Blind Faith by Ben Elton - anyone read it?

[Sidge]

I just finished this and thought it was very clever. Obviously not Proper Literature but enjoyable, thought-provoking satirical fiction.

And the children's names made me laugh! (Gucci KitKat anyone?)

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

Yes, I thought it was great. I love all the stuff about the Vaccinators being a secret organisation.
It made me quite impressed with Ben Elton, that he's thinking about this kind of thing. Then I recently saw an interview with him and his father and it turns out his dad is a physicist, so it kind of makes sense him having a underlying regard for science.
Caitlin Happymeal is a wonderful name.

[notnowbernard]

Caitlin Happymeal was my favourite

I thought it was ok... I read it very quickly though

[jollydiane]

Loved it, very thoughtful. Decided not to join facebook after reading it!

I have enjoyed all of his books.

[Baisey]

I thought it was great, I recommended it to someone that was feeling disillusioned by facebook lol.

[liath]

I liked it, very thought provoking. I've enjoyed all his recent novels TBH.

[Portoeufino]

I thought it was great. A moral for our times

[Sidge]

That's what I found clever, the idea that the explosion of social networking could potentially lead to this huge societal lack of privacy and expectation of socialising.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

Chart Throb was good - completely changes the way you watch X Factor and all those talent shows.

[Sidge]

I am keeping an eye out for Chart Throb in the library!

[jollydiane]

I also enjoyed John O'Farrell and Nick Hornby which made me stop and think.

[morningpaper]

I love Ben Elton, I REALLY love him

Loved this book

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

He's very good at satirising the way people talk, too.

[ellingwoman]

Chart Throb was good - I re-read that a lot when I haven't got anything else. And the Big Brother one. The Friends Reunited one is my 3rd fave. Didn't like Blind Faith much

[liath]

Dead Famous was great and horribly plausible.

I definitely see all these reality type Tv shows in a different light but I think I was a bit naive in not realising how forced and scripted they actually are.

[ellingwoman]

ditto liath

[Portoeufino]

I'd forgotten about Dead Famous! He can be a bit twee Ben Elton, but the subject matter is very hard hitting. Will he be an A'level subject in the future?

[Portoeufino]

And the one about the Conscientious Objector in the War was fab too, though title escapes me.....

[squilly]

I loved High Society. Made me want to legalise drugs straight away and I'm SOOOoooooo anti drugs.

For a non-serious writer he raises some very interesting arguments about topical and political situations.

[Cadmum]

I just read this on vacation as it was on the bookshelf at the holiday rental. I actually laughed at how much it reminded me of MN... (I suppose that it was really poking fun at facebook and myspace but I just kept thinking about MN.)

DH and I were trying to imagine our children's names in this dystopian London. I don't think that we could outdo Gucci KitKat but should I start a baby naming thread about MontBlanc Toberone?

I must find more of his books.