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A review by book_concierge
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
1.0
From the book jacket: Jim Dixon had accidentally fallen into a job at one of Britain’s new red-brick universities. A moderately successful future in the History Department beckons – as long as Jim can survive a madrigal-singing weekend at Professor Welch’s, deliver a lecture on “Merrie England,” and resist Christine, the hopelessly desirable girlfriend of Welch’s son Bertrand.
My reactions
Terrible. Maybe I’m too far past my college years. Perhaps it’s the dry British humor. Or the 1950s setting and writing style (first published in 1954). But I just don’t see the humor in this. I struggled to finish and did so only because I had committed to a buddy read.
Jim’s troubles are all of his own making. He hates his job, postpones doing any real work, spends most of his time in the pub drinking, lies constantly about what he’s doing, and tries (unsuccessfully, need I say) to toady up to his boss. Meanwhile, the women – “desireable” Christine included – seem to be just waiting around for a man. I don’t see what THEY see in Jim, either!
My reactions
Terrible. Maybe I’m too far past my college years. Perhaps it’s the dry British humor. Or the 1950s setting and writing style (first published in 1954). But I just don’t see the humor in this. I struggled to finish and did so only because I had committed to a buddy read.
Jim’s troubles are all of his own making. He hates his job, postpones doing any real work, spends most of his time in the pub drinking, lies constantly about what he’s doing, and tries (unsuccessfully, need I say) to toady up to his boss. Meanwhile, the women – “desireable” Christine included – seem to be just waiting around for a man. I don’t see what THEY see in Jim, either!