Comedian Tony Hawks is set the challenge of beating at tennis all 11 of the Moldovan international footballers who lost to England at Wembley. As a family, we had enjoyed Round Ireland with a fridge. Its quirky sense of humour had greatly appealed to both my daughters 10 and We were therefore looking forward to this film which has been in production for a long time. The distribution model for this film seems largely to be via internet streaming. There appears to be a tour from Tony Hawks of the film and a very limited cinema release. I personally don't believe that the film is anywhere strong enough for a wider cinema release.
So what's wrong with it? It's not nearly funny enough. There are many smiles, but few big laughs. The book is good. It revealed that the author learned a lot about himself from his experience in Moldova. This only vaguely transfers to the screen. The plot is reasonably but not compellingly constructed. If the streaming had stopped half way through it didn't, it worked well , I am not sure I would have felt any need to find it again to see the end.
Playing the Moldovans at Tennis
Nov 29, Babak Fakhamzadeh rated it liked it Shelves: Still riding the wave of books on guerilla tourism and gonzo journalism, Hawks was ahead of the curve with his Round Ireland with a Fridge from as well as this book which was published shortly after, in , though set, mostly, in Peter Moore is another example of similar literature, though perhaps one of the best ones is Daniel Kalder 's Lost Cosmonaut: Observations of an Anti-Tourist. Perhaps thankfully so, the genre recently seems to have abated in popularity, perhaps because the w Still riding the wave of books on guerilla tourism and gonzo journalism, Hawks was ahead of the curve with his Round Ireland with a Fridge from as well as this book which was published shortly after, in , though set, mostly, in Perhaps thankfully so, the genre recently seems to have abated in popularity, perhaps because the world is now so interconnected, there is less and less tourism possible to be guerilla about.
Following a bet with a friend after watching the Moldovan national soccer team play England, Hawks sets out to beat all players at tennis, mostly in Moldova, but also being forced to visit Israel and Northern Ireland. Hawks' style is funny and readable, but for his, at the time, 38 years, also feels rather naive in relation to his experiences in this former Soviet Republic. A pretty funny account of a weird idea that arose from a bet — playing the entire Moldovan football team at tennis!
I much preferred Round Ireland With a Fridge as I simply preferred the concept, but Hawks still writes with a dry humour and a naivety that takes you on his journey with wide eyes and an open mind. He knows nothing about the cultures he is visiting but he relays his experiences in a funny first-hand way and you learn as you travel with him. It gives you some interesting first hand A pretty funny account of a weird idea that arose from a bet — playing the entire Moldovan football team at tennis! It gives you some interesting first hand views on Moldova — for instance when he is in the bar savouring a beer and the people are looking at him strangely as they down a vodka in seconds and leave — there is no social drinking just something to ease the pain.
A few good quotes There was not much choice of goods though. Under the new system, everything is available but no one can afford it. Jul 31, Bill rated it liked it Shelves: A nice light, entertaining read. The story follows English comedian to Moldova, Northern Ireland and Israel as he tries to win a bet with his friend Arthur.
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The bet is that Tony will beat the Moldovan national footie team at tennis, all 11 players. The loser of the bet will sing the Moldovan national anthem, naked on the High Street. Tony's experiences in Moldova are quite interesting; his attempts to contact the players and teams to set up the tennis matches, his feelings about Moldova, his tho A nice light, entertaining read. Tony's experiences in Moldova are quite interesting; his attempts to contact the players and teams to set up the tennis matches, his feelings about Moldova, his thoughts on the lovely family with which he stays while in Moldova.
It's the briefest of insights, but I found it all very interesting. He then must follow the National team to their match in Northern Ireland to try to play 3 players he missed while in Moldova and then to Israel to meet the final player. Does Tony win the bet? Well, you will have to read to find out. Entertaining story, generally a fun read.
This book is in with travel books but for me it is more a humorous account of a journey rather than a travel book. If you read this expecting to find out a lot about Moldova you will probably be disappointed but if you read it as an amusing tale then you will find this funny. It is not as good as his first book Round Ireland with a Fridge but he is in a country with people who have very different personalities to those in Ireland due to the circumstances they were living in at the time the book i This book is in with travel books but for me it is more a humorous account of a journey rather than a travel book.
It is not as good as his first book Round Ireland with a Fridge but he is in a country with people who have very different personalities to those in Ireland due to the circumstances they were living in at the time the book is written. Tony takes on a bet to play the Moldovan football team at tennis with the loser having to sing the Moldovian National Anthem naked in his local high street. The book follows his journey in meeting all the players and playing tennis with them - a journey that is not an easy one due to the nature of Moldova.
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I enjoyed this book and it would make a good read while waiting in an airport. From the moment I picked up this book I was drawn in. It might help that I'd just been lucky enough to see the man himself talking about it, but I think it would have been hard to put down anyway. Every character is described in a way that suggests Tony really understands how they tick. They are real people, who feel like they might jump out of the page at any moment. Its amazing how many events manage to come together in this one book.
There's never a dull moment as Tony pursues his quest.
S From the moment I picked up this book I was drawn in. Sometimes its even hard to believe that it is real- surely at least some of it is fiction?! But real it is, providing a good insight into a pretty much unknown world alongside its hilarious turns of event. Hilarious, inspiring, and revealing, this book is a must for anyone wanting a lighter read.
Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks
Aug 02, Athena rated it liked it. My BF lent me this book so that I would have something entertaining for my 9-hour flight. As an American, I didn't understand all of the topical asides that Hawks, a Brit, makes about British politics and culture. However, I still found the book quite humorous! I laughed out loud numerous times during the plane ride.
The book was especially meaningful to me, because I've been living in Eastern Europe for the past year, and I completely understand the cultural shock that Hawks experiences through My BF lent me this book so that I would have something entertaining for my 9-hour flight. The book was especially meaningful to me, because I've been living in Eastern Europe for the past year, and I completely understand the cultural shock that Hawks experiences throughout the book.
Perhaps those who have never lived in this region as a foreigner will find Hawks' adventures less amusing. That's up to you decide. I recommend this book to those looking for a breezy, comedic read for long travels - preferably while you are on crowded public transportation vehicles in Eastern Europe. Jun 25, Rebecca rated it liked it Shelves: Like back during the summer of , I bought so many books in the UK, I bought nearly all of Tony Hawks books except for some reason this one. So of course, when I saw it in the massive book pile in the hotel lobby, I had to pick it up.
Once again, another lame bet ensues. I think the reason I didn't pick this one up is because right there in the title it has two things i don't care about. I am glad I let this one sit for a few years as I was getting a little tired of near Like back during the summer of , I bought so many books in the UK, I bought nearly all of Tony Hawks books except for some reason this one.
I am glad I let this one sit for a few years as I was getting a little tired of nearly the same story that Tony always writes about. They are entertaining, but when you get down to it, they are the same thing over and over again.
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Does he win the bet? It was an interesting read about Eastern Europe from yesterdayyear and you kind of wonder how and if things have changed since then. As always, a fun and entertaining read. Dec 19, Tim Brewin rated it really liked it. This is a different book to Tony Hawks' previous book, Round Ireland With A Fridge, although it starts off in similar terms, discussing an odd bet he has undertaken.
However, this goes on to be a much more significant journey for Hawks, as he takes the chance to witness life in Eastern Europe first hand. There is far less larking around in this book than in Round Ireland with a Fridge, and somehow, this feels appropriate.
For me, this represents proof that Hawks is capable of writing a serious tra This is a different book to Tony Hawks' previous book, Round Ireland With A Fridge, although it starts off in similar terms, discussing an odd bet he has undertaken. For me, this represents proof that Hawks is capable of writing a serious travelogue, albeit disguised by a bizarre bet with a fellow stand-up comedian, and the activities Hawks has to undertake to complete the bet.
This was a very intelligent, sensitive piece of writing. Jun 19, Steve Clark rated it really liked it Shelves: I don't even know why I'm holding this at four stars, because I loved it. It does touch on serious issues and makes some thoughtful points, but never even approaches getting bogged down by taking itself too seriously.
Definitely going to be looking forward to reading his earlier book, "Round Ireland with a Fridge", which I might have read first, but this was the first one I could get my hands on. Jan 10, Jenny rated it really liked it. There were some laugh out loud moments in this book. Tony Hawks makes another drunken bet. I had never heard of Moldova before. He finds out more from his host family than he does from fulfilling the bet, beating all the Moldovan soccer players at a game of tennis.
Feb 16, Karen rated it really liked it Shelves: This guy was about to strike the ball very hard indeed. His face, a picture of concentration, was almost grimacing as his racket head made contact with the ball, and I let out a huge sigh of relief, while Iulian scurried off to retrieve the ball. Iurie's next attempt was no better. This second shot bounced several times before it reached the net. He needed to find some kind of middle ground between the two shots, but I knew this was something he'd be unlikely to achieve in the course of an afternoon.
In the coming days I was to discover that Iurie was no exception to the rule - the rule being that Moldovan footballers are crap at tennis. By the Thursday of my third week I had beaten seven Moldovan footballers and the family with whom I was staying had begun to delight in my success. Despite their initial reticence or it could have been fear they had begun to show a keen interest in my exploits and now each victory was greeted with cheers, a new bottle of Moldovan wine and a celebratory meal. Consequently they were quite taken aback when on the Friday I told them the bad news. I've tried everything but no matter what I try I just can't get two of the managers to allow me to play their players.
I'm afraid I'm four short and that's that! The family looked shocked. As shocked as they'd looked on my arrival when I'd first told them what I was intending to do. I'd been so relentlessly positive throughout my stay that seeing me so resigned to defeat was difficult for them to comprehend. Eyebrows were raised and little shrugs of the shoulders were accompanied by short bursts of Romanian which remained untranslated.
The mood was sombre.