Customer Reviews
Dissappointing!! - By: I. Taylor, 27 Sep 2008 
I almost set it down after 200 pages. But I decided NO... it will get better. It didnt, just rumbled on at the same old speed. Davina McCall describes Danny Wallace to be a genius- O dear, please.
NOT FUNNY!
A joy from start to finish - By: Steven Willis, 17 Sep 2008 
As you would expect from Danny Wallace there is some genuine hysteria here - reminiscing about an unfortunate man whose name was a dreadful variation on `Hitler', impersonating a `furry', making sense of German rap lyrics & general Michael Jackson memories from childhood all had me sniggering, both as I was reading & at various points afterwards.
What I wasn't expecting though was quite how poignant it was at times. There's a few really touching moments, bothin terms of what the author finds out duringin his `project' & how it's handledin the book. It isn't just a series of funny incidents - it's real, it doesn't always go smoothly, & it asks some pretty deep questions about lost friendships, life & growing up.
Overall though it's just such a brilliantly positive story - a joyin fact.
At must if you are around the 30 mark! - By: Mr. M. K. White, 03 Sep 2008 You will laugh out loud & you will warm to this writer from the start! It brings back memories of your childhood & all the sweets, TV shows & characters that go with it. I haven't read his other books but I will be buying them right away, & recommending this one to all my friends. Danny Wallace may seem a bit odd when you see him on the telly but this book gets you to the heart of a guy who is naturally very funny.
Essential reading for anyone approaching the Big Three O... - By: L. Fleming, 25 Aug 2008 
Danny Wallace, writer & TV presenter, is heading towards his 30th birthday & having an identity crisis. His friends all seem to be moving on & as he looks around his grown up house at his grown up display cushions, he starts to panic. One day he opens an old box of paraphernalia from his childhood & finds an address book. Realising he's lost touch with all his old childhood friends; he sets about tracking them down...
Friends Like These is a warm, funny, honest, heartwarming book about rekindling lost friendships & making the transition from being a twenty-something to a thirty-something. As someone who is only a year off doing just that, I could really relate to Danny's feelings. We all wonder what old friends are doing, & we now have the likes of Facebook & MySpace to keep us connected...but Wallace takes it a step further. He actually meets up with them allin person. Now he doesn't have your average group of friends to start with. He's godfather to Jamie Oliver's daughters; one of his best friends is the bass guitaristin a rock band & his girlfriend works on Big Brother! However, he came from ordinary beginnings & wonders if he will find that all his old friends have ended up workingin IT! He wonders if they too are nervous about the impending milestone, & would like to make the transition easier by sharing it with friends who have had an impact on his life.
Friends Like These is very easy to read. Danny Wallace started his career as a journalist, so the style is punchy & witty, with nice bite-size sub-chapters. His observations on childhood, on growing up & on friendships really made me smile & the ending is quite poignant. This is one of those books that will make you sigh with satisfaction when you've turned the last page, & maybe feel a little warm inside too!
Ever wondered "whatever happened to..?". Then read this book. - By: Mr. Stuart Bruce, 03 Aug 2008 Are you a man around the age of 29? Are you having a strange urge to find out what your old friends from school are up to, & are you worried that it's the beginning of turning 30-something? Well, me too. But now there's no need- you can just read this book instead. Danny Wallace has already done all that,in 2007, & his story is much better than yours, or mine.
Danny goesin search of friends, mainly from primary school, with a very loose premise of 'updating his address book', an address book he's foundin a box of old school stuff his Mum kept, though this is just an excuse for a trip down memory lane.
He ends upin L.A.,in Japan,in Germany, & around many placesin the UK doing all the tracking-down & catching-up that you & I would be doing if we had the time & money.
As well as being laugh-out-loud funnyin parts it really is very, very touching, & not nearly as superficial as the premise might have you believe- the book deals with the death of old friends, & explores the need to try & re-contact people & why many people feel that need but some people don't.
This book really will make you want to get onto Facebook or Friends Reunited & track down all your old buddies. I did & I have.
My favourite book of the year so far.
