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Penguin Random House

Spud - Exit, Pursued by a Bear by John Van De Ruit

Spud - Exit, Pursued by a Bear by John Van De Ruit

R 220.00 ZAR
R 220.00 ZAR
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After an unexpected and diabolical farewell breakfast conversation with his father, Spud Milton returns to boarding school for his 1993 Matric year, his last as a schoolboy. Armed with a prefects' tie and a raging libido, Spud soon discovers that being a large(ish) fish in a small pond has its fair share of challenges. He finds himself embroiled in fighting for his own room, directing a house play where both lead actors refuse to learn their lines, and assisting in Vern Blackadder's dramatic return from the dead with nothing more than a drip cord and a pair of oven gloves. Amidst mounting pressure in the classroom and on the cricket field, Spud prepares to face down the most feared and dreaded challenge of them all - finding a date for the Matric dance. In this hilarious final instalment of the Spud series JOHN VAN DE RUIT brings to a close his savagely funny blow by blow account of the agonies of growing up. The embarrassments, the thrills, the defeats, and the sheer -absurdity of daily life are wittily recorded in Spud's unique voice as he prepares to make his own exit, pursued by a bear.
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Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
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R
Reneiloe Nduna
The End

The end of a series and the end of an era of friendship for all the boys. It is a bittersweet ending when you consider it all that the camaraderie and friendship that the boys shared in high school thins out as they grow up. IT somewhat lacks the humor that the series started off with and it becomes slightly boring, but it is necessary to conclude the series.

R
Reneiloe Nduna
The End

The end of a series and the end of an era of friendship for all the boys. It is a bittersweet ending when you consider it all that the camaraderie and friendship that the boys shared in high school thins out as they grow up. IT somewhat lacks the humor that the series started off with and it becomes slightly boring, but it is necessary to conclude the series.

M
Mbali Gumede
An end of an era

Spud Milton has matriculated and vanished into his future.
Matric, with its agonies: maths, strange school rituals, The Glock, Mermaid; and its ecstasies: drama, cricket, The Guv, Mermaid; has ended. The Crazy Eight have grown up. Spud has changed over the four books - in a good way.
I enjoyed reading the fourth novel as much as any of the others. Once again, I was struck by the simple fact that the series has been so successful because the books are just about a boy dealing with the difficulties of growing up. For South Africans, that pleasure is rare. We usually have to trudge through a political mess of meaning if we want to read a local author.
Van de Ruit is also a very good writer. His comedic timing and talent is as brilliant as ever. He has polished his style, and his writing has improved with each book.
South African fiction was given a second chance when Spud was published. I am grateful that Spud Milton enriched the reading lives of so many young South Africans.
4.5/5

B
Bruce
Fitting end to a great series

Exit, Pursued by a bear is an incredible conclusion to some of the funniest but also most intimately relatable books out there. It ties up loose ends and brings Spud’s story full circle, as he comes to the end of his school career and the reader is left with the very real sensation of a weight of things to come

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