bhan13's review against another edition
5.0
A familiarity with Edwardian England and Victorian literature increases enjoyment of this book *a lot* because of the constant references, I am reading this aloud to others and sometimes we're laughing so hard we're crying. We all adore Reginald although he is so terrible it would be hard to have him in the house.
It's hard to pick just a few epigrams because Munro is such a master, I wish I could just copy out 'Reginald on House-Parties' and 'Reginald's Peace Poem' in their entirety.
........
Waldo is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death.
..‘The Feast of Nemesis’
Reginald sat in a corner of the Princess’s salon and tried to forgive the furniture, which started out with an obvious intention of being Louis Quinze, but relapsed at frequent intervals into Wilhelm II.
..‘Reginald in Russia’
Reginald closed his eyes with the elaborate weariness of one who has rather nice eyelashes and thinks it useless to conceal the fact.
..‘Reginald’s Drama’
Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people.
..‘Reginald at the Carlton’
Reginald in his wildest lapses into veracity never admits to being more than twenty-two.
..‘Reginald’
We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart.
..'The Unbearable Bassington', ch. 13 (1912)
It's hard to pick just a few epigrams because Munro is such a master, I wish I could just copy out 'Reginald on House-Parties' and 'Reginald's Peace Poem' in their entirety.
........
Waldo is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death.
..‘The Feast of Nemesis’
Reginald sat in a corner of the Princess’s salon and tried to forgive the furniture, which started out with an obvious intention of being Louis Quinze, but relapsed at frequent intervals into Wilhelm II.
..‘Reginald in Russia’
Reginald closed his eyes with the elaborate weariness of one who has rather nice eyelashes and thinks it useless to conceal the fact.
..‘Reginald’s Drama’
Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people.
..‘Reginald at the Carlton’
Reginald in his wildest lapses into veracity never admits to being more than twenty-two.
..‘Reginald’
We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart.
..'The Unbearable Bassington', ch. 13 (1912)
bookish_letty's review against another edition
3.0
This collection of short stories, or rather sketches, is an entertaining read, very Wilde-like in its biting humour satirizing the upper-class society of pre-WWI London. Yet, the light tone can be quite deceiving as hints at the looming war and international conflicts permeate the stories (the second Boer war, the situation in the Balkans and France are evoked), which may be explained by the fact Saki (a.k.a Hector Hugh Munro) spent the first decade of the 20th century as a foreign correspondent.
I both read the book and listened to the audio recording, read by Richard Crowest. The conceited, old-fashioned voice put on by the performer perfectly suits the ambience. However, it might get a little annoying, just like the stories themselves can feel unnecessarily contrived at times.
I both read the book and listened to the audio recording, read by Richard Crowest. The conceited, old-fashioned voice put on by the performer perfectly suits the ambience. However, it might get a little annoying, just like the stories themselves can feel unnecessarily contrived at times.
kite's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
More...