Madness is Better than Defeat

Dazzling … his best to date … If there is one adjective that describes Beauman’s prose it is ‘buoyant’ - a quality which allows the reader to get through a long book with little effort, and the author to carry the considerable heft of his intelligence lightly. And it is a roaming intelligence. - Spectator

Madness is Better than Defeat is a Swiss watch: there isn’t a single moving part out of place … The jokes are superb … a zestful romp? Undoubtedly. But that doesn’t quite do justice to the experience of reading Madness is Better than Defeat. The book is certainly a literary performance of a high order … The clockwork runs beautifully. Every paragraph gives pleasure. - Literary Review

Almost perfect … This is one of the most purely enjoyable novels I’ve read in years - by turns sad, moving, thoughtful, intriguing, clever, enlightening, surprising and laugh-out-loud funny - which is more than enough. I can’t think of any type of reader who wouldn’t enjoy it: whether your thing is genre, literary or, like this, a fizzling, sparking, sparkling mixture of the two. - Irish Independent

A teaming shaggy-dog comedy of megalomania and obsession … Beauman is a sparkling writer, and his book bustles with diverting micro-narratives … A novel of great intelligence and humour, cleverly structured and brimming with tricks … a tremendous rainbow - New Statesman

Beauman has a gift: he’s a natural comic writer. (I’ve only read one funnier book this year) - Guardian

It reminded me of a Coen brothers film … I found it enchanting, and I was happy to turn every page … I really enjoyed it - BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review

I am really enjoying it … I have no clue what’s going to happen when I turn the page - BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review

Beauman’s fourth novel provides his usual humour, oddities, convolutions and impressive writing. - Mail on Sunday