The Smelly Dog - Tapa dura

'With consummate skill the authors have once again skewered our national smugness' -- Nicky Haslam 'Opening a volume by Victoria Mather and Sue Macartney-Snape always fills me with delicious apprehension. I know that, in no time, I will be chuckling away at the absurdities of someone who is awfully like me' -- Julian Fellowes 'A dazzling combination' -- Jilly Cooper 'They have a mind-reader's gift for rooting around inside our heads, and serving up every last nuance and pretension as spot-on social comedy' -- Nicholas Coleridge 'For as long as I can remember, Social Stereotypes has been essential reading on a Saturday morning' -- General Sir Mike Jackson 'Woof of approval for Smelly Dog' -- Evening Standard 'Always amusingly accurate ! a piquant array of character sketches' -- The Oldie 'Another splendid romp through a gloriously eccentric gallery of characters' -- Good Book Guide

With his charming twinkly stare and his bouncing enthusiasm, Horace exudes lovability. Unfortunately that's not all he exudes. His breath is like napalm, his coat is matted with weeds from the goldfish pond, and -- ever since the ban on hunting -- Eau de Horace has carried subtle topnotes of fox poo. But he's such a darling that the Fitzroys have become impervious to his pong. Besides, there's a certain mischievous pleasure to be got from watching their more sniffy guests cope with Horace's exotic fragrance. These hilarious, razor-sharp pen portraits are spot-on insights into the gamut of modern life. In the one corner are the Sudoku Addicts: Tracey from accounts wondering whether she might have that compulsive sudoku syndrome like what Dean-from-the-postroom's sister got. In the other are the dilettante Christmas Jigsaw Puzzlers: Aunt Cassie forcing pieces together to create that hopelessly amateurish hump effect before bashing it flat with her rings. The brilliance of these caricatures culled from the Telegraph Magazine is that each and every one rings true.