Amis is one of my favourite writers, and I can see why this book is well regarded, but I will admit it wasn't as enjoyable to read as some of his works because of a highly unappealing central character. It pulled me in with the high quality of the prose and his impressive turns of phrase, and the plot had plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting, as well as some amusing minor characters. But there was often a sort of bad taste in my mouth as we see the world from inside the head of a deeply flawed, money-obsessed, selfish character (the name "John Self" is no doubt a little hint of what to expect).

I can't bring myself to give it less than 4 stars but I'm keen to move on to some more enjoyable books from the late Mr. Amis. London Fields is one I read long ago and I remember loving it at the time - will be interesting to see how it holds up.