Petra It's a year now, still in a dark place's Reviews > The Chronicles of Clovis and Other Stories

The Chronicles of Clovis and Other Stories by Saki
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it was ok
bookshelves: fiction, reviewed

I don't know if it was the pompous lugubriousness of the narrator or that was the tone of the book anyway, but I mostly found the stories unbearable in their snobbishness, misanthropy and weak humour. Maybe they are just dated and such attitudes were not only acceptable but considered funny at the time.

There were 28 stories, three days listening, and some of them I had forgotten by the time I started the next one and had to replay them in order to be sure I'd 'read' them.

I was going to say that there were some high spots but that would be exaggerating - there were some stories that were quite funny is more accurate. The branding of a breakfast cereal in Filboid Studge, the Story of a Mouse that Helped was amusing. However, Herman the Irascible - A story of the Great Weep was about as misanthropic and anti-feminist as anything I have read anywhere. The Unrest-Cure and Stampeding of Lady Bastable were a waste of time, they weren't funny at all. I could see the Unrest-Cure being a Monty Pythonesque sketch involving Nazis, upper-class twits and the possibility of Jews, and working quite well, but as a story, no.

This review is quite long enough, it was bad enough deciding I would definitely finish the book, but now that's behind me, and so is this review.
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Reading Progress

January 2, 2011 – Started Reading
January 5, 2011 – Finished Reading
January 6, 2011 – Shelved
January 6, 2011 – Shelved as: fiction
May 5, 2015 – Shelved as: reviewed

Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)

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message 1: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl I've read some Saki in anthologies and liked him - I'm glad some more is on Project Gutenberg so I don't feel at all compelled to keep going when I'm ready to put them Behind Me!


Petra It's a year now, still in a dark place I thought that A Trio of Saki, also an audiobook in the public domain was a lot better than this one. At least two of the three stories were good.


message 3: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl Yes, I saw that review too - I think for now I'll have to just put thoughts of reading more of his stuff aside as I can't decide which to read! Thanks again for helping me with good reviews and rec's.


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