Reviews

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis, David Lodge

kelseystamey's review against another edition

4.0

Humorous account of a young professor who doesn't quite fit in at his new university teaching post. The writing is unfortunately sexist at times, but the blustering, pretentious characters (foils to our laid-back protagonist) and outrageous moments of situational comedy often had me laughing out loud.

logenbarry's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

lsoucy's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Lucky Jim struck me as a witty, well-written, worthwhile reading experience with a deceptively progressive set of ethics and a refreshingly lighthearted sense of satire regarding romance, personal growth, and academic careerism. It did not strike me as the great comic novel of our times, with Jim Dixon standing tall while the likes of Arthur Less and Bertie Wooster bow in submission.  For one thing, there are many passages of not just emotional reflexion but genuine somberness, and I don’t think it at all obvious for the first half of the book whether we are to root for the protagonist’s success or not—making his tribulations somewhat ambivalent to take in, if entertaining nonetheless. But I can imagine how these considerations dwindle in the memory as time passes, especially since the excellent ending sequences of the novel’s plots are very clever, even symphonic.

I guffawed twice, both at metaphors; one, “A sudden douche of terror then squirted itself all over Dixon.”

emotionalshock's review against another edition

Wasn't for me. It was a bit boring for me.

leowilko's review against another edition

Too many characters to keep track of, and couldn't really get hooked on the story. Not as funny as I expected it to be

maddycarter's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

stjernesvarme's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Nearly anybody should be able to relate to Jim Dixon, since we are all, to some extent, putting on a show for the benefit of others (and, since we care about our place in the world, ourselves).

rltinha's review against another edition

 Este livro do Amis pai foi um conforto leitor por estes dias de barbárie e cornice genocida. Um escapismo delicioso sob a forma do romance académico mais hilariante que li desde «A Troca» de David Lodge.
A conferência e a corrida para a estação, ambos no epílogo, deixaram-me sem ar, de tanto rir.
O preço do livro traduzido era uma oferta irrecusável, mas bem me arrependo de ter cedido ao argumento pecuniário. A tradução tem momentos muito infelizes. 

mfmurray11's review against another edition

lighthearted tense slow-paced

3.25

227jamesward's review

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25