--- product_id: 4817776 title: "Money: A Suicide Note (Penguin Ink)" brand: "martin amisbert krak" price: "£21.66" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4817776-money-a-suicide-note-penguin-ink store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Money: A Suicide Note (Penguin Ink) **Brand:** martin amisbert krak **Price:** £21.66 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Money: A Suicide Note (Penguin Ink) by martin amisbert krak - **How much does it cost?** £21.66 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4817776-money-a-suicide-note-penguin-ink) ## Best For - martin amisbert krak enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted martin amisbert krak brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Money: A Suicide Note (Penguin Ink) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GG-iRAWOL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ St. Martin's Book for Boys *by K***S on Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2012* In  The Vagrant Mood: Six essays , old W. Somerset Maugham, in an essay oddly praising detective novels, complains that modern "serious" novelists often have little or no story to tell, and they thus abandon something which appeals to our human nature, "for the desire to listen to stories is surely as old as the human race." Maugham further observes that modern novelists are "often intolerably long-winded," and that they take four hundred pages to tell what could be explained in a mere hundred.That's the problem with "Money." The first hundred pages of the novel depict the protagonist, John Self, getting drunk and being an oaf over and over. Maugham suggests that modern novels dispense with a plot so as to provide "psychological analysis," but Self getting trashed and being as offensive as imaginable, then doing the same thing again on the page after next provides no great insight into character. There's a running joke about pigs, but we already get it. He's a pig.The plot is about Self's efforts to get a movie made, a movie based on his life, but at about page ten, you just knowwww that movie's never gonna get made. The first hundred or so pages can easily be skipped without missing anything of significance. The characters are all stereotypes (phonies -- American phonies, the worst kind), and it's thus not necessary to keep track of the names. About halfway through the book, an odd thing happens. The protagonist changes from being an utterly disgusting drunk to a somewhat sympathetic drunk, but he still manages to offend everyone else. There are subplots of a mysterious death threat against him and even a hit contract taken out on him, but neither of those threads eventually amount to much. After progressing at a snail's pace (a drunken snail) with frequent descriptions of the sky, the denouement occurs in a sudden jumble, then the book drags on for too long. Will he kill himself or not? Enough already.As for psychological insight, who is this metaphorical "Self"? Is it Martin Amis depicting HIMself and his party-hearty life with pal  Christopher Hitchens ? Certainly not, because Amis performs the conceit of writing himself into the novel, and the depiction of himself is that of a paragon of sobriety, tolerance, and a Buddha-like composure. The fictional Amis also plays a masterful game of chess against the suddenly-sober protagonist, but this is about as plausible as the silly horse race previously described. Nor is "Self" the notorious (former) stoner and Amis imitator  Will Self .I would venture to say that "Self" represents . . . *you,* dear reader. YOURself, America. John Self lives in London, but he was raised in New Jersey. That must've warped him. The British characters are all disreputable (which, true, is typical of most of the novels of Amis), but they're nowhere near as loathsome as the Yanks. Hardly a nuanced view, but who am I to argue against Amis's (and the world's) perception of the USA as the heart of all greed, corruption and shallowness ?The dialogue and the interior monologues which make up most of the book are superb. There aren't many writers with an ear to equal that of Martin Amis, and some of it makes for great reading, but that's not enough to support 363 pages of threadbare plot. Reading the novel feels as if you've sold your Self short. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Satire or farce? Does it matter? *by M***O on Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017* I feel a little sheepish not giving this book five stars. Perhaps it's because of all the critical acclaim. I don't know. It has real merit, but for me much of it comes from its being an example of literary farce, which was not necessarily the author's intention, I fear.Clearly, it's supposed to be funny, and it is! But the line between satire and farce is blurry. I found the narrator's hyperbole a bit of a stretch, and Amis leaned on it for most of the humor. As satire, it worked pretty well, but as farce it worked really well.There were great character descriptions, mostly of the actors hired to star in the film ostensibly being produced by the narrator. But I found Amis' introduction of himself as a character off-putting.Perhaps this review comes off as too finicky, but when an author is brazen enough to include himself as a character in what is nominally satirical fiction, his or her intention becomes decidedly more relevant. And I felt Amis intended this to be a satirical take-down of the film industry and a cultural moment in time. But some plot events were so implausible as to be only believable as farce.Anyway, I should probably get over my quibbles and give Money the acclaim so many folks do, but I just didn't take to this book in the same way I did to some of his others. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It is an alluring dream, is it not? *by J***N on Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2006* John Self, named such by Amis to represent all of humanity, is a man whose world is controlled by money and sex. Afraid of what life might bring him if he freed himself from his addictions, he succumbs instead to the mantra that just a little more money will fix your problems, that it seems to be working for everyone else so it will work for you too. Like all members of a capitalist system about which Amis seems to be prophesying, Self believes deep down that once he hits the money, his problems will disappear, his obesity, his loneliness, his addictions, and all the rest.The problem is he already has the money. He has had the money, spent the money, and still has the money. Money is not the issue. The mindset of the people in his world is that if he would "relax, . . . sink a couple of thou into [his] backhand, . . . quit smoking, drink less, eat right . . . go to high-priced health clubs and fancy massage studios . . . undergo a series of long, painful and expensive operations" then he (and you, the universal Mr. Self) will be ready for success in today's society. It is an alluring dream, is it not?Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4817776-money-a-suicide-note-penguin-ink](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4817776-money-a-suicide-note-penguin-ink) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*