Mr Phillips is one of those great reads that benefits from being read slowly. John Lanchester made me smile numerous times with his thought-provoking descriptions, his throwaway one-liners and the emerging character traits of his principal character. I was nearly put off by some of the negative reviews posted here - I'm genuinely delighted that I followed my initial instincts and gave this one a chance. A tremendous read for lovers of the langauge.

Not one of the better books I've chosen to read. Written in a similar style to McEwan's Saturday about the day in the life of its central character. Unlike Henry Perowne, Mr Phillips has just lost his job and is too timid to face up to the reality of explaining this to his wife. Instead, faking a day in the office, he wonders around parts of London in the company of his own lechery.