Reviews

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand by John Birmingham

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hilikus_00's review against another edition

4.0

Hilarious! I had heard about this book while travelling in Australia and doing the whole share house thing. It definately made me feel better about my messy, loud roomates. I do feel though, that some of his stories are a stretch of the truth, but I could be wrong. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. This book was hilarious and disgusting and I'd recommend it to anyone who has ever had a sharehouse in Australia. Though the book takes place mostly in Brisbane, he does pass through Sydney as well which was interesting. It was fun to be familiar with the neighbourhoods in which Birmingham lived. Great read!

notaturnip's review against another edition

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4.0

Funny and foul — a candid account of co-habitation

I read a lot of reviews that this book wasn’t realistic, but I disagree. This book is a very compelling account of why standards do and should matter, especially when it comes to housemates. Now that I’ve finished it, I feel like having a shower and folding the washing, just to try and forestall the otherwise inevitable decline into squalor that this book documents.

Veey funny with little ‘plot’ as such, but it’s a fun account of a decade of domestic disaster. Four stars.

cathyross's review against another edition

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2.0

Some of the language in this book does not reflect well on the author. That it was written over 20 years ago is really no excuse.

opheliabox's review against another edition

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2.0

The fact that I loved this book as a teenager should have been proof enough that I a) had undiagnosed ADHD and b) knew nothing about anything.

zoefruitcake's review against another edition

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1.0

I was hoping for a laugh but mostly I think I was nauseated by it. I have (thankfully) never lived in a shared house so maybe I am not really the target audience!