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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3752243.html
I have been curious about this book since I was ten. In the summer of 1977, Roy Castle did a series of children's programmes for the BBC on musicals, two of which particularly stuck with me: Salad Days, which had had a revival the previous year, and the last in the series, The History of Mr Polly. At the end of each episode, which was a synopsis of the plot with a few of the songs being performed, Roy Castle would tell us the production history of each musical's performances, except that in the case of Mr Polly, "There's only been one". Rather than in the West End, this was at the newly opened Churchill Theatre in Bromley, H.G. Wells' home town, starring Roy Castle himself in the title role and with some impressive firepower - script by (Lord) Ted Willis, music co-written by Ivor Slaney who did most of the Double Deckers music, directed by veteran TV director Wallace Douglas. But I don't think any of it survives beyond the printed programme leaflet, and apart from its being Wells' birthplace, Bromley, with all due respect, is an odd location for a stage show starring Roy Castle, then at the height of his powers.
Anyway, forty-four years on, I got the original novel. And I must say I was captivated. Very briefly, Mr Polly is a middle-class chap who makes bad choices in terms of career and marriage. At the start of the book he is consumed by frustration at his situation, and we spend the next few chapters exploring how precisely he got to where he is. He determines to burn down his own shop and commit suicide as it falls around him. But that does not go entirely according to plan, and he undergoes an improbable but really delightful redemption. I don't completely recommend it - I think Wells is laughing at his protagonist's pretensions a bit too much for my comfort - but I like this a lot more than Tono-Bungay, which is my only other non-sf Wells so far.
I have been curious about this book since I was ten. In the summer of 1977, Roy Castle did a series of children's programmes for the BBC on musicals, two of which particularly stuck with me: Salad Days, which had had a revival the previous year, and the last in the series, The History of Mr Polly. At the end of each episode, which was a synopsis of the plot with a few of the songs being performed, Roy Castle would tell us the production history of each musical's performances, except that in the case of Mr Polly, "There's only been one". Rather than in the West End, this was at the newly opened Churchill Theatre in Bromley, H.G. Wells' home town, starring Roy Castle himself in the title role and with some impressive firepower - script by (Lord) Ted Willis, music co-written by Ivor Slaney who did most of the Double Deckers music, directed by veteran TV director Wallace Douglas. But I don't think any of it survives beyond the printed programme leaflet, and apart from its being Wells' birthplace, Bromley, with all due respect, is an odd location for a stage show starring Roy Castle, then at the height of his powers.
Anyway, forty-four years on, I got the original novel. And I must say I was captivated. Very briefly, Mr Polly is a middle-class chap who makes bad choices in terms of career and marriage. At the start of the book he is consumed by frustration at his situation, and we spend the next few chapters exploring how precisely he got to where he is. He determines to burn down his own shop and commit suicide as it falls around him. But that does not go entirely according to plan, and he undergoes an improbable but really delightful redemption. I don't completely recommend it - I think Wells is laughing at his protagonist's pretensions a bit too much for my comfort - but I like this a lot more than Tono-Bungay, which is my only other non-sf Wells so far.
The boring little life of a boring little man...
The story wasn’t bad, and was occasionally funny, but I didn’t find it overly interesting to read. I enjoyed the second half more than the first, as nothing much really happened in the first half. There were also quite a few typing errors in the book for some reason.
The story wasn’t bad, and was occasionally funny, but I didn’t find it overly interesting to read. I enjoyed the second half more than the first, as nothing much really happened in the first half. There were also quite a few typing errors in the book for some reason.
A great novel with a bit of a slow start. I really wasn’t sure what I expected from a turn of the century novel about a man on his forties, but it turned out more exciting and interesting than one could guess. This story is filled with interesting characters, stories, and twists. If you can get passed the methodical method of writing employed by Wells, I think you’ll enjoy it!
This was the companion book to Warm Vellum Books’ October choice for me (the other was The Darling Buds of May) and it’s definitely an interesting one.
I’ve never read any H.G. Wells before, so I had no preconceptions of what this might be like. It’d be overstating it to say that I enjoyed it; for quite a small book, it was a bit of a slog. It probably didn’t help that the typeface was tiny.
The book itself does as it says- it tells the story of a man who is a bit of an Everyman. Most of his life is spent muddling through, with one or two extraordinary incidences (a fire he sets himself ends with Mr Polly being hailed as a hero; he later fights off a scallywag with a range of ever-increasingly bizarre methods) and he often questions what he’s doing with his life.
I found it quite interesting that a lot of the novel was based on Wells’ own early life, but I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. Polly himself is a pompous ass for most of the book and he makes up words in that way that some people who think they’re cleverer than they often are do. It took a while to get used to! Not my favourite book of the year!
I’ve never read any H.G. Wells before, so I had no preconceptions of what this might be like. It’d be overstating it to say that I enjoyed it; for quite a small book, it was a bit of a slog. It probably didn’t help that the typeface was tiny.
The book itself does as it says- it tells the story of a man who is a bit of an Everyman. Most of his life is spent muddling through, with one or two extraordinary incidences (a fire he sets himself ends with Mr Polly being hailed as a hero; he later fights off a scallywag with a range of ever-increasingly bizarre methods) and he often questions what he’s doing with his life.
I found it quite interesting that a lot of the novel was based on Wells’ own early life, but I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. Polly himself is a pompous ass for most of the book and he makes up words in that way that some people who think they’re cleverer than they often are do. It took a while to get used to! Not my favourite book of the year!
maybe 3.7 so i will round up to the nearest whole number
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had fond memories of finding the film funny as a child/teenager and although reading the book as an adult is not at all the same, it did not disappoint. Humorous in places and a good bit of social history thrown in.
Apart from the unnecessary social commentary interventions by Wells, this was an enjoyable, lightly comic novel.