Splash!
A Novel
Published on 4. October 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-4721-2634-4 (ISBN)
Description
'I thoroughly enjoyed Splash! It's a delicious confection of excellent plotting, an inventively bonkers cast of characters, subtle insights into the world of newspapers and a satisfying ending which invokes the great Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece, Scoop. A fine comedy of manners by a writer who knows the media inside out' BEL MOONEY
Sam Blunt is a drunken, broken-down tabloid reporter, working for a once-mighty newspaper struggling to come to terms with the digital age.
With the assistance of Benedict, an earnest though clever wet-behind-the-ears young intern on the paper, Sam grapples to uncover the story of the century which reveals the political corruption and cynicism at the heart of a rotten Establishment.
As they try to nail the story amid a series of capers, Sam and Benedict are frustrated by the self-serving proprietor of the Daily Bugle, various self-appointed do-gooders who want to rein in the Press, and Trevor Yapp, the malign and untrustworthy editor of Bugle Online.
Splash! is a satire of the Press and politics in a modern London peopled by a Chinese billionaire would-be press proprietor, a worldly bishop, neglected immigrants, a corrupt and plaintive Prime Minister, and journalists who are often most interested in doing one another down.
Yet however self-serving newspapers may sometimes be, Sam and Benedict are ultimately on the side of the angels as they battle to write their triumphant story.
Sam Blunt is a drunken, broken-down tabloid reporter, working for a once-mighty newspaper struggling to come to terms with the digital age.
With the assistance of Benedict, an earnest though clever wet-behind-the-ears young intern on the paper, Sam grapples to uncover the story of the century which reveals the political corruption and cynicism at the heart of a rotten Establishment.
As they try to nail the story amid a series of capers, Sam and Benedict are frustrated by the self-serving proprietor of the Daily Bugle, various self-appointed do-gooders who want to rein in the Press, and Trevor Yapp, the malign and untrustworthy editor of Bugle Online.
Splash! is a satire of the Press and politics in a modern London peopled by a Chinese billionaire would-be press proprietor, a worldly bishop, neglected immigrants, a corrupt and plaintive Prime Minister, and journalists who are often most interested in doing one another down.
Yet however self-serving newspapers may sometimes be, Sam and Benedict are ultimately on the side of the angels as they battle to write their triumphant story.
Reviews / Votes
Utterly brilliant and irresistible -- Amol Rajan, former editor of <i>The Independent</i> I would recommend it to anyone without reservation . . . very funny -- Andrew Rosenheim A proper novel - something that journalists don't always manage to write. Society hostesses, billionaires, bishops, a newspaper baron, MPs, journalists noble and scurrilous: modern London life is there, fully realised -- Simon Carr Potentially Splash! could do more for restoring public confidence in newspapers than sanctimonious leader articles from big publishers . . . Splash! might also remind owners and editors [of newspapers] of the public good they can do when at their best -- Ian Burrell * i * Written in Waugh's style, Splash! imitates his practice of giving characters expressively comic names . . . Glover clearly enjoyed writing it and I enjoyed reading it . . . Glover's novel is an apologia for tabloid journalism and a celebration of its role in exposing corruption among the elite -- Peter Wilby * New Statesman * Both a terrific romp through the indiscretions, dodgy deals and Establishment stitch-ups of our times, and an invaluable reminder of just how vital the Press is in holding power to account -- John Harding * Daily Mail * Veteran insider's sharp, timely satire on the newspaper business * Daily Mail * Splash! has the pace and wit of Tom Sharpe at his Porterhouse best and the mournfulness of Michael Frayn's Towards the End of the Morning . . . captures the thrill of the newsroom -- Laura Freeman * Standpoint * Thoroughly enjoyable . . . Glover hits the mark with uncanny accuracy . . . A rollicking good read * Journalist * Extremely funny . . . If there has been a more spot-on and funnier satire about news folk since Evelyn Waugh's Scoop, I haven't read it * Oxford Times * Splash! is a brilliant book, a comedy with a serious and thought-provoking moral for us all -- Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith * Church Times * Very funny, also poignant in places, and merits favourable comparison with Evelyn Waugh's classic newspaper novel, Scoop, but this time in the digital age -- Carole Dawson Young * Tribune * Plot twists aplenty propel this veteran insider's sharp, timely satire on the newspaper business in a corrupt, cynical London swilling with oligarchs * Mail on Sunday * Funny . . . cleverly plotted, the novel is a love letter to a bygone world of journalism * Sunday Times * A compelling satire -- Michael Burleigh * London Evening Standard * I thoroughly enjoyed Splash! It's a delicious confection of excellent plotting, an inventively bonkers cast of characters, subtle insights into the world of newspapers and a satisfying ending which invokes the great Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece, Scoop. A fine comedy of manners by a writer who knows the media inside out * Bel Mooney * A condition of England novel, and especially the condition of the English press . . . Very enjoyable -- Andrew Gimson * Conservativehome * The spirit of Scoop, Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel about the newspaper world, hovers over Stephen Glover's satire of 21st-century journalism . . . a pacy story of murky ministerial shenanigans, late lunches and love in the afternoon . . . Those in the know will enjoy identifying the characters in this sprightly roman-a-clef, while everyone can relish the all too convincing twists of Glover's neatly plotted narrative * Daily Mail *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Illustrations
n/a
Dimensions
Height: 192 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
192 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4721-2634-4 (9781472126344)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Stephen Glover was co-founder of The Independent and the founding editor of The Independent on Sunday. He has worked as a columnist for the Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, Spectator and Independent, and now writes a column for the Daily Mail and the Oldie. He is the author of Paper Dreams, about the founding of The Independent, and was editor of The Penguin Book of Journalism. Two of his short stories have recently been published by Amazon Singles.