A review by aishie
Jake's Thing by Kingsley Amis

3.0

This is my first foray into my attempt to get through booker prize winners and the nominees. I don't think I need to state the obvious and confirm that this is quite the misogynistic novel. All the ideas, scenarios, dialogues are all firmly steeped with the overwhelming sense of Jake and his not so quiet dislike of the lady figures in his life! I had to suspend a lot of my own beliefs, and my outrage at some of the comments thrown about, but when I did that, I did find myself giggling a good bit at some of his comments and attitudes toward the fairer sex. The premise of this story is the once lothario Oxford professor is now sadly chasing his libido, and can't understand why he can't get it up anymore! He laments his erstwhile escapades and goes through therapy to see if he can reclaim former glory. The book lags a bit in certain places and does tend to get a little laboured, but the ending is truly hilarious :)