I needed a pick-up, and I saw 'High Society' on a shelf in the QPAC green room, I picked it up.
Ben Elton tackles the issue of drug legalisation in this tragi-comedy, set in millennial London. From politician Paget, who's trying to legalise drugs with his Labour Party in power, to pop star Hanson, who is coked out of his mind, but still wants to help others, to the lowly drug mules, addicts and prostitutes, Elton weaves a tale, which is achingly funny but also poignant. It is a morality tale, and does use cliches like the lying cheating politician, but it's quite Shakespearean in places, like Hanson's Alcoholics Anonymous monologues.
It was a little predictable, but I found myself laughing out loud, trying to laugh quieter to not wake others up. It would make a great film, or theatre show.

Quite enjoyable, great interlinking stories. I could very much imagine a stage play which isnt criticism.

The pace is good and characters have real depth. It's a good example of how to build up multiple stories with a grand conclusion.

Must read for anyone who is looking for a solution for our society

I do think that the 'war on drugs' is being lost, and the intelligent alternative could be legalization. Elton asks that question but does so in an entertaining and clever way.

The stories were entertaining enough but every character was just so hateable.

Absolutely awful. Most of it is written in direct speech and, worse, in cringeworthy regional accents. It's all so tired: a Scottish junkie? Yes, we all saw Trainspotting six years prior to publication. A lairy, hedonistic, hopelessly addicted pop star? Yes, that's what heat magazine is for. A lying scumbag politician giving his secretary one? Ooh, what a surprise. The only part I liked was when said politician's precocious daughter got made a complete tit of. Any relevant points Elton was making were obliterated by the fact of it being utter crap.

Ben Elton creates a bunch of intriguing and troubled characters in this very smartly written story. Peter Paget, a backbencher in London politics, ends up centre stage when he asserts to create a bill decriminalizing all drugs.

The character, Jessie, a seventeen-year-old Scottish prostitute, is addicted to drugs. She has a brilliantly written dialect (I thought a lot while reading it, if Elton had to do much mental shifting to make this character work).

Tommy Hanson's turbulent and drug-addled fame as a pop singer, is brought crashing down after a single night out. His run-in and confiding in Jessie leads Hanson to realise how completely artificial his lifestyle is. He is determined to hang onto Jessie.

Неплохо. У Чонишвили роскошный голос, но возможно ему не стоит изображать британские акценты на русском.

I've read Johan Hari's Chasing the Scream so am familiar with the argument for ending the lost war on drugs and this book cavers lots of that ground through it's fictional characters. A fun, quick and thoughtful read.

A parody of drug taking behaviours, the fickleness of modern media and public opinion. Makes for some uncomfortable reading matter. Not one of Elton's best works.

Забавная книга, понравилось. Чонишвили хорошо прочитал.

I think Ben Elton is a master of writing dramedies. And I love dramedies; they're sort of perfect.

They have the potential to deliver very serious messages but they don't take themselves too seriously. You laugh and then you cry.

One minute, you're hating a character's guts and the next, you're cheering for them.

That's how I felt while reading this anyway.