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The Amateurs

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The Amateurs

By: John Niven
Narrated by: Angus King
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About this listen

Gary is a sweet and decent man. Only two things would improve his life - having children with his gorgeous wife, Pauline, and a lower golf handicap. Both are unlikely.

Pauline is wondering how she ended up living in an ugly little house, driving a second-hand car and making a living dressing up as Tinker Bell. She's planning to leave Gary for a self-made carpet millionaire.

Findlay, the Carpet King of Scotland, wants to trade in his obese wife for a younger model. But if he goes for a divorce, she'll take him to the cleaners. If only there was some way she could be made to disappear....

Lee, Gary's luckless brother, has botched one too many drug deals. Local crime overlord Ranta Campbell gives him one more job - one last chance to get it right. Lee's done some bad things - but murder?

When Gary gets smashed on the head by a golf ball and miraculously develops an absolutely perfect swing, everyone finds their fates rest on the final day of the Open Championship....

©2015 John Niven (P)2015 Random House AudioBooks Crime Crime Thrillers Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Golf Funny Marriage Sports Suspense
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Funny, charming and entertaining story with plenty of expletives. Excellent performance makes it even better. Best keep the kids out of earshot for this one:)

Great performance

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Blackly funny with lashings of Scottish humour and swearing. Surprising, inventive and hilarious from start to finish.

Who would’ve thought golf was so entertaining!

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What made the experience of listening to The Amateurs the most enjoyable?

This book is laugh out loud funny (care required when driving) but probably should come with a language warning. Didn't worry us though as it really raised the believability of some of the characters. This book goes a long way to helping the non-golfers (us) understand the bloody single mindedness that some golfers have about the statistics of the game.

The narrator Angus King was terrific and appropriately accented which just added to the listening experience.

What other book might you compare The Amateurs to, and why?

Not quite in the same league as The Sunshine Cruise Company but very very close. On par with The Second Coming.

Laugh out loud funny....

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