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Lucky Jim
by Kingsley Amis (Adapted by) , Kingsley Amis , David Lodge (Introduction)Paperback (TV tie-in edition)
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Overview
Kingsley Amis has written a marvelously funny novel describing the attempts of England's postwar generation to break from that country's traditional class structure. When it appeared in England, LUCKY JIM provoked a heated controversy in which everyone took sides. Even W. Somerset Maugham reviewed the book, happily with great favor: "Mr. Kingsley Amis is so talented, his observations so keen, that you cannot fail to be convinced that the young men he so brilliantly describes truly represent the classes with which his novel is concerned."
Kingsley Amis has written a marvelously funny novel describing the attempts of England's postwar generation to break from that country's traditional class structure. When it appeared in England, LUCKY JIM provoked a heated controversy in which everyone took sides. Even W. Somerset Maugham reviewed the book, happily with great favor: "Mr. Kingsley Amis is so talented, his observations so keen, that you cannot fail to be convinced that the young men he so brilliantly describes truly represent the classes with which his novel is concerned."
What Critics Are Saying
Anthony Burgess
"Dixon make little dents in these smug fabric of hypocritical, humbugging, classdown British society...Amos cought the mood of post-war restiveness in a book which, does socially significant, wise, and still is extremely funny."David Lodge
"A classic comic novel, a seminal campus novel, and a novel which seized and expressed to the mood who came of age in the 1950s. But there is more to it than that...it's university setting functions primarily as the epitome of a stuffy, provincial bourgoise world into which the hero is promoted by education, and against his values and codes he rebels, at first inwardly and at last outwardly."Details
- Pub. Date: January 2002
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Format: Paperback , 272pp
- ISBN-13: 9780142180143
- ISBN: 0142180149
Customer Reviews
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October 05, 2009
Anonymous
Good characters and plot; a chore to read
My buddies and I read this book for our book group. We are all educated and pretty well-read and were looking forward to a well-written comedy (as advertised). We all agreed that the book was very difficult to get through. The plot was original for its time, and the character development was thorough. The readability, however, was nonexistent. The author's monotony stifled any potential enjoyment I might have had. It was a chore to read. By the time I was halfway through this short book, I was already counting the pages until the end. The others in the group agreed with the sentiment. It seems, however, we are in the minority of those who reviewed this book, so perhaps it is best to take our opinion with a grain of salt.
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Report this reviewMay 30, 2009
A Good Laugh
This book, Lucky Jim, is about a loser, a man who is constantly finding himself making all the social mistakes he desperately wants to avoid. Jim is a new college professor on probation who wants to be made permanent while at the same time finds himself bored with the work and loathing his boss. Even as Jim attempts to make a good impression on his boss, he finds himself making stupid mistakes that nearly guarantee he will not be offered a permanent job. At the same time, Jim falls in love with the gorgeous young girlfriend of his boss's son. It is a situation that leaves the reader both cringing every time Jim does something stupid and cheering him along, hoping he will walk away with both the girl and the job.
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September 01, 2006
Anonymous
Funny and Powerful
Funnier than Wodehouse.
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Report this reviewDecember 09, 2004
Anonymous
Funny, offbeat, humourous look at England and English academic life
This humourous tale features English professor, schoolmaster, Jim Dixon; whose travels through academia, and love, are often, hilarious. With lively characters, Kingsley Amis, author of Take A Girl Like You, and the Green Man, paints a portrait of English life and love that can be interesting, to say the least, for our hero Jim. Christine, the love he seeks, is also an interesting character, his friend and sometimes confidant, Margaret, are drawn with an interesting touch. A lighthearted read. Of course, the British expressions might throw one off, but do not detract too much. Worth a look.
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Report this reviewOctober 22, 2004
Anonymous
One of the funniest books ever
This is the hilarious story of Jim Dixon, an unhappy college lecturer who dreams of escaping his job. For anyone who has ever felt 'stuck' in a job, Jim Dixon is your hero. But most of all, the book is amazing for it's constant stream of laugh-out-loud observations.
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Report this reviewJuly 02, 2004
Anonymous
Deliciously wonderful
I love a book that I can lie down and roll around in, so to speak, and 'Lucky Jim' is just that. Amis' descriptions of people and things (Dixon's hangover, his violent and childish fantasies, Bertrand's eyes, etc.) are so unique and delightful that I was often laughing out loud while marvelling at his literary dexterity. Dixon's faces are often better when they're only named, not described - the Martian Invader face, the Sex Life in Ancient Rome face... The wit of this book is biting and Dixon's pain and helpless anger is palpable as he struggles through fusty academia, the arty weekend and the business of Margaret. I savored it, much as I savored 'Cold Comfort Farm.' I highly recommend 'Lucky Jim' to anyone with a keen sense of humor and irony.
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Report this reviewAugust 02, 2000
Anonymous
It's Hilarious
I first encountered Kingsley Amis because his study of science fiction, 'New Maps of Hell,' was on a 1961 Harvard reading period list. Though I read little fiction, I bought 'Lucky Jim' because I'd been impressed by that study. The novel is the only book that has ever made me laugh aloud. I've re-read it many times since: it is so hilarious I still laugh aloud when Amis describes Lucky Jim's 'faces,' his voices, and -- especially -- his frantic effort to obscure evidence of the destruction his cigarette did to bedclothes.
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