lbrex 's review for:

The History of Mr. Polly by H.G. Wells

5.0

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-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

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This is one of my favorite Wells novels so far, as it tells the story of someone who really makes a mess of his life and then, through his efforts, dumb luck, and some contrivances, figures out how to get himself out of the mess. Despite being entirely confined to small portion of the UK, the novel feels like a vast, picaresque work that shows the limited possibilities available to those who were part of the lower middle-class at the end of the nineteenth century and start of the twentieth. Most fans of British novels will enjoy this--it's incredibly hard to dislike this book.