The Napoleon of Notting Hill
by G.K. Chesterton
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Read in January, 2008
A very strange book. I can honestly say that I've never read anything quite like it before and probably never will. It's a rather surreal story that is equal parts philosophical allegory, fantasy, dystopian fiction and satire. It's all of these things and nothing. Totally original in its genius; totally maniacal in its unfolding. This book is not at all typical. There is no basis for comparison, and I'm still reeling from what I've just read.
The story takes place in 1984, but London...more
The story takes place in 1984, but London...more
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Read in April, 2007
this is a freaky one, in which randomly selected leader of future england turns out to be a waugh-like delector of life as joke who commands the neighborhoods of london to transform into medieval fiefdoms and that their leaders walk around in doubloons with halberds...then one of them takes the joker-president at his word. and all hell breaks loose, and it's no longer a joke, and at the end is the most serious joke ever. hard to get into but fabulous.
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Read in September, 2001
Not as elliptical as "The Man Who Was Thursday," but easily as enjoyable. Posited as an attack on the self-seriousness of Wells, and reads like Wells with a sense of humor (and a bit more intelligent as well). Not that I don't like Wells, too.
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to-read
Ooh, wow, I love the idea for this too. This looks really funny!
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Read in January, 2005
Wonderful, imaginative story illustrating the futility of war.
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bookshelves:
dystopias-unite,
favorites,
unknown-greats
This is a quirky little book of a dystopian future.
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bookshelves:
dear-to-my-heart
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fucking josh!
i love this book. see other chesterton reviews.
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bookshelves:
scifi,
to-read
Referenced in an ethics book I'm reading.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.05 (98 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.15 (67 ratings) number of reviews: 10popular shelves
other editions
quote
"The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up. And one of the games to which it is most attached is called "Keep to-morrow dark," and which is also named (by the rustics in Shropshire, I have no doubt) "Cheat the Prophet." The players listen very carefully and respectfully to all that the clever men have to say about what is to happen in the next generation. The players then wait until all the clever men are dead, and bury them nicely. They then go and do something else. That is all. For a race of simple tastes, however, it is great fun."
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