Product Description

Malcolm, Peter and Charlie and their Soave-sodden wives have one main ambition left in life: to drink Wales dry. But their routine is both shaken and stirred when they are joined by professional Welshman Alun Weaver (CBE) and his wife, Rhiannon.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78191 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

About the Author
Kingsley Amis was born in south London in 1922 and was educated at the City of London School and St John's College, Oxford. After the publication of Lucky Jim in 1954, Kingsley Amis wrote over twenty novels, including The Alteration, winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, The Old Devils, winner of the Booker Prize in 1986, and The Biographer's Moustache, which was to be his last book. He also wrote on politics, education, language, films, television, restaurants and drink. Kingsley Amis was awarded the CBE in 1981 and received a knighthood in 1990. He died in October 1995.

Customer Reviews

a great book - a great writer's best book !
THE OLD DEVILS is the masterpiece of Sir Kingsley Amis. A wonderful, funny and touching novel, perhaps it is the best book on retirement ? (At 30, I don't know enough to comment !) Great everything, his lad Martin says it's the one his old fella will be remembered for.

Wickedness in Wales
One of his best. A Professional Welshman returns, with his beautiful wife, to the Welsh town of his youth, and together and separately the couple meet up with all their old friends. The "hero" is happy to get off with all his friends' wives and drag his old mates on a weeklong pub crawl. A lot of alcohol is absorbed as the old friends are revealed as living lives of quiet desperation, leavened by 30s jazz. The BBC dramatised this back in the 80s - the brilliant series has never been repeated, and it's not on DVD. Why, oh, why?

Good Enough
In my quest to finish off the Booker Prize winners, the book award I respect the most, I picked up a copy of the hard-to-find "Old Devils" by Kingsley Amis.
The action takes place in Wales where Malcom, Peter and Charlie and their wives find out that Alun Weaver - Welsh poet of note - and his wife Rhiannon, are returning to live out their twilight years amongst old friends and surroundings.
A nice simple setup for ruminating about the past, gossiping, sneaking around, plenty of boozing and other shenanigans.
However, I must say that I was disappointed. There is some humour; there is some poignant scenes but, overall, I was left unsatisfied.
My copy was almost 400 pages and yet Amis left many of his characters two dimensional - especially the women. Also, I found myself yearning for more background on the characters.
A little depressing too, when people in their "golden years" have little left to do but stay drunk all day.
As an American reader and subtle jokes about Welsh vs. English got by me.
I can recommend this book. It's accessible and intelligent and, at times,
humorous and touching. I expected more but "The Old Devils" is good enough.