James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
After her two previous non-fiction works Love 16 and Once More With Feeling, I felt confident that Victoria Coren’s book on her beloved poker would be likely to please, and it was. Offering characters such as Huck Seed or a pre-office Ricky Gervais, For Richer For Poorer is a mixture of autobiography, poker history, underground stories, popular myth and the rise of celebrity. Although that sounds difficult to pull off Victoria Coren manages to do it organically moving from playing poker with her brother to her first time at the Vic through love affairs with the Hendon Mob and the introduction of televised poker.
Stories of a drunken Martin Amis playing £100 a board Scrabble and overnight trips to the British Riviera combine with broken promises and lost friends along the way. Victoria Coren’s depiction of the world of poker is one of deep respect for the people within it as the book’s title implies for richer for poorer, for better for worse; poker is a game that you play with your friends although you never hesitate to take all of their chips if it means clearing the path and strengthening your position. Featuring cameos from Ben Affleck through to Stephen Fry and a confrontation with Keith Allen, For Richer For Poorer will make you fear, respect, and ultimately envy Victoria Coren.
Her quick quips and love of poker will keep any reader entertained while defending both poker’s integrity and the seedy characters that know its circuit. Wonderfully the writing manages to portray something that is neither a hobby, nor an addiction, nor a job but instead a way of life that is both healthy and gainful. Featuring a Hollywood plot about the girl who spends her early adulthood trying to gain her parents support while suffering heartbreak and cash loss alongside lasting and developing friendships For Richer For Poorer is an essential book on one of the most profitable and popular sports around.
Victoria Coren is a poker writer for the Guardian and a regular columnist for The Observer as well as presenting TV quiz show Only Connect. She is the sister of Times columnist/food critic and frozen pea enthusiast Giles Coren and the daughter of late humourist and Call My Bluff panellist Alan Coren.
If you want more poker fuelled fun after this I suggest any of the books that Victoria Coren so consistently acclaims in this book or if you're feeling like sharing why not try Ocean's Eleven or My Blueberry Nights?
Next week: Nomadism
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