Review: How's That for Gabriella by Simon Okill
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2013
Alan Hardy's bawdy take on the upper class versus the working class is gloriously, unashamedly and rudely exposed or in this case overexposed. The story is centred around a cricket match for boys and one girl. The focus of attention is Gabriella a real ball-breaker and every boy's wet dream as she creates havoc on and off the pitch. She is an ice-cold blond and proud of it, using her beauty like a sword to slice boys' hearts in two. But then she meets Jim, a lowly working class good-for-nothing bowler. We get to meet Gabriella's parents as they lay waste to the lower classes, Jim's mindless parents as they waste their lives away on nothing and Chivers a real treat as the chauffeur come all-rounder who dispenses all that is needed to keep Gabriella looking her best. But it's the clever use of cricket which sets this great book above its rivals. And as the match progresses so lowly trollops are defrocked, gardeners drained, balls beaten senseless, rude awakenings exposed, in fact everything that life has to offer is wickedly lampooned. But most of all it's a poor boy meets rich girl and let the battle of the sexes commence. 5* entertainment in one match. How's that!