Lucky Jim

Questions About Lucky Jim

by Kingsley Amis

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Lucky Jim, please sign up.

Answered Questions (3)

Why do people like this book? I'm only up to chapter 5, but the main character is a real prat. He is crude and self-obsessed. How are we supposed to empathise with his plight or hope he will succeed when he is so unlikeable?
Brendan Basically for all the same reasons you're complaining about. I bet you don't like "A Confederacy of Dunces," either.

I feel a little sorry for readers …moreBasically for all the same reasons you're complaining about. I bet you don't like "A Confederacy of Dunces," either.

I feel a little sorry for readers who are preoccupied with "likability" in fictional characters. In this case, though, I can't imagine what kind of monstrous puritan could possess a heart so stony as to dislike Jim Dixon. Of course he's crude and self-obsessed, not to mention a drunk of impressive stamina. He's also a class hero at war with bourgeois pretension. He's the nerd who gets the girl in the end.(less)
flag
aptness of the title why the given to this novel"lucky jim"?
Tom Bantle
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)
flag
Are we supposed to like Jim Dixon ? As I approached the end of the book I was horrified to discover the childish,vindictive,pillock was going to come up trumps.
Andrew S Hatton Well I guess that is often what happens in society, do you not think Vince, meritocracy is used as a euphemism for children of the well connected?
flag

Unanswered Questions (1)

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more