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BORIS JOHNSON
Seventy-Two Virgins
HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
Copyright © Boris Johnson 2004
Boris Johnson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780007198054
Ebook Edition © APRIL 2016 ISBN: 9780007383504
Version: 2016-04-18
PRAISE FOR SEVENTY-TWO VIRGINS
‘A hectic comedy thriller … refreshingly unpompous and very funny.’
Mail on Sunday
‘Johnson scores in his comic handling of those most sensitive issues… he succeeds in being charming and sincere … a witty page-turner.’
Observer
‘Among the hilarious scenes of events and the wonderful dialogue which keeps the story moving at a cracking pace, Johnson uncovers some home truths … I can give no higher praise to this book than to say that I lapped it up at a single uproarious sitting.’
Irish Examiner
‘As an author, he is in a class of his own: ebullient, exhausting but irresistible.’
Daily Mail
‘Fluent, funny material … the writing is vintage, Wode-housian Boris … it has been assembled with skill and terrific energy and will lift morale in the soul of many.’
Evening Standard
‘At the centre of his first novel is a terrorist plot of frightening ingenuity … the comedy is reminiscent of Tom Sharpe.’
Sunday Times
‘This is a comic novel, but Johnson is never far away from making serious points, which he leads us towards with admirable stealth.’
Daily Telegraph
‘A splendidly accomplished and gripping first novel … Few authors could get away with it, but this one most certainly does. Highly recommended.’
Sunday Telegraph
‘The rollicking pace and continuous outpouring of comic invention make the book … The guardians of our author’s future need not worry. This is a laurel from a new bush, but certainly a prizewinner.’
Spectator
‘Invents a genre all of his own: a post 9/11 farce … a pacy, knockabout political thriller which takes in would-be terrorists careering through Westminster in a stolen ambulance, a visit from the US president, celebrity chefs, snipers, tabloids chasing extra-curricular … as much fun reading it as Johnson had writing it.’
GQ
‘As well as Mr Johnson’s inside knowledge of Parliament and his exuberantly idiosyncratic prose style, Mr Johnson is also brilliant at characterisation – each one of his cast of hundreds leaps to life in a few sentences … and yes, I laughed out loud approximately every 30 minutes.’
Country Life
Optimis parentibus
CONTENTS
Praise for Seventy-Two Virgins
Part One: The Trojan Ambulance