by George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith
I found this book on a "one hundred books you must read" list and since I had nothing pressing in my stack 'o books I downloaded it (free). I have to give The Diary of a Nobody a mixed review because although I did find it humorous, I also never felt compelled to keep reading. The book is less than 200 pages and it took me a week to get finished!
This book is exactly as the title states; a diary of nobody. It is a very dry-witted satire on so many journals of lives published in the late 1800's (or today). The story is merely diary entries of a middle-class, middle management man tied to the social bounds of his time. Mr. Pooter gives great details of his regular life with a grown son who seems unambitious to his father, a loving and doting wife, a boss he admires and his two eccentric friends (Cummings and Gowin). While Pooter claims he is humorless, his diary is filled with jokes and antics of his slips down the ladder of success. The names of the characters throughout also play to the book's wit.
All that being said, the diary never seemed to hold my attention. There seemed to be nothing driving a story line and providing incentive to get to the end. Those of you with a dry humor will enjoy this book, but I'm not sure I'd add it to my top 100 read list.
This book is exactly as the title states; a diary of nobody. It is a very dry-witted satire on so many journals of lives published in the late 1800's (or today). The story is merely diary entries of a middle-class, middle management man tied to the social bounds of his time. Mr. Pooter gives great details of his regular life with a grown son who seems unambitious to his father, a loving and doting wife, a boss he admires and his two eccentric friends (Cummings and Gowin). While Pooter claims he is humorless, his diary is filled with jokes and antics of his slips down the ladder of success. The names of the characters throughout also play to the book's wit.
All that being said, the diary never seemed to hold my attention. There seemed to be nothing driving a story line and providing incentive to get to the end. Those of you with a dry humor will enjoy this book, but I'm not sure I'd add it to my top 100 read list.
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