A review by lsoucy
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

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.”