Thorne Smith Books

Topper is a fun story with several interesting sides. First and foremost, it has been credited with "inventing" the American Ghost. The book deserves a great deal of credit for this alone.

It is also the story of a man in what we might refer to as "midlife crises" today. Bored with his respectable existence, he has fun and takes solace in a holiday outside of his behavioral norms. He has middle aged man thoughts- about his wife and a younger attractive ghost woman, that are realistic (to the extent of the propriety of the author) and enlightening. A true triumph of the work, however, is that it does this without becoming so maudlin that it is suitable for an English class.

Finally, it is a comedic book, that is entertaining and worth reading.

I recommend this book, but the reader needs to be prepared to judge it in the context of its day- and from that perspective it is truly remarkable.

and i very liked the show too !!. i remember seeing this book in the private collection of a professor at the university i worked at. so i took it home without his knowledge and read it. it was a very good read. light hearted but with a pleasant sadness.

I loved this book the first time I read it. This time it was less charming, though still fun. It all begins when Cosmo Topper, the epitome of Humdrum Life buys a car -- and discovers too late that it is haunted. Yes, haunted, and by outrageously adventuresome ghosts as well. Ghosts that drag poor Cosmo from one scrape to another and convert his Humdrum to Mayhem. Great Fun!

Having never heard of the movie, my initial attraction to this book was actually the cover art. Though there really isn't a date given, I pictured it perhaps in the early 1920's, though the depiction of the automobile as some kind of strange novelty probably sets it in the early 1910's.

Perhaps it's a reflection on myself, but I enjoy stories about ordinary people who are stuck in a rut or who have lived their lives having never followed their dreams and who are given one last chance to shine.

The characters and antics are outrageous, yet likable in a strange way. And the story reads pretty quickly.

While reading this book, I pictured elements of the 20's, 50's, and 80's. In fact, I think they should re-make a movie of this book and set it in a "timeless" setting.

Overall, if you're not prejudiced against reading a book written in the 1920's, I'd recommend it.

'Topper' is best known perhaps from the Cary Grant movie version. It's a good movie but I like the book even better. The characters delight, particularly in terms of Cosmo's retaining his decorum, in the warmth of Marion's dead-but-still-sexy presence. Anyone who enjoys humourous novels has to put this one on their reading list. Few recent humour novels are as funny as this classic from decades past, but there is one I know of, entitled 'Rastus Reilly', and I recommend that book as well.

Anthony Trollope is a favorite author of mine, and this audio CD version of Framley Parsonage, read by Simon Vance, is well worth the investment. Deft use of language and a keen sense of human motivation, time, and place characterize all Trollope's writing, and those who enjoy period literature will be more than satisfied with this book. It starts slowly, as Trollope's stories often do, but once the background information is given, there are many interesting social, political, financial, and romantic plot developments to engage the reader and listener. Simon Vance's reading is superb, as always. The only caveat is that his rendering of the voice and character of young women is not as good as his pitch, tone, and inflection when narrating the voices of mature women and all men. His skill in rendering different dialects for different social classes and geographical regions is matchless. By all means, listen to this book.

In this novel we find one Mark Robarts, clergyman and parson of Framley. He is an ambitious young man desirous of rising in society. He is friends since childhood with Lord Lufton who makes an unfortunate introduction in the person of Sowerby who seduces poor Mark into signing his name to a debt which the parson cannot afford.

Mark Robarts's father passes away early on and his sister Lucy joins Mark and his wife at Framley Parsonage where Lord Lufton falls in love with her. Two more couples form and while I won't reveal how any of these relationships work out it wouldn't really matter if I did. Trollope's plots usually vary from bad to good but they are hardly ever of any importance anyway. What is important in a Trollope novel isn't what the plot is or how it concludes, it's how it works itself out and how Trollope paints his characters.

The characters in Framley Parsonage are a little whiter and blacker than those of the previous novels in the Barsetshire series. Sowerby is by far and away the blackest and Trollope was so effective in painting him black that towards the end he clumsily appeals directly to the reader and assures us Sowerby isn't really as bad a fellow as he seems.

Dr. Thorne and his niece Mary Gresham appear (from Doctor Thorne) as do the Grantlys and the Proudies (from Barchester Towers). Lucy Robarts is a fascinating woman even more headstrong here than Mary Gresham was in Doctor Thorne, but my favourite character in this novel is Lady Lufton. She opposes her son's desire to court and marry Lucy but does so politely and with consideration. At the same time, Lucy behaves in way Lady Lufton can only find irreproachable. So of course, not having anything with which to reproach Lucy, Lady Lufton has nothing with which to oppose her son's suit. And yet she does. How will this three-sided battle of wills, pitting Lord Lufton against his mother against Lucy against her suitor, resolve itself?

Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Let's just say that Lady Lufton has painted herself into a corner and let us leave it at that.

All in all, another fine example of Trollope's mastery of moral calculus.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin

Framley Parsonage is the fourth in Trollope's Barsetshire novels. Trollope (1815-1882) wrote the novel as a serial in the influential Cornhill magazine in 186-61, This novel along with the others in the series: The Warden; Dr. Thorne, The Small House at Allington, Barchester Towers and the Last Chronicle of Barset is a delightful return to mid-Victorian middle class society in a rural mythical county named Barsetshire.
In this long novel of over 600 pages there are several stories. The main character is the Rev. Mark Robarts, a
doctor's son, who at a young age becomes the vicar of Framley Parsonage. He has children and a kind wife Fanny. Mark has visions of grandeur in his head. He lends money to the unscrupulous Member of Parliament Mr. Sowerby. As a result of this fatuity Mark falls into debt. His friends rally to his aid.
Mark's sister Lucy Robarts is novel's heroine. She falls in love with the wealthy Lord Lufton who lives at Eustace Court with his formidable mother Lady Lufton. Lady Lufton wants her son Ludovic to wed Griselda Grantley the statuesque but dull as dishwater and cold as a cucumber daughter of Archdeacon Grantley. Lufton is torn between these two women. We see Lady Lufton overcome her prejudice against Lucy. Lucy is a kind girl who minister to the family of the poor clergyman Josiah Crawley. She wins over the heart of Lady Lufton and the reader.
Secondary plots concern the midlife romance of Miss Dunstable and good Doctor Thorne. Olivia Proudie daughter of the fussy busybody and scold Mrs. Proudie and the uxorious Bishop Proudie weds a clergyman Mr. Tickler who is a widower. Griselda Grantley is courted by the stupid Lord Dumbello who possesses a name and title to the Hartletop lands and fortune. Will she win Lord Lufton or choose Dumbello?
All's well that ends well in this classic Trollopian tale. Long before Jan Karon, Anthony Trollope wrote humorous, moving and plot driven tales of the lives of the clergy dealing with real life problems, romance and challenges. In my opinion, an Anthony Trollope novel is a good way to spend a quiet evening before the fireplace. Enjoy this wonderful author and the world he created.

I'm reading the Barset series in order and have not been disappointed yet. Framley Parsonage is substantive, richer than The Warden, more serious than Barchester Towers, similar in much to Doctor Thorne, and slightly more intricate than DT. I enjoyed the introduction of a healthy dose of political gamesmanship in the form of descriptions of the parliamentary machinations and electioneering strategies. One also learns how to conduct financial shennanigans with horses, farmland, and public forests. The characters in FP are textured and almost always believable; there's only a few caricatures here. As always, the Everyman's edition is accompanied by a lucid introduction and helpful timetable.

The fourth of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, Framley Parsonage (1861) is a gentle novel filled with memorable characters, including many characters from The Warden, Barchester Towers, and Dr. Thorne. Mark Robarts, a young vicar with a devoted wife, has a comfortable situation at Framley Parsonage on the estate of the indomitable Lady Lufton. Her son, now Lord Lufton, had been a friend of Mark Robarts at school, and it was their friendship which resulted in Mark's position. Mark, though conscientious in his duties and grateful for his situation, is ambitious, however, anxious to expand his horizons beyond Framley.

Lady Lufton, who rules with an iron hand, is appalled when Mark decides to spend a weekend with a "fast" crowd, one which he believes can advance his career. Young and naïve, he becomes the dupe of an aristocratic "con-man," an MP named Nathaniel Sowerby, who persuades him to help him out of a financial jam by signing a note for five hundred pounds (more than half Robarts's yearly salary), allowing Sowerby to draw funds on Robarts's name. Though Sowerby swears he will resolve the problem within weeks, he needs an additional four hundred pounds when the note comes due.

In the meantime, Robarts's sister Lucy arrives at Framley Parsonage upon the death of their father. Lucy, a sweet ingénue in mourning, soon comes to the attention of Lord Lufton, who is fascinated by her naivete, a marked contrast with the women he has known to date. Though Lady Lufton has much more "significant" matrimonial prospects in mind for her son, the courtship begins, and though Lucy declines Lord Lufton's initial proposal, she remains in love with him. As Robarts's financial miseries become more pressing, and as Lucy's misery at having turned down Lord Lufton increases, the scene is set for a final showdown.

Numerous peripheral characters, many of them known to readers of the series, add to the drama of the primary action. The implacable dowager Lady Lufton, wishing to maintain her family's social position, staunchly opposes the Duke's relationship with Lucy Robarts, pushing Griselda Grantly, daughter of Archdeacon Grantly, as the Duke's suitor. The competition between the (Archdeacon) Grantlys and the (Bishop) Proudies for suitors for their daughters adds great comic relief to the story, and the internecine manipulations among the clergy provide gentle satire in a novel which seems to be remarkably domestic in its focus.

Trollope provides a full picture of Victorian life, representing many aspects of society, and though his view of the clergy has in earlier novels been a bit jaded, he is sympathetic to many of its representatives in this novel, seeing them as humans, rather than as types. A sweet novel, part love story and part social commentary, Framley Parsonage is charming, memorable for its characters and picture of Victorian England. n Mary Whipple

The Warden
Barchester Towers
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)

Having lived in Southern Africa and talked to people who had knowledge of those events this is a good account of what went on for a historical point of view. I would recommend reading the entire series. A very good read!

I am a 49 year old man who has recently taken up reading after an absence of too many years. I have found that Wilbur Smith's books have filled the void of recent changes in my lifestyle. Although I started with Angry as The Sea some ten years ago, I cannot read Mr. Smith's novels quickly enough. Each thought or phrase summons me into it's very existance. My only regret is that memory will not allow me the pleasure of re-visiting Mr. Smith's adventures.

This book is, beleive it or not, right on par with Smith's other breathtaking adventures like Birds of Prey, Monsoon, Blue Horizon, Seventh Scroll etc. Only River God can be considered better (and even that is close). None of the books in the Courtneys of Africa series or the others in the Ballantyne series can even come close to this book. A truely marvellous adventure yarn and one of the overlooked gems in the entire genre, A Falcon Flies is a masterpeice which, if had been published after Smith became internatioanlly famous (that is, after River God), would have done as well as any of Smith's other monster bestsellers.

I must say as a fan of Wilbur Smith, this book captures anyone's imagination from the first page to the last and it leaves you wanting to start on the next one in the series. As an African and Zimbabwean in which most of this story takes place I am left with no option but to salute Mr. Smith. He is a briliant researcher and an accurate writer of our historical stories even though he calls them fiction. Some of the facts are so true that you really feel you're in that age. He gives vivid descriptions of the Ndebele state as if he was there during that time. I have no problem rating it 5 out of 5!!!

Wilbur Smith is my favorite author, and "A Falcon Flies" is one of his best. You are introduced to the Ballentyne's, Maj. Zouga Ballentyne and his sister, Dr. Robin Ballentyne as they search Africa for their missing father, the famous missonary and anti-slavery cruscader Fuller Ballentyne and have the bad luck to travel to Africa on board the ship of Mungo St.John, who it turns out, is a infamous slave trader himself...With that breathless start, you would expect action and lots of it, and you won't be disappointed. Duels, attack by slave traders on the Ballentyne safari, and ship to ship battles with thundering broadsides are but some of what is in store for the reader. Smith has never been afraid to write a strong woman character, and Robin Ballentyne certainly qualifes, coming close to unsympathic, being saved mainly by her constant concern for human life, never hestiating to place her own in jepoardy to help the ill or injured, but always sure of being right and never hestiating to say so. Neither is Zouga perfect, being more concerned with making the expedition profitable,from gold and ivory, than finding his father.All of Wilbur Smith's books are of the "keep you up late reading it" variety but "Falcon" is ones of his best, which makes it one of THE best, period.....

This is a truly wonderful, but little known sex-comedy, by Thorne Smith who brought us "Topper". Written in 1932, it deals with a young man named Peter Van Dyck, who has recently inherited his father's coffee business and is engaged to beautiful socialite Yolanda Wilmont. Peter's secretary Josephine Duvall is in love with Peter, and makes the most of every oportunity to attract him, mostly by showing off her sexy legs while taking a couple of letters. Josephine tells Peter that the stuffy Yolanda is entirely unsuitable for him, and that he needs someone to mold him into the kind of man who can successfully run a business (i.e., Josephine). Peter rebuffs her advances, but all the while finds himself getting turned on by his cheeky secretary. When the ferry they are taking gets lost in the fog, Peter, Yoland, Josephine, and a few other peripheral characters (including the Bishop of the title) set out in a small boat hoping to get to shore before the ferry. When they alight, they discover they are in a nudist colony, where all persons are forced to strip and go naked--all except Yolanda, for whom an exception is made. Being naked causes the characters to see themselves and others differently, especially Yolanda, who has an epiphany when she finally decides to disrobe.

Smith's prose is fast-moving and enjoyable, and his plots and dialogue are laugh-out-loud funny. This is my favorite of all his books.

A number of years ago, when I was in acting school, a classmate of mine and I adapted Chapter Three into a scene to perform for a show my school put on. It was a big success, and I have long thought this book was theatrical enough to be easily transformed into a movie or play, except for the second half which takes place in the nudist colony. How could you present this with everyone totally naked? I recently read that "The Bishop's Jaegers" is on its was to becoming a motion picture, so I am eager to see what they do about this.

A businessman, his fiancee, his secretary, a thief and a bishop leave a ferry lost in a fog, and find themselves at a nudist colony, where they are forced to remain. The usual Thorne Smith zaniness, with the occasional caustic comment on society.

Thorne Smith is always a treat. The Bishop's Jaegers is my personal favorite of his works. Characters like "Aspirin Liz" and the little pickpocket make the book more personable. The plot involves a group of Ferry boat passengers stranded on a nudist colony. The pickpocket finds nudity unrewarding, the Bishop (in his Jaegers) finds it disconcerting. The reader finds it very amusing.

Thorne Smith lived a melencholy (and some what alcohol besotted) existance and yet was able to create some of the funniest writtings known to modern man. His books are a slow read because you find yourself stopping for extended periods of time to laugh, blot your tears, laugh some more and then some more. Line by line, he has you rolling on the floor, causing a scene nowhere near as funny as what you have just read but in serious contention. If you are one of those folks who does not laugh out loud, you should, perhaps avoid his work as I believe it must be unhealthy to stay in control of this much fun with out the safety valve of laughing. And for heaven's sakes, don't read in the presence of strangers, they will think you demented (and you will feel much that way, as well). Smith wrote so long ago that his were books sneaked into the house by my (then) teen-aged father (now nearing 80). The books have survived to be read (and re-read) by every one in the family...and they are evry bit as funny (though probably not as racey) as they were for my dad. They are irreverent, ridiculous, fantastic and amazing. I need more, more,more....

Mr. T. Lawrence Lamb had a wife, a daughter, and a commutation ticket. He worked hard, looked at women on trains and did nothing about it, suffered his wife to play about platonically (he thought) with a Mr. Leonard Gray, who was interested in amateur theatricals. Mr. Lamb was, in a word, the Great American Commuter. That was before he met the russett man in the woods, and woke up one morning to find himself a handsome balck stallion, practically free from his wife and the world. It interfered with his business and social life, but Mr. Lamb didn't particularly mind that - and there were compensations. After that Mr. Lamb became in succession a good many different kinds of creature, all of which helped to give him a new viewpoint on the world - as for instance: a sea-gull, watching the beautiful Sandra in her less public moments. "The Stray Lamb" is a hilarious book, a gay, ribald, knowing book, with a deep strain of wisdom and humanity flowing beneath the brilliance of the story.

Iain Crichton Smith is a Scottish poet, dramatist, and novelist whom I had never heard of until I saw a reference to this book on a Scottish website and ordered it. It is a short work (only 160 pages) and written in a simple style that is highly effective.

The story is about an elderly woman who, at the beginning of the novel, is informed that she is to be removed from her cottage in the Scottish Highlands and resettled along the coast with other villagers. This is the time of the Highland Clearances and the Duke of Sutherland, like other landowners of that period, wants the villages on his land razed so he can more profitably raise sheep. This was a dark time in Scottish history and many of those relocated to the coast died of starvation and illness. Despite the historical context, however, this is not a novel about the Highland Clearances. It is character study of an elderly woman, Mrs. Scott, and how she begins to change over the period of two weeks before the villagers are to be turned out of their homes. Her husband died many years before and her son has immigrated to Canada. Religion is her sole consolation. Her thoughts are the mechanism that move the story forward--flashbacks to the past and considerations of the present. The imagery is often beautiful. I don't want to say too much about what is uncovered through this device or it might ruin the story for you. It is a compelling read, though. I started the book at 10 p.m. on a week day, thinking I would read the first chapter or two before bed, and read through chapter 8. I regretfully stopped because I got too sleepy to continue. I finished it the next day. I plan to read more of Crichton Smith's work. This is a beautiful book that should be better known here.

This is a good book for pupils at levels 7 and 8. The book is student friendly and has plenty of worked examples to help the pupil grasp the topics. Mastering the subject sets a strong foundation for progressing to the next level.

This is a great collection of essays on diverse food topics. The author (it might be authors - I'm not completely clear on this) writes very well, and views food and its associated pleasures from a fresh and often stimulating perspective. Everything they (he?) write merits attention. I would also refer readers to "Simple Pig" and their newsletter - check 'homeboy@outlawcook.com' to subscribe.

Page 339 in the edition of Monsoon I have: The footmen set down the litter down next to the carriage and there was a moment of confusion when nobody seemed certain what to do next.

I am astonished at the reviews that Wilbur Smith is getting. Quite frankly I'm astonished Wilbur Smith has been published. The story is amateurish in its presentation and completely without direction.

The characters are without any sort of psychological depth whatsoever and it was probably two hundred pages in before I finally was able to figure out if there was even a main character. Smith jumps from shallow heroic character to shallow cliche-evil character on a whim and with total disregard for narrative restriction or structure.

Anyway a friend lent me this book hoping I would like it and I rarely leave a book unfinished once I start it, but this one is really hammering away at my patience and taste. I'm half way through this book now and I swear to God if Tom recites his vow to get poor Dorry back one more time then I vow to bury this book at sea. And by that I mean throw it in the garbage.

I swear Wilbur, I swear I will throw this book in the garbage if it takes me the rest of my life, I swear it.

Monsoon is the typically gripping Wilbur Smith epic. No matter what the subject, Smith enthralls his readers and refuses to release them, even after the novel has ended. This story, that of Hal Courtney and his four sons is an incredible story of courage, adventure and integrity. I can highly recommend this book to anyone who likes exploration, adventure, action, and the unexpected. Smith delivers on all counts. If you've never read a Wilbur Smith novel, this is a great place to start!

to hook me into the Courtney Family. I love nothing better than a sweeping family epic that spans the ages, allowing me to fllow along as one legacy brings about the next mans legacy. This book did not disappoint but then Wilbur Smith seldom disappoints.

I read this book and BIRDS OF PREY about two years ago. I couldn't wait for the winter eve's to get dark so I could start reading an get off to my armchair adventure.

Smith wrote books that I could live during the long winter months that there was nothing to do outside.

Some of my favorite books of all time.

I had never heard of Wilbur Smith, but he was recommended to me by friends in South Africa. At the airport I looked for one of his books and found many. All about 1000 pages long with embossed covers signaling bodice rippers. With a ten hour flight ahead, I thought, what the heck, give it a try.

The first impression proved accurate. What a silly, inconceivable story which can never seem to find a focal point. The three Courtney heros are gods on earth. They speak in a matter of months whatever language they come in contact with (including Arabic and obscure African dialects), they are amazing fighters who succeed in shaking off injuries more rapidly than a professional wrestler, they have an aura of command, even at age 10 or 17 that shames the most seasoned captains, they are great lovers (of course) etc. Good Lord! What two dimensional, predictable characters. And what a complicated, never-ending collection of ridiculous epic romances.

I will leave Wilbur Smith in the future to my South African friends (he is, after all, a South African, though he now lives, I understand, on the Isle of Maurice)and to the airport book stores.

Out of curiosity, I scanned the 91 reader reviews found on the Amazon site. Only 4 of the 91 seem to share my low opinion of this lightweight attempt at a good adventure story. Which confirms that Mr. Smith knows how to write for his public. And can afford exile from his native land. Which he richly deserves!

The narrator (unnamed) and Jamie are two boys who enjoy most experiences in life. The taste of wild blackberries picked on a warm summers day is one of those experiences which fill them with joy. Jamie is an extravert who enjoys fooling around and playing jokes on people. Each event for him is filled with larger than life exuberance. The narrator enjoys his best friend's antics, but is more reserved. Together the two boys form a team, though Jamie is the clear leader. Life proceeds fine, but soon fate is to change for Jamie and the reality of sadness will soon enter the boy's world.

This book has a strong theme of grief and coping with the trials of life. The possibility of death is strongly emphasized. The story avoids a morose or mawkish atmosphere, but simply states the facts as they are. This books approaches such heavy subjects with the innocence of a child, but also provides basic information, such as the comfort and consolation that can be gained from the company of a good mother or father. The possibility of religion comforting grief is raised, but only in a slightly dismissive and passing way. This is an unusual book and would enhance any young persons library. It is ideal for children, especially boys, aged 10 to 12 years.

I remember reading this book when I was about 9 or 10 years old for a school assignment.Im now 25 yers old and as far as I can remember this was a good yet touching book!

I read this book about 7 years ago while in the fourth grade, I have always reguarded the book as one of the few books assigned by school I have truly despised. To this day I can remember the anger I felt towards the book. I was not angry to have to read it but at the way it was written, I believe it to be something that should not be read until children are much older than 10, possilbly older that even 15.

This book was really good I read this book for one my graduate class and it was really touching and life lesson as well.

I liked this book. It is a sad story about how Jamie died because of bee stings. I would think that it was my fault because I should have tried to stop him from putting the stick down that hole. But why would someone put a stick down a hole? That is dumb. But I would recommend this book to a pair of friends. They should read the book together because they should remember to stay friends forever.