Reviews

They Knew Mr. Knight by Dorothy Whipple

bookbuyingaddict's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

andrew61's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

When Tom Blake goes to the railway station as usual on his way to work, he prevents another man from falling, the eponymous Mr. Knight. Knight is a well-known businessman who arrives driven at the station in his rolls Royce to admiring and envious stares. Tom works in the steel factory previously owned by his family, discontented he lives a modest life with his wife Celia and 3 growing children. 
What follows is a morality tale as knight bestows his largesse on Tom so that Tom and his family rapidly rise in social circles and riches. The eventual fall is dramatic and as much a page turner as a thriller.
Dorothy Whipple draws characters and family/social situations with great skill, so the interaction of husband and wife, relationships between parents and children are compelling, and the preoccupations of teenagers and parents echo through the generations. 
Great fun and a good read.

krobart's review against another edition

4.0

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/day-859-they-knew-mr-knight/