bloater be republished? Oh God, absolutely, it's fantastic' Stewart Lee

Min works at the BBC as an audio engineer, where she is struggling to replicate the sound of a heartbeat. At home, other matters of the heart are making a mockery of life as Min knows it.

Min has found herself the object of her lodger's affection. An internationally renowned opera singer she's nicknamed 'The Bloater', Min is disgusted and attracted to him in equal measure. But with a husband so invisible that she accidentally turns the lights off on him even when he's still in the room, Min can't quite bring herself to silence The Bloater's overtures.

Vain, materialistic, yet surprisingly tender, The Bloater is a sparklingly ironic comedy of manners for all flirtatious gossips who love to hate and hate to love.

PRAISE FOR THE BLOATER

'A wonderfully unromantic romantic comedy' Daily Telegraph

'Uncommonly good' Guardian

'It is the perfect aperitif, makes you feel warm and careless and much, much happier' The Times

By: Rosemary Tonks
Introduction by: Stewart Lee
Imprint: Vintage
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 11mm
Weight: 127g
ISBN: 9781784877804
ISBN 10: 1784877808
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 20 September 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Rosemary Tonks (1928-2014) was a colourful figure in the London literary scene during the 1960s. She published two poetry collections, Notes on Cafes and Bedrooms (Putnam, 1963) and Iliad of Broken Sentences (The Bodley Head, 1967), and six novels, from Opium Fogs (1963) to The Halt During the Chase (1972), wrote for The Observer, The Times, The New York Review of Books, The Listener, The New Statesman and Encounter, and presented poetry programmes for the BBC.

Reviews for The Bloater: The brilliantly original rediscovered classic comedy of manners

The Bloater delights us by its wit, relish, and new-minted metaphors * Daily Telegraph * Brittle, spry, spiky, amusing, a comedy of love... an original and distinctive flavour * Sunday Times *