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lgpiper's review against another edition
I chose this because of a reference to it in The Island of Sheep. I got off to a bad start with it and gave up fairly quickly. However, after reading some blurbs, I went back, after reading Miss Pym Disposes to see if things improved. Nope, this book stinks. It's supposed to be humorous, but it's stuffy and boring.
dmturner's review against another edition
3.0
A farce co-written by R.L. Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne, this comedy of a concealed body is hectic, improbable, dated, and intermittently funny.
jenniebooknerd's review against another edition
Actually read adaptation by Josephone Ohayon but that wasn't listed.
wickedplutoswickedreading's review against another edition
4.0
This was so odd. I have to admit, at points I wasn't 100% sure what was being set up here but it was pretty brilliant. And pretty hilarious too.
I very much enjoyed this!
I very much enjoyed this!
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
Body, body--Who's got the body?!
The Wrong Box (1889) is a hilarious mystery spoof by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne. It revolves around Masterson and Joseph Finsbury, two brothers who are the last surviving beneficiaries of a tontine. A tontine is a rather diabolical "investment" scheme--subscribers pay into a fund that is then invested for the lifetime of the participants. It is a winner-take-all scheme meaning that the only one to benefit is the last man or woman standing. This, of course, puts all sorts of temptation in the way of the participants (and/or their heirs)--especially once the numbers start to dwindle naturally. I, mean, after all if you have to live to be 100 in order to outlive the competition just how much are you going to be able to enjoy the spoils? And one's sons or nephews might also think it a good idea to shuffle the competition (and you--last, of course) off the playing field so they have an opportunity to enjoy it for you.
Michael Finsbury is Masterson's son. He is a successful lawyer who isn't afraid to skate a little close to the wind if necessary to get a client off and win a case. Morris and John Finsbury are nephews (and wards) of Joseph. Because Joseph was not the best of businessmen and managed to fritter away what little money he held in trust for his nephews, Morris has gotten the old man to sign over his winnings from the tontine (should he outlast Masterson). So--more than ever, Morris spends his days watching over dear Uncle Joseph just to be sure that he doesn't catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and leads to death before tontine.
He also has a vague feeling that his Uncle Masterson is really dead and Michael is just pretending the old boy is still alive and kicking while he waits for Joseph to keel over. Once that happens, he [Michael] will produce a "tame doctor" who will verify Masterson's death (after Joseph's) and Michael will scoop the pot. This must be avoided at all costs.
Morris decides that the best plan would be to head to the country with Uncle Joseph and keep him all cozy at the seaside where he can breathe the lovely country air and be just as healthy as can be. Plans go awry when there is a train smash-up and an elderly dead body is found in the rubble--with bruised face and wearing what seems to be Uncle Joseph's coat. Morris and John are in despair--there goes their inheritance! So they decide to stash the body in an out-of-the-way cottage until Morris comes up with a plan to ship uncle's body to himself in a huge barrel. The barrel gets mislabeled and the body winds up going on an unexpected journey--from barrel to packing crate to piano and back again. Who has the body? And is Uncle Joseph really dead? Is Uncle Masterson really dead? Who is going to inherit all that money?
This is an absolutely delightful story--the black comedy is a little unexpected from Stevenson, but it is hilarious. Watching Morris drive himself quietly crazy as he tries to outsmart Michael and track down his missing uncle is great fun. Who would have thought that the most prominent and interesting character in a book would be a dead man who won't sit still long enough for you to get a really good look at him? Not that the other characters aren't interesting, they are. Stevenson always provides great characters and those in The Wrong Box meet his standards. Highly recommended.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The Wrong Box (1889) is a hilarious mystery spoof by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne. It revolves around Masterson and Joseph Finsbury, two brothers who are the last surviving beneficiaries of a tontine. A tontine is a rather diabolical "investment" scheme--subscribers pay into a fund that is then invested for the lifetime of the participants. It is a winner-take-all scheme meaning that the only one to benefit is the last man or woman standing. This, of course, puts all sorts of temptation in the way of the participants (and/or their heirs)--especially once the numbers start to dwindle naturally. I, mean, after all if you have to live to be 100 in order to outlive the competition just how much are you going to be able to enjoy the spoils? And one's sons or nephews might also think it a good idea to shuffle the competition (and you--last, of course) off the playing field so they have an opportunity to enjoy it for you.
Michael Finsbury is Masterson's son. He is a successful lawyer who isn't afraid to skate a little close to the wind if necessary to get a client off and win a case. Morris and John Finsbury are nephews (and wards) of Joseph. Because Joseph was not the best of businessmen and managed to fritter away what little money he held in trust for his nephews, Morris has gotten the old man to sign over his winnings from the tontine (should he outlast Masterson). So--more than ever, Morris spends his days watching over dear Uncle Joseph just to be sure that he doesn't catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and leads to death before tontine.
He also has a vague feeling that his Uncle Masterson is really dead and Michael is just pretending the old boy is still alive and kicking while he waits for Joseph to keel over. Once that happens, he [Michael] will produce a "tame doctor" who will verify Masterson's death (after Joseph's) and Michael will scoop the pot. This must be avoided at all costs.
Morris decides that the best plan would be to head to the country with Uncle Joseph and keep him all cozy at the seaside where he can breathe the lovely country air and be just as healthy as can be. Plans go awry when there is a train smash-up and an elderly dead body is found in the rubble--with bruised face and wearing what seems to be Uncle Joseph's coat. Morris and John are in despair--there goes their inheritance! So they decide to stash the body in an out-of-the-way cottage until Morris comes up with a plan to ship uncle's body to himself in a huge barrel. The barrel gets mislabeled and the body winds up going on an unexpected journey--from barrel to packing crate to piano and back again. Who has the body? And is Uncle Joseph really dead? Is Uncle Masterson really dead? Who is going to inherit all that money?
This is an absolutely delightful story--the black comedy is a little unexpected from Stevenson, but it is hilarious. Watching Morris drive himself quietly crazy as he tries to outsmart Michael and track down his missing uncle is great fun. Who would have thought that the most prominent and interesting character in a book would be a dead man who won't sit still long enough for you to get a really good look at him? Not that the other characters aren't interesting, they are. Stevenson always provides great characters and those in The Wrong Box meet his standards. Highly recommended.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
bookmarkhoarder's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
5.0
This book is hilarious! I didn't know that Stevenson could write like this, since most of his stuff can be rather dark and dreary.
This mystery spoof is one ridiculous circumstance after another. The characters are all running circles around each other! There are far too many uncles. Why does everyone and their mother have an uncle waiting in the wings of every scene? haha! Every character seems to be of rather questionable moral integrity but basically respectable and decent until a corpse appears in their parlor.
The same corpse keeps getting lost, and the disguises and mistaken identities certainly keep things humming. I love that from start to finish, we don't see a single policeman or detective. The dialogue is snappy and ... oh, the whole thing is just wild! haha! It reminds me a lot of P.G. Wodehouse's funny books.
This mystery spoof is one ridiculous circumstance after another. The characters are all running circles around each other! There are far too many uncles. Why does everyone and their mother have an uncle waiting in the wings of every scene? haha! Every character seems to be of rather questionable moral integrity but basically respectable and decent until a corpse appears in their parlor.
The same corpse keeps getting lost, and the disguises and mistaken identities certainly keep things humming. I love that from start to finish, we don't see a single policeman or detective. The dialogue is snappy and ... oh, the whole thing is just wild! haha! It reminds me a lot of P.G. Wodehouse's funny books.
msand3's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars. This Victorian-era Weekend at Bernie’s is a dreadful piece of fluff from RLS. I guess I can’t blame him, as it was actually written by his teenage stepson, and he just “revised” it as a quick cash-grab during his burgeoning popularity. The absurd plot is farcical in all the worst ways: unbelievable, unnecessarily complex, and without any redeeming value beyond its entertainment. Sadly, the novel has not aged well in that final regard. Skip it, unless you’re an RLS fan. And even then, you may want to save this one until you’ve read deeper into his catalogue.
shellys's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of the complex mixups of Shakespeare or Wodehouse. I thoroughly enjoyed it.