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| The Rotters' Club | |
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| Author | Jonathan Coe |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Publication date | 22 Feb 2001 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) and audio book |
| Pages | 405pp (hardcover edition), 416 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0670892525 |
| OCLC Number | 45338345 |
| Dewey Decimal | 823/.914 21 |
| LC Classification | PR6053.O26 R68 2001 |
| Preceded by | The House of Sleep |
| Followed by | The Closed Circle |
The Rotters' Club is a 2001 novel by British author Jonathan Coe, set in Birmingham, England during the 1970s. The title is taken from the album The Rotters' Club by experimental rock band Hatfield and the North.[1] In 2004 the book was followed by a sequel, The Closed Circle.
The Rotters' Club is inspired by Coe's own experiences at King Edward's School, Birmingham in the 1970s.[2]
Contents |
Plot summary
Three teenage friends grow up in the British 1970s watching their lives change as their world gets involved with Provisional Irish Republican Army bombs, progressive and punk rock, girls and political strikes.
Characters
- Ben Trotter: A romantic musician and writer who has fallen for Cicely Boyd, the most beautiful student at the adjoining girls' school.
- Philip Chase: Best friend of Ben. He is heavily into progressive rock and attempts to form a band named "Gandalf's Pikestaff".
- Doug Anderton: A passionate writer and opinionated young man, Doug attempts to transfer the socialist values of his father Bill to his mostly middle-class school.
- Colin Trotter: In middle management at British Leyland's Longbridge plant.
- Sheila Trotter: Ben's mother.
- Paul Trotter: Ben's younger brother.
- Lois Trotter: Paul and Ben's sister. She attends the adjoining girls school.
- Malcolm: Amiable guitarist and self-professed 'Hairy Guy' Malcolm is Lois' boyfriend, whom he met when she answered his personal ad in the newspaper.
- Bill Anderton: Shop steward at the Longbridge factory and an active Union man, he begins an affair with one of his colleagues, Miriam.
- Irene Anderton: Bill's wife and Doug's mother.
- Miriam Newman: The attractive secretary at the Longbridge factory.
- Claire Newman: Miriam's younger sister.
- Sam Chase: Philip's dad who works as a bus driver, friend of Ben, Philip and Doug.
- Barbara Chase: Wife of Sam and mother of Philip, she begins an affair with Miles Plumb, her son's art teacher.
- Miles Plumb: The flamboyant art teacher at King William's, the school the teenagers attend.
- Cicely Boyd: The most beautiful girl at the adjoining girls' school. She is the object of many of the boys' affections, particularly Ben Trotter's.
- Sean Harding: Attends King William's. Harding is viewed as a practical joker. He writes letters to the school newspaper, The Billboard, under the pseudonym Arthur Pusey-Hamilton.
Adaptation
In 2003, a four part BBC Radio 4 adaptation written by Simon Littlefield was broadcast. In early 2005, a three part television adaptation written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais was broadcast on BBC Two, starring Geoff Breton as Ben Trotter, Nicholas Shaw as Doug Anderton and Rasmus Hardiker as Phillip Chase.
Sequel
A sequel to the book, titled The Closed Circle, which picked up the characters' lives in the 1990s, was published in 2004.
Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2009) |
- The Rotters' Club held the record for the longest sentence in English literature with 13,955 words.[3] The sentence was inspired by Bohumil Hrabal's Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, a Czech language novel that consisted of one great sentence.
- The British Punk band The Rotters named themselves after the novel. The band were known for featuring a young Faris Badwan on drums.
External links
References
- ^ The Rotters' Club - Jonathan Coe
- ^ Interview with Sally Vincent, Guardian Saturday February 24, 2001
- ^ Sacks' muscle memories | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books
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