A review by crufts
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow. I don't know what I expected from this 1957 book written in fairly wordy language, but what I got was a book that's funny, well-written, and terrifyingly accurate in its portrayal of character.

Jim Dixon is the titular character of Lucky Jim, a relentlessly unlucky academic at an English university in a world where buffoons seem to hold all the power. He's stuck trying to end his relationship with Margaret, whose unrequited dependency and manufactured dramas have been draining him for some time now, when he meets the rather independent and sensible Christine. Finding he genuinely enjoys Christine's company, Dixon must face the self-inflicted bonds tying him not only to Margaret, but to the whole ridiculous academic structure he's stuck in.

Amongst other gems, this book has:
  • Slapstick, and good slapstick at that (which is difficult to pull off in a book).
  • Possibly the best description of a hangover I've ever read.
  • A portraiture of a particular type of person (*cough*Margaret*cough*) which I'm relieved and refreshed to see so accurately depicted.

Here are a few passages to give you a taste of the book's humour:
Very slowly, like a frost giant under the axe, Dixon heeled over sideways and came to rest with his hot face on the pillow.

As the body of a decapitated hen is said to go running about the farmyard, Dixon's legs continued to perform the requisite dance-steps.

He must review his financial position, [...] somehow restore it from complete impossibility to its usual state of merely imminent disaster.

Lucky Jim has a solid recommendation from me.
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