Ending up door Kingsley Amis

1.Information about the book: a.Title: Ending up
b. Author: Kingsley Amis
c. Published by: Penguin Books Inc
d. When published? 1974

2. Outline

The story goes about 5 people who live all in the same house, Tupenny-Hapenny Cottage.They all have physical problems. Marygold is one of them and she invites her grandson Trevor and his wife Tracy for Christmas. Also Rachel, Trevor’s niece and her husband Keith are invited. But before it’s Christmas the doctor comes and examinate Bernard, Adela, George, Marygold and Shorty. Marygold has been become forgetful because she wrote 2 times the same letter for her friend, George has to calm down because otherweis he gets his stroke again. Shorty gets the advice don’t to drink more than 1 bottle of wine a day and Bernard isn’t allowed at all to drink alcohol. Marygold wants to move out because Bernard has always irritating remarkes on her. Bernard promises to stop doing that but he still goes on. On Christmasmorning Trevor, Tracy, Rachel and Keith arrive. They talk about their work and Shorty plays a few songs on his piano. After dinner the grandchildren go back home. In the new year Adela goes to the garage to repaer the car. Shorty has pain at his stomach and Bernard gives him some laxative. Bernard smokes himself stoned and he graps the ladder and cut the telephone-wire off, he laughs and falls of the ladder. In the house Marygold runs up the stairs but she stumbles over Mr. Pastry’s tennisball ( Mr. Pastry is the dog of George). George heard the noise and rolls himself out of the bed and is unconscious. When Adela gets back from the garage she ses that Shorty has fallen from the toilet and lays in a puddle of brown water with blood.She also sees that Marygold has fallen of the stairs and Bernard from the ladder and George out of his bed and gets a hartattac and she also dies. Now they are all dead.

3.Explain the link between the title and the story:

At the end of the story all the people die, so all their lifes are ending up.

4.Main characters:

Bernard Bastable: He’s an old man who lives in Tupenny-Hapenny Cottage and his leg is troubling him, so he is handicapped. Adela Bastable: She’s the sister of Bernard and she is the onlyone with no phisical problems and she does the housekeeping and the shopping. Shorty: They all call him Shorty because his surname is Shortell and he’s addicted to liquor. George: George is also an old man and his right side of his body is paralysed so he stays all the time in bed. He also can’t remember the most of the names of the nouns. Marigold: She’s an old lady but she looks very well for her age but her memery isn’t very good any more.

5. What’s the genre?

It’s a noval.

6.What’s the style?

It’s very funny and often a bit insane.

7.What’s the setting of the story?

The story takes place around Christmas in the Tupenny-Hapenny Cottage.

8. Personal appreciation:

I liked the book but sometimes I asked me the question: “Where does the story leads to?”