This latest novel from Jonathan Coe is one of my favourites from him, OK - I still have What a Carve Up at the top of the list. Set, unsurprisingly in 1958, unassuming civil servant Thomas Foley is given a plum job overseeing the British stand at the Belgium Expo of, again obviously, 1958. He thinks it's because the people at the top of his department have seen his skill and flair, but unknown to him it's because he is suitable as an unwitting spy. The book is very funny, with real laugh out loud passages including some of the riduculous bureaucracy that I suspect was all true! I loved this and so will you if you enjoy good old fashioned non smutty humour.

I absolutely loved this book. Having never read anything by Jonathon Coe before, and knowing nothing about Expo 58, I began reading with no idea what to expect. However, I quickly found I loved Coe’s style; I got a real sense of satisfaction from the strikingly coherent way he tells his story. The plot follows an unsuspecting main character, Thomas, as he is summoned to Belgium to attend a world fair. Coe conjures up beautiful images of his settings as he describes places that few readers are likely to have visited. I found Thomas to be an inherently likeable main character, which meant that I was even keener to follow his story and find out what events were to befall him. My favourite aspect of this book was its humour. There are several ‘laugh-out-loud’ moments that are enhanced by their unexpectedness, as they are almost always submerged in an otherwise serious section of prose. I also found the book’s contextual factors to directly contribute to the book’s humour; Coe juxtaposes the story’s and the reader’s time settings to produce results that I found extremely amusing.

I approached this book with some trepidation as I was scared of being disappointed. 'What A Carve Up' and 'The Rotters' Club' are so good, and Jonathan Coe has set the bar so high for himself, that I questioned whether this book could possibly match up to my expectations. Well, I was misguided to have any doubts at all. 'Expo 58' is a work of genius. The characters are typically slapstick and loveable. The storyline is fast paced and contains many twists and turns. There are countless laugh out loud moments. Let's face it, no current English writer can construct a comic scene as adeptly as Coe. Yet beware, all is not as it seems. Just as the story seems at its most farcical, its most comical, Coe retains the ability to pull the rug from under your feet. There are just as many poignant and heartrending moments as there are comic ones. This book will make your belly ache with laughter and your heart ache with sorrow. Top class effort, please read this book!

I loved Jonathan Coe's Expo 58. It manages to mix humour and pathos perfectly as it tells the story of Mr Foley, a lowly civil servant, caught up in international espionage due to bumbling bureaucracy. Situations are laugh out loud funny, side characters are perfectly observed and often cleverly written clichés, but the main characters still manage to tug at your heart strings. Readers are left in a continual state of wonder as Mr Foley, "a thoroughly decent chap", does his utmost to serve his country, his own moral compass and his heart - with all three usually in conflict. Expo 58 is based on the actual Belgian World Fair, an event meant to unite the world following the Second World War by promoting cultural exchange and the need to look to the future; Jonathan Coe's characters perfectly portray the idealism and the struggle of the event and the time period. Will Mr Foley’s life be the same after Expo 58? It’s doubtful! More importantly, will the world? I’ll leave you to discover that for yourselves. A thoroughly thoroughly decent read.

Expo 58 was waiting for me to review on my recent return from holiday. What an unexpected and great pleasure this book provided, as it brought back many happy memories of my visit, with my father to Expo 58, when I was a 15 year old school boy. I hadn't read any of Jonathan Coe's books previously but having enjoyed this light hearted book with a touch of pathos at the end I intend to search out more of his books. I looked out my colour slides taken at Expo 58 with my new 35mm camera and enjoyed anew pictures of the British, Russian and American Pavilions. Sadly, I couldn't identify any of the characters in the book but I'm sure they were there just around the corner or in the Britannia, which I don't recall visiting, perhaps as I wasn't old enough to drink alcohol! The Atomium, which is so well described in the book also brought back happy memories of this great exhibition which I recall comparing with the Festival of Britain, which I also was taken to in 1951. I can imagine where Jonathan Coe thought up some of the people in the book and the situations they found themselves in. My father and I went on a three day trip which had been advertised for £25.00 each, we took off in a thunderstorm from an airfield in Kent in an old Dakota with absolutely no soundproofing, so all the passengers were provided with earplugs, which were ineffective. We stayed in Ostend and were taken by coach each day to Expo 58 and met some wonderful characters, including two men who spent the entire time visiting the bars in all the pavilions. Maybe they met up with Thomas Foley and his friends in the Britannia. It's more than possible! The book is a great relaxing and amusing read. How about the Festival of Britain as a follow up?.