Making History: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Ranges from preposterous to very preposterous
Review: Don't get me wrong, in the past I've praised Stephen Fry's impressive command of the language to the hilt. His transition from silly comedian to silly novelist was a tour de force. If it was difficult to take him seriously as a writer at first, his literary credibility is unquestioned now. However, this particular effort is a disappointment after the unapproachable genius of his first, The Liar. I often marvel at the pretension of writers who try to construct an alternative history. Making History suffers the same pitfalls as Newt Gingrich's 1945, that other embarrassing vanity tome. Suspension of disbelief notwithstanding, Fry's vision of a non-Hitlerian world is preposterous. It cynically suggests that Hitler was no more evil than the next person, and the world could have been worse off (i.e. less politically correct) without him. What does this say about Fry's view of the German people, that he imagines that someone even more odious might have taken Hitler's place? He should go back to doing comedy with that other literary wanna-be, Hugh Laurie. As for this book, it is amusing, though not intentionally. It should have been called "Making Up History."

Rating:
Summary: For Fry, Pretty Good--Compared to Others, Excellent.
Review: An interesting premise and an engaging, well captured portrait of the aimlessness of a humanities student in a world that increasing considers such pursuits frivolous. As for Fry validating the "great man" theory of history, it is reasonable to believe that Germany was at that particular point in history primed for a violent upheaval; if one man had not taken advantage of it, another surely would have. The protagonist's personal/emotional subplots are touching and funny and help to get the reader to care about what Michael is trying to accomplish. Overall, better than *The Hippopotamus,* only a bit short of *The Liar.*

Rating:
Summary: Holden Caufield goes back to the future & out of the closet
Review: With a witty and even profound beginning, and an interesting premise for an alternate history, the story becomes increasingly tenuous and trivial as it accelerates towards its fairy tale ending. Too much social proselytizing can detract from an otherwise good story, and this book is no exception.

Rating:
Summary: a great "what if?" read (if a less than original topic)
Review: I never read this book in English, I've only read it in German (translated by Ulrich Blumenbach), so some of the wordplays didn't come across that well, and neither did the difference between the British and the American, but the story is still great. I particularly enjoyed the somewhat circular story line. All in all, very enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: hilarious intellectual tale of an experiment gone wrong
Review: I knew Steohen Fry from the brilliant film "Peter's Friends" I found him funny nad engaging. When I saw he wrote a novel I bought it riht away for tthe laughs. I didn't know for what I was in store. He not inly provides the laughs, but also engages your mind as well. As a reader, one can tell how much joy he takes in writing, too. To find that quality in an author is rare and wonderful. I could not put the book down and immeadiatly gave it to a friend who goes to Princeton. This book should not be missed. I enjoyed the Hippotaumous vey much, but not as much is this one.

Rating:
Summary: Did I miss something here?
Review: The first 150 pages are a good picture of the life of an ex-child-prodigy being caught up and overtaken by his peers. Then Fry decides to bring in the well-worn plot about "prevent Hitler and history might get worse". Of course there's nothing wrong with doing an old thing again if you can give it a breath of fresh air, but Fry's story is about as fresh as week-old herring and smells similarly. Some good jokes and one-liners admittedly, but in general it was a huge disappointment for me, especially after his brilliant book "The Liar".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent - most recommended!
Review: We really enjoyed this funny, clever and thought-provoking novel. Light-weight philosophy of time, some historical trivia and quite a few laughs - the perfect recipe for a summer's reading.

Rating:
Summary: The genius: Mr Stephen Fry
Review: I feel so unworthy of submitting a review of such a fabulous writer. I have just read the other reviews for this book and most people, as they do for all his books, comment on his wonderful use of the English language. I purchased this book as I am a great admirer of Stephen Fry the comedian and was interested to check out Stephen Fry the writer. I was enthralled! I remained in my PJ's all day and didn't put the book down until I had finished. One reviewer mentioned his unease with Hitler and Humour being used in tandem. I found parts of this book humourous, but from my humble point of view, the whole scenario left me feeling uneasy and got me thinking 'what if' and 'oh my god'. This is a very clever, very funny and extremely well written that left this reader with a very strong message to try and assimilate.

Rating:
Summary: Fry's imagination not quite as funny as his real life.
Review: An entertaining read, not as funny as his previous books, but sporadically funny nevertheless. This seems like it was written deliberately for an american market rather than the unselfconsciously english flavour of his previous work. This seems like Fry's first foray outside the realm of personal experience - truth is always funnier than fiction. The end was a bit too cute (& not terribly believable - a twenty-something not knowing whether he prefers women or men?). Anyway, a good way to numb the tedium of a 10 hour flight & a few laughs out loud to annoy other passengers.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book--very intelligent
Review: Written by a British comedy actor, this novel is fast-paced and enjoyable. If you allow the serious passages to seep into your consciousness--your soul--the suspense will be too much for you. The book is the answer to the question, What if the 20th Century's evil incarnate himself, Adolf Hitler, never existed? The two main characters, a historian and a German physicist, go back in time to create the answer, and they wake up in a brave new world--one that fascinates. Despite this weird setup, the novel is surprisingly believable. Find out.