The World According to Clarkson - Jeremy Clarkson

Advantages: Funny in places
Disadvantages: Lacks consistency

...aware of Jeremy Clarkson through the excellent TV programme Top Gear, a show that is not just for petrol heads as it is also one of the funniest programmes on TV as well given some of the stunts and challenges they do. In the show he is the arrogant, opinionated alpha male with a hearty dislike of Europe, foxes, anything environmentally friendly and French cars. Oh and political correctness. In addition to his TV work he also writes a newspaper column ...
...Apart from the toilet reading on offer at my sister house this was the first Clarkson book that I have read and I was interested to see if the humour generated on Top Gear could be translated into the written word. The book itself is made up of a series of short, two or three page, rants or observations on a myriad of topics that stretch from the opening page discussion of an additional public holiday to such varied topics as the joys of the circus, ... Read review

Advantages: Humour covering a wide range of subjects.
Disadvantages: Some of the topical humour dates quickly.

...people who are interested in the latest developments in cars will know this author, Jeremy Clarkson, from watching his BBC2 programme Top Gear. My only interest in cars is that I like them to get me about in reasonable comfort, so I have only seen snippets of the Top Gear programme when other people in my house have been watching it. Similarly, because of my lack of interest in how cars and other machines work, I haven't read any other of Clarkson's ...
...sometimes unsure if some of the things he wrote were serious, or if it were all in jest. Seeing his deadpan face while he was insulting the live audience didn't help me decide whether he was being deliberately rude or making a joke, but as the audience, including the victims of his jokes, were laughing, I guess they took his ridicule as a good bit of fun. The BBC web site says that on Top Gear, "Clarkson is more than capable of reducing car manufacturers ... Read review

Advantages: An interesting compelation of his articles from 2001 - 2003
Disadvantages: A few repeated issues and not much structure

Over the last few years or so I have become quite big fan of Top Gear and in particular Jeremy Clarkson. I'd previously read one of his other books, I Know You've Got Soul, so when I came across The World According To Clarkson it was inevitable I was going to read that as well. I've read a number of Clarkson's newspaper columns in the Sun but hadn't really seen much from his days with the Times. This book gave me the opportunity to put that right ...
...Sunday Times articles. The articles cover a period from January 2001 till December 2003, but it isn't every weeks articles. There are massive jumps and in total there are 81 weeks worth of articles in the book and they all cover a vast array of subjects. Now as someone who doesn't regularly read the Sunday Times this was all new to me and in a way was acceptable as original material. If however I'd been a Times reader or if indeed you are then this ... Read review

Advantages: Witty, entertaining and an all round good read.
Disadvantages: None that I noticed

...has written columns for both the Sunday Times and The Sun. 'The World According To Clarkson' is a collection of his columns from 2001 to 2003. Written for the Sunday Times the book follows Jeremy as he writes from various countries across Europe and the world on subjects that range from the British weather, to why he'd like to be a German, to why he shouldn't be allowed to look after his kids. Clarkson's style of writing is easy to read, at the same ...
...There's a few moments in the book that some people may find controversial. For example, some people may completely disagree with his views of Mandela, but you've got to hand it to the man, he knows what he's talking about and he puts his point across very well without being offensive. Clearly an intelligent man with what I would call a lot of common sense, I found myself agreeing with a lot of the opinions and ideas he presents. I don't know whether ... Read review

Advantages: Funny, easy to read because of short stories rather than whole book
Disadvantages: Not long enough!

...hate him. Personally I think the guy is brilliant and this book shows just how good he can be. I have been a fan of Clarkson on the TV in his Top Gear role for a long time and I own most of his videos. I was unsure whether his humour would work written in a book becuase his accent on words and his comical deadpan face help. However I was wrong to be worried. In this book Clarkson covers various subjects with his musings, wild descriptions and strong ...
...very toungue in cheek. The book is set into short stories which are about 2-3 pages long and take about 5-10 minutes to read so it is easy to pick up and put down without fear of losing the plot of the book. However, I was hooked on this book and couldn't put it down it had me crying with laughter. This book does contain a few references to cars but many more references to non-car related topics. You do not have to be a fan of cars to enjoy this ... Read review