Rating: 
Summary: High and Low Spirits
Review: The movie and TV versions of "Topper" have always emphasized the trick of ghosts appearing and disappearing... but the novel is really about Mr. Topper's love/hate relationship to middle-class conformity, and how he's drawn toward love and death. As with many of Smith's books, there's an undertow of sadness about how brief and unsatisfying life can be, and a true satirist's rage at hypocrisy and repression. Set in the same period as "The Great Gatsby," this is almost a companion piece -- another story about longing and belonging, fast driving and fast living, and dropouts living a very different life than those around them.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been written in the 70's
Review: This is one of his best books, I have 5 books he's written, and each one is just as funny, if I didn't know they had been written in the 20's or 30's and they were reprinted today with todays background, they would read as well as todays books.
Rating:
Summary: Topper's midlife crisis.
Review: Thorne Smith's fantasy of Cosmo Topper and ghostly George and Marion Kerby is more thought provoking than one might expect. Although rich with humor, the story has pensive undertones. The story is of Topper's rebellion against his dull life and marriage. After the wild and crazy Kerby's perish in a road accident, middle-aged Topper buys their repaired sporty automobile. He discovers their ghostly presence, and joins the playful spirits in a road trip that takes up much of the novel. His flirtation with the delectable Marion Kerby may have seemed racy 'way back when, but it is mild stuff today. George Kerby is absent for part of the story. While George is away, Topper and Marion play, mostly at Marion's instigation. The snickering references to drinking, ladies lingerie, and compromising positions offers amusement. One needs to understand the old term "step-ins." Typical of the TV and movie versions, Topper deals with a number of awkward situations when ghostly happenings occur before bewildered onlookers. This evokes chuckles, but there is more of yearning in the book than laugh-out-loud comedy. This book is a beguiling relic of the 1920s. It's worth a look. To enhance your appreciation of the book, avoid the pitfall of preconceived notions based on the films and TV versions. Multiple readings are recommended. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Topper's midlife crisis.
Review: Thorne Smith's fantasy of Cosmo Topper and ghostly George and Marion Kerby is more thought provoking than one might expect. Although rich with humor, the story has pensive undertones. The story is of Topper's rebellion against his dull life and marriage. After the wild and crazy Kerby's perish in a road accident, middle-aged Topper buys their repaired sporty automobile. He discovers their ghostly presence, and joins the playful spirits in a road trip that takes up much of the novel. His flirtation with the delectable Marion Kerby may have seemed racy 'way back when, but it is mild stuff today. George Kerby is absent for part of the story. While George is away, Topper and Marion play, mostly at Marion's instigation. The snickering references to drinking, ladies lingerie, and compromising positions offers amusement. One needs to understand the old term "step-ins." Typical of the TV and movie versions, Topper deals with a number of awkward situations when ghostly happenings occur before bewildered onlookers. This evokes chuckles, but there is more of yearning in the book than laugh-out-loud comedy. This book is a beguiling relic of the 1920s. It's worth a look. To enhance your appreciation of the book, avoid the pitfall of preconceived notions based on the films and TV versions. Multiple readings are recommended. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Great screwball comedy from the golden age of fun
Review: Those who've only seen the old Roland Young film on television will be in for a treat. Not only is the book as good as the film, Smith's chaotic writing style and obvious enjoyment of booze, women and witty lines make this a memorable addition to any library of comic greats. Better than the film or the later TV series, which never fully explored the Marion/Topper relationship fully, and with added "ghostly" characters too wacky to show on film, this is surely one of the greatest (the greatest?) comic books of the early 1900s.
Rating:
Summary: How a staid banker learns to really live from two ghosts.
Review: Topper is the delightfully riotious story of a staid, quietly frustrated banker who buys a fancy sports car haunted by it's previous owners, who died when they crashed it on their way home from a party. Since death did NOT part them, the two gang up on poor "Toppy", turning a good man bad the right way. He learns to drink to excess, lie to his wife, and blow his staid, "pillar of the community" reputation all to hell. Thorne Smith creates delightful characters with great depth and longing, and writes about them in a witty, incredibly insightful, and downright hilarious fashion. I've read all his books, and recommend them all highly, with "Night Life of the Gods" being my all-time favorite book. When you read Thorne Smith, you WILL laugh out loud! I highly recommend "Topper" to anyone who enjoys a good laugh, and a flock of cocktails!
Rating:
Summary: A banker has his life turned upside-down by a group of ghost
Review: Topper, a banker, wants to change his life a little but gets more than desired after he purchases a used car, and ends up meeting the previous owners (now ghosts), who are bored. They find Topper an amusing addition to their group to relieve their boredom, and supply them with money for food and drink.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Jazz-era story, funny and thoughtful
Review: Who hasn't fallen in love with a ghost at least once in their life? Topper is absolutely delightful. While in some ways it was considered scandalous at the time, it certainly seems innocent today. It has a lightness and freshness lacking in his later works. Some contemporary readers may be unused to fiction that lacks violence and overt sex, but the appeal of this story is Cosmo's mid-life crisis and its sucessful resolution with the supernatural assistance of a carful of hard-drinking, carefree spirits. Whoever coined the phrase 'witty repartee' probably had this book in mind. It's a fun read that kept me entertained all the way from Seattle to Virginia. One word of advice before you start. Smith uses an interesting motif in this book over and over again. Keep your eyes open for it.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Jazz-era story, funny and thoughtful
Review: Who hasn't fallen in love with a ghost at least once in their life? Topper is absolutely delightful. While in some ways it was considered scandalous at the time, it certainly seems innocent today. It has a lightness and freshness lacking in his later works. Some contemporary readers may be unused to fiction that lacks violence and overt sex, but the appeal of this story is Cosmo's mid-life crisis and its sucessful resolution with the supernatural assistance of a carful of hard-drinking, carefree spirits. Whoever coined the phrase 'witty repartee' probably had this book in mind. It's a fun read that kept me entertained all the way from Seattle to Virginia. One word of advice before you start. Smith uses an interesting motif in this book over and over again. Keep your eyes open for it.
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