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cindypager's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher.
This was a delightful read about a middle-aged office worker who's scheduled to go on holiday (what the Brits call a vacation) but things don't go quite as planned 😊
This was a delightful read about a middle-aged office worker who's scheduled to go on holiday (what the Brits call a vacation) but things don't go quite as planned 😊
mazza57's review against another edition
3.0
A light hearted book set in more innocent times where Mr Finchley, a solicitor who has never taken a holiday sets off for 3 weeks in Margate. Things go wrong from the start - op perhaps not - as Mr Finchley gets involved in a series of escapades none of which involve Margate at all. An enjoyable book with humour and likeable rogues. Ideal for undemanding holiday reading.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this gentle and funny book. Even if it was written in the '30s of last century it aged well and it's still a pleasant and entertaining read.
I loved the characters and I loved the descriptions.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Farrago and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved the characters and I loved the descriptions.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Farrago and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
booksare42's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley and Farrago in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun little read, full of an older, more gentle kind of humour. Mr. Finchley is a solicitor’s clerk who goes on a vacation for the first time in his life. He was expecting to spend his vacation relaxing in a typical vacation town but ends up on a cross-country adventure full of unexpected situations and interesting characters.
My favourite thing about this book is Mr. Finchley. I enjoyed watching him grow as a person as he discovered England. I liked that he became more confident with each situation he faced and that he kept on pushing himself to experience new things.
My only complaint about this book is that it was all repetitive. Mr. Finchley finds himself in a new situation, usually a bad one, he meets someone, and they help each other, and then he goes off on the next part of his adventure. Fortunately, the cast of characters that he met were all unique and interesting, so the repetitiveness didn’t bother me too much.
Overall, this was a fun little read. It made me laugh a few times, and it left me curious enough to want to read the second and third books. I recommend this to someone who is looking for something quick and lighthearted.
This was a fun little read, full of an older, more gentle kind of humour. Mr. Finchley is a solicitor’s clerk who goes on a vacation for the first time in his life. He was expecting to spend his vacation relaxing in a typical vacation town but ends up on a cross-country adventure full of unexpected situations and interesting characters.
My favourite thing about this book is Mr. Finchley. I enjoyed watching him grow as a person as he discovered England. I liked that he became more confident with each situation he faced and that he kept on pushing himself to experience new things.
My only complaint about this book is that it was all repetitive. Mr. Finchley finds himself in a new situation, usually a bad one, he meets someone, and they help each other, and then he goes off on the next part of his adventure. Fortunately, the cast of characters that he met were all unique and interesting, so the repetitiveness didn’t bother me too much.
Overall, this was a fun little read. It made me laugh a few times, and it left me curious enough to want to read the second and third books. I recommend this to someone who is looking for something quick and lighthearted.
bibliobabe94's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful! Takes you back to a much simpler time. Loved the adventures!
polyhy_14's review against another edition
5.0
Written in a simpler time, without internet or other electronic devices, this delightfully bucolic book is full of gentle wisdom and humour, and the descriptions of the countryside in the south west of England are beautifully written. A real joy to read, from start to finish.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
3.75
A funny, lovely story about a man who has managed to get to 45 years old without having actually lived. Forced to take a holiday he decides to go to Margate without imagining what a wild ride was waiting for him.
It's easy to read, a bit mischievous and a bit eccentric but always amusing, and with a tender feeling at the core.
A good choice for when you want some light, whimsical entertainment.
It's easy to read, a bit mischievous and a bit eccentric but always amusing, and with a tender feeling at the core.
A good choice for when you want some light, whimsical entertainment.
emerion's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ellisknox's review
2.0
An old-fashioned book and that's fine by me. I read plenty of older books. But I think comedy ages less well than other types of fiction. I get the sense from reading old reviews of Canning that folks thought these stories were uproarious, or such as would serve in 1930s England. Today, it wavers between silly and tedious.
The premise is lovely. Mr Finchley is an utterly ordinary bachelor, working in an office in London, who sets out on his first real vacation. Right at the start he somewhat unaccountably takes a nap in the back of a Bentley convertible only to discover that the Bentley has been stolen while he's asleep. Next thing he knows, he's tearing across the English countryside on the lam from the coppers.
What follows is a series of vignettes, one comedy caper after another. In each one, Finchley discovers something about himself, about his fellow man, or about English society. All the insights are more modest than profound. The descriptions of the countryside (I admit I was looking forward to those) form the tedious part. Not that they go on too long, but that they are all sort of shot from the same angle, in the same tone. As picaresque as the adventures are, they somehow all bled into one another.
I eventually came to believe that what passed for outrageous or funny or adventurous at the time of publication just doesn't ring with the same brilliance today. I enjoyed the book well enough, but I won't be following Mr Finchley on any further adventures.
The premise is lovely. Mr Finchley is an utterly ordinary bachelor, working in an office in London, who sets out on his first real vacation. Right at the start he somewhat unaccountably takes a nap in the back of a Bentley convertible only to discover that the Bentley has been stolen while he's asleep. Next thing he knows, he's tearing across the English countryside on the lam from the coppers.
What follows is a series of vignettes, one comedy caper after another. In each one, Finchley discovers something about himself, about his fellow man, or about English society. All the insights are more modest than profound. The descriptions of the countryside (I admit I was looking forward to those) form the tedious part. Not that they go on too long, but that they are all sort of shot from the same angle, in the same tone. As picaresque as the adventures are, they somehow all bled into one another.
I eventually came to believe that what passed for outrageous or funny or adventurous at the time of publication just doesn't ring with the same brilliance today. I enjoyed the book well enough, but I won't be following Mr Finchley on any further adventures.
ravenclawlibrarybooks's review
3.0
This is the first book in the Mr Finchley series that was originally published in the 1930's.
I liked this but didn't love it as I found the story quite forgottable. I do have the next two instalments on my Netgalley shelf and will definitely be picking them up.
I liked this but didn't love it as I found the story quite forgottable. I do have the next two instalments on my Netgalley shelf and will definitely be picking them up.