Rating: 
Summary: Not so funny, after all
Review: A decent book, but not as funny as I thought. It makes you smile, for sure, but don't expect it to make your sides ache. Boring chacarcters, non-existent plot. A big disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Light, charming and lovable near-tragedy
Review: A good corrective for everyone who read "The Diary of Adrian Mole" when they were younger and failed to see why it was funny. You'll realise there was no secret: it wasn't funny. This isn't funny either. The old-fashioned word "comic" describes it better: it is pleasant to read, and needs to be, for it induces what would otherwise be unbearable pain with every page. Read this book and you will understand at last what Sue Townsend's book was trying, and failing, to do.I think the secret is that Pooter's life is much more miserable for spectators than it is for Pooter himself. At any moment his position is fragile. More than he dreams he is ripe to be exploitated by tradesmen, bitter hurt by those close to him, and deeply offended by the newer and laxer code of English ettiquette. It's like watching an incompetent acrobat calmly walking along a tightrope. It's harrowing for the audience even if the acrobat makes it across unhurt. But if the acrobat *does* make it across unhurt; well, to be honest, it's rather fun.
Rating: 
Summary: A 'comfort' book
Review: I first 'found' this book as a teenager, would read it in the library whilst waiting for my family to finish choosing books! It's that kind of book, to pick up, read a few entries, enjoy a smile and chuckle at the Pooters, and in reflection yourself, and then put down until you feel the urge again. It will not make your sides ache, but it will lift your heart with good, honest fun.
Rating:
Summary: Laughed
Review: I laughed till the bed shook
Rating:
Summary: Laughed
Review: I ordered this book off the back of reading a history of London (recommended as supplementary reading). Whilst I found it a little slow to get into the story, about one quarter of the way through you get totally involved in Charles Pooter's soap-opera, day-to-day adventures... and all of a sudden you are looking forward to the next page, and the next page! A very quick read that takes to you back to life in the late 1800's.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick read - back to life in the late 1800's
Review: I ordered this book off the back of reading a history of London (recommended as supplementary reading). Whilst I found it a little slow to get into the story, about one quarter of the way through you get totally involved in Charles Pooter's soap-opera, day-to-day adventures... and all of a sudden you are looking forward to the next page, and the next page! A very quick read that takes to you back to life in the late 1800's.
Rating: 
Summary: A weak attempt at humor
Review: I really found the book to be too dry. There is a very fine line between good British Humor and something that is simply flaky. This is flaky.
Rating:
Summary: charming and timeless
Review: I was reminded of this book after reading that George Grossmith spent many years with the Gilbert and Sullivan company and is portrayed in a very interesing fashion in the film "Topsy Turvy." It was available in a very inexpensive editon from amazon.co.uk and I read it quite quickly and found it delightful. It is truly enjoyable and informative to read the slice-of-life story of Mr. Pooter, an archetypal middle class creature whose idiosyncracies would be recognizable [and, unfortunately, beaten to death] in a current TV sitcom. His problems at home and at work, and his relations with family and friends, are delightfully communicated and it is fascinating to see both what is tied to his own time and what is recognizable to us, today. The story is lightly drawn but there is a subtle undercurrent of profound social commentary.
Rating:
Summary: charming and timeless
Review: I was reminded of this book after reading that George Grossmith spent many years with the Gilbert and Sullivan company and is portrayed in a very interesing fashion in the film "Topsy Turvy." It was available in a very inexpensive editon from amazon.co.uk and I read it quite quickly and found it delightful. It is truly enjoyable and informative to read the slice-of-life story of Mr. Pooter, an archetypal middle class creature whose idiosyncracies would be recognizable [and, unfortunately, beaten to death] in a current TV sitcom. His problems at home and at work, and his relations with family and friends, are delightfully communicated and it is fascinating to see both what is tied to his own time and what is recognizable to us, today. The story is lightly drawn but there is a subtle undercurrent of profound social commentary.
Rating:
Summary: charming and timeless
Review: I was reminded of this book after reading that George Grossmith spent many years with the Gilbert and Sullivan company and is portrayed in a very interesing fashion in the film "Topsy Turvy." It was available in a very inexpensive editon from amazon.co.uk and I read it quite quickly and found it delightful. It is truly enjoyable and informative to read the slice-of-life story of Mr. Pooter, an archetypal middle class creature whose idiosyncracies would be recognizable [and, unfortunately, beaten to death] in a current TV sitcom. His problems at home and at work, and his relations with family and friends, are delightfully communicated and it is fascinating to see both what is tied to his own time and what is recognizable to us, today. The story is lightly drawn but there is a subtle undercurrent of profound social commentary.
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