The Autobiography of a Cad (Prion Humour Classics)

click here for more details, find new or used items	A.G. Macdonell New from £11.39 Used from £11.40 Pages: 256 (Hardcover) ISBN: 1853754145 Pub: Prion Books Ltd Pub date: 2001-01-31 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 747109

Reader Reviews:

Macdonell's shorter bounder (9/11 people found this helpful)

This mock-autobiography of the exploits of an unscrupulous English landowner-turned-politician (whose only Achilles heel is his relative lack of height) in the early 20th century is an uneven read. The main problem is Macdonell never quite decides whether he wants to write a picaresque novel or a satire, and the constant movement between the two approaches undermines the reader's identification with the book (not to say the character -- often Edward Fox-Ingleby's Machiavellian authority is undermined as he is unwittingly hoist by his own petard). That said, there are many genuinely funny moments in the former category as Fox-Ingleby manipulates situations to his selfish advantage, and students of political and/or social history of the period will be interested in the satirical parts (which like most satire of the past are sadly too dated to be really amusing). As with all Prion Humour Classics, the packaging is exemplary, and there's an interesting short introduction by Guardian sketch writer Simon Hoggart.

Categories

Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories: