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A review by mat_tobin
Ordinary Jack: Being the First Part of the Bagthorpe Saga by Helen Cresswell
5.0
One of the ten books in the Bagthorpe Saga, Ordinary Jack was my first foray into the work of Helen Cresswell (who has over 100 titles under her belt). Never have I laughed so much in reading any book (and I have read a lot of funntybooks): the anarchic lifestyle of the Bagthorpe family ( based upon the author's own family) is as horrifying as it is wholly entertaining.
Poor Jack is surrounded by savant-esque siblings and parents. As the youngest, he feels that there are no specialisms or skill left for him to excel at and, anyway, he's not quite that sort of person. He's more interested in his dog and comics than reading Voltaire or playing the violin. But when the rather wily Uncle Parker notices the injustice in his nephew's standing, he proposes a plan that will Jack appear from from ordinary.
I don't think I can celebrate enough the comedy in this book. Although the plot was thin on the ground, its function was to allow space for the characters to flourish and flex and they do this in huge spades. The whole book felt as it had once been a script of Mr. Bagthorpe's writing, translated into a novel format. Utterly wonderful.
Poor Jack is surrounded by savant-esque siblings and parents. As the youngest, he feels that there are no specialisms or skill left for him to excel at and, anyway, he's not quite that sort of person. He's more interested in his dog and comics than reading Voltaire or playing the violin. But when the rather wily Uncle Parker notices the injustice in his nephew's standing, he proposes a plan that will Jack appear from from ordinary.
I don't think I can celebrate enough the comedy in this book. Although the plot was thin on the ground, its function was to allow space for the characters to flourish and flex and they do this in huge spades. The whole book felt as it had once been a script of Mr. Bagthorpe's writing, translated into a novel format. Utterly wonderful.