Official Review: The Life of a Trouser by Keith L Wright

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 03 May 2018, 01:52

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Life of a Trouser" by Keith L Wright.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Life Of A Trouser by Keith L. Wright is an absolute delight. It is a hilarious riches-to-rags story of the trials and tribulations of a bespoke, top-quality, Saville Row trouser. Perfectly matched with his tailored partner, Jackie, he strives to maintain the line and elegance of his gentleman’s silhouette.

Although his gentleman is obviously well monied and has taste, he is nevertheless a bit of an oversexed, drunken Hooray, and causes the trouser no end of embarrassment. The trouser is teamed up with his good friend, The Boss, a stoic pair of cotton trunks. Together, and with a stiff upper zip, they work hard to maintain sartorial elegance and to disguise sudden bulges towards the front, and gaseous onslaughts from the rear.

Life is good and the worst that could happen is that the trouser may have to keep company with clothing from Marks and Sparks, or heaven forbid, a denim. Then he is introduced to a thong and life goes seriously downhill from that point.

This story is beautifully written and has an old fashioned, Jeeves and Wooster feel to the prose. The trouser is also delightfully innocent, having only a rudimentary understanding of sex, since he usually experiences it at somewhat of a remove. The language is witty and nuanced with some delightful puns. I love the way he works at ‘supporting my gentleman’s private accoutrements’ and how Jackie wanted to have ‘fun with a trouser of another cloth’.

Despite the genteel language, the trouser is exposed to a number of indelicate situations such as visiting a gay bar and being worn with sneakers. The straight-laced horror felt by the trouser makes these situations all the more funny.

I loved everything about this book, from the language to the quirkiness. It is a novel in the true sense of the word. My only criticism is that it needs to be properly edited. There were missing commas, missing apostrophes and missing words. I would love to give this a 4, but I can’t because of the typos, so I regretfully grade this 3 out of 4 stars.

This book is very ‘English’ so I’m not sure how well the nuances will be picked up by people from a different cultural background. However, I’m sure the slapstick humour is universal and the story itself is satisfying, though rather sad at times. Anybody who enjoys humour and something a little bit different should appreciate this book.

******
The Life of a Trouser
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Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 09 May 2018, 05:17

This book sounds great! What an interesting thought for a book - personalising a trouser.
I hope they take your editing recommendation to heart so it can be enjoyed by everyone

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 09 May 2018, 05:19

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 05:17 This book sounds great! What an interesting thought for a book - personalising a trouser.
I hope they take your editing recommendation to heart so it can be enjoyed by everyone

Even with the editing problems, I still wholeheartedly recommend it.
Thanks for commenting.

AmySmiles · Post by **AmySmiles** » 09 May 2018, 06:51

Sounds quite interesting, I would have never have guessed that it would be by the title. I just might have to check this one out soon. Thanks for the review. I seem to keep finding those books that are in need of editing myself. It's unfortunate. I often wonder why the authors aren't spending money on a good editor rather than for a review.

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 09 May 2018, 08:17

AmySmiles wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 06:51 Sounds quite interesting, I would have never have guessed that it would be by the title. I just might have to check this one out soon. Thanks for the review. I seem to keep finding those books that are in need of editing myself. It's unfortunate. I often wonder why the authors aren't spending money on a good editor rather than for a review.

I feel exactly the same way about the editing. It’s a real disappointment when you get a really good book. Thanks for commenting.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 09 May 2018, 11:23

This book sounds interesting - I would definitely pick it up if I had a chance. Thank you very much for the review, and for your comments on the novel.

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 09 May 2018, 11:44

gen_g wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 11:23 This book sounds interesting - I would definitely pick it up if I had a chance. Thank you very much for the review, and for your comments on the novel.

Thank you, I hope you do get to read and enjoy it.

MsTri · Post by **MsTri** » 10 May 2018, 23:09

I've seen this book up for review a time or two, but always passed it by in favor of other books. I have, however, read the sample available from Amazon, which I found to be a major hoot. Thanks for confirming that it's every bit as good as I thought it'd be.

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 11 May 2018, 01:25

MsTri wrote: ↑10 May 2018, 23:09 I've seen this book up for review a time or two, but always passed it by in favor of other books. I have, however, read the sample available from Amazon, which I found to be a major hoot. Thanks for confirming that it's every bit as good as I thought it'd be.

Excellent! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.