I Fear for This Boy: Some Chapters of Accidents
Theo Fennell’s picaresque journey from the depths of financial despair to the glittering celebrity world of the rich and famous is a comic classic comparable to Three Men in a Boat or Bill Bryson’s The Thunderbolt Kid. Despite the occasional success disasters and failures dominate his business life. Nonetheless his jewellery has brought pleasure to thousands and this book will bring pleasure to millions.
BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
By William Boyd
Writing effective comedy is very difficult. True comic genius, the ability to create a unique tone of voice – deadpan, perfectly timed, self-deprecating, abjuring all whimsy (the British disease) and grandstanding – is extremely rare. One thinks of SJ Perelman, Peter de Vries, the Grossmiths, PG Wodehouse amongst very few others. One name that can be added to this tiny and exclusive club is Theo Fennell who has published, this year, his memoir I FEAR FOR THIS BOY: Some Chapters of Accidents (Mensch). It relates incidents in Fennell’s life where everything that could go wrong, does indeed do so. Some are cataclysmically embarrassing; others are moments of wonderful private fecklessness. But the end result is that Fennell has produced one of the funniest books I have ever read. Utterly beguiling and superbly well-written, it will become a classic of the genre, I predict
Fennell was born in Moascar, Egypt, where British soldiers were garrisoned along the Suez Canal. The son of an army family, he spent his early years all over the world. He was sent to boarding school at five, then to Eton, York College of Art, followed by the Byam Shaw School of Art. He lives in London with his wife, Louise, an author. The couple have two daughters, Emerald, a writer, actor and director, and Coco, a dress designer.
News & Reviews
Joan Collins liked the book.
Terrific coverage for Theo and the book In:
And endorsements from many including these two:
“There’s no one quite like Theo Fennell. Relive the high spots of a life crowded, as Lady Bracknell would say, with incident. Our hero Theo, while without fail making an improbable and preposterous arse of himself in every direction, always manages somehow to emerge from each adventure ruefully triumphant. I ripped through I Fear For This Boy like a train, snorting with laughter and delight as I rattled along, pulled by the power of Fennell’s unique story-telling genius…. I can’t recommend the ride highly enough.” –Stephen Fry
“As funny as one of my books. I almost couldn’t put it down. Theo’s book is as funny as Theo – a rare achievement.” –Barry Humphries