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Reginald Perrin #1
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Reginald Perrin is fed up with his boss and sick of selling ices. Driven to desperation, Reggie begins his battle against consumerism, driving off in a motorized jelly, and creating the world's biggest loganberry stick on the way. He dumps his clothes on a Dorset beach, and starts a new life.
287 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 3, 2020
Absolutamente recomendable para todo el mundo, busquen lo que busquen en una novela.
Un hombre sin problemas objetivos, que vive de forma placentera al lado de la mujer que quiere, descubre un buen día que ni le gusta su vida ni se gusta a sí mismo ni sabe muy bien qué le gusta. La solución: acabar consigo mismo... pero sin acabar.
Nada extraordinario en el fondo; pero aquí entra la forma, la ironía, el sarcasmo, la mala leche, la inteligencia para la narración y el diálogo, los innumerables gags que nos van conduciendo a algo que, por otra parte, ya sabíamos, que es imposible escapar de la cárcel más segura del mundo, uno mismo... bueno, eso y que cuando nosotros vamos, ellas vuelven.
Un hombre sin problemas objetivos, que vive de forma placentera al lado de la mujer que quiere, descubre un buen día que ni le gusta su vida ni se gusta a sí mismo ni sabe muy bien qué le gusta. La solución: acabar consigo mismo... pero sin acabar.
Nada extraordinario en el fondo; pero aquí entra la forma, la ironía, el sarcasmo, la mala leche, la inteligencia para la narración y el diálogo, los innumerables gags que nos van conduciendo a algo que, por otra parte, ya sabíamos, que es imposible escapar de la cárcel más segura del mundo, uno mismo... bueno, eso y que cuando nosotros vamos, ellas vuelven.
April 20, 2010
Part 2 in my ongoing series "Stuff I Loved as a Kid That Is Still Ace". And Reggie Perrin is perhaps even MORE ace, now that I know what it is to be a glassy-eyed commuter and cog in the capitalist system. It helps, of course, that in my mind's eye all the scenes are re-enacted by the incomparable Leonard Rossiter. Rest in peace, Lenny. Rest in peace.
June 16, 2020
Tiene momentos divertidos y peculiares. Curiosa forma la de finalizar la historia: todo es un gran chiste.
March 25, 2021
If you have fond memories of the 1970s BBC Television sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role then you will doubtless enjoy The Fall And Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976), the first of the source novels.
Those familiar with the TV series will find it impossible not to see the characters as portrayed on the screen in the stunning adaptation however what really struck me is how well the novel stands up on its own merits. I am sure anyone coming to the novel with no prior knowledge would find it as enjoyable and poignant as I did with my positive memories and associations.
The story concerns a suburban middle aged white collar commuter who works as a middle manager at Sunshine Desserts. His behaviour becomes steadily more erratic as his sense of the futility of his life becomes increases. The book holds up a mirror to modern life (as lived in 1970s English suburbia) however its great strength is that in addition to being somewhat melancholy and poignant, it is also very amusing and subversive. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions and became increasingly absorbed by the story (even though I could remember the ending).
The only thing that has dated are some of the social attitudes of the 70s, aside from that the novel still really holds up as it approaches its 50th anniversary. I suspect it has never really received its full due because it was overshadowed by the TV version.
The two subsequent novels, which I will be reading soon, are The Return of Reginald Perrin (1977) and The Better World of Reginald Perrin (1978) and these were both used for the next two series of the classic BBC sitcom.
4/5
Reginald Iolanthe Perrin is sick to death with selling exotic ices at Sunshine Desserts. He's fed up with his boss C.J. who delights in making his life hell. And he's had enough of his eager young assistants who think everything is 'super'.
So begins Reggie's battle against consumerism. Driven to desperation by the rat race and the unpunctuality of Britain's trains, Reggie's small eccentricities escalate to the extreme.
Until, finally, he leaves behind the unacceptable face of capitalism altogether. Driven off in a motorised jelly, and creating the world's biggest loganberry slick on his way, he dumps his clothes on a Dorset beach and sets off for new adventures...
Those familiar with the TV series will find it impossible not to see the characters as portrayed on the screen in the stunning adaptation however what really struck me is how well the novel stands up on its own merits. I am sure anyone coming to the novel with no prior knowledge would find it as enjoyable and poignant as I did with my positive memories and associations.
The story concerns a suburban middle aged white collar commuter who works as a middle manager at Sunshine Desserts. His behaviour becomes steadily more erratic as his sense of the futility of his life becomes increases. The book holds up a mirror to modern life (as lived in 1970s English suburbia) however its great strength is that in addition to being somewhat melancholy and poignant, it is also very amusing and subversive. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions and became increasingly absorbed by the story (even though I could remember the ending).
The only thing that has dated are some of the social attitudes of the 70s, aside from that the novel still really holds up as it approaches its 50th anniversary. I suspect it has never really received its full due because it was overshadowed by the TV version.
The two subsequent novels, which I will be reading soon, are The Return of Reginald Perrin (1977) and The Better World of Reginald Perrin (1978) and these were both used for the next two series of the classic BBC sitcom.
4/5
Reginald Iolanthe Perrin is sick to death with selling exotic ices at Sunshine Desserts. He's fed up with his boss C.J. who delights in making his life hell. And he's had enough of his eager young assistants who think everything is 'super'.
So begins Reggie's battle against consumerism. Driven to desperation by the rat race and the unpunctuality of Britain's trains, Reggie's small eccentricities escalate to the extreme.
Until, finally, he leaves behind the unacceptable face of capitalism altogether. Driven off in a motorised jelly, and creating the world's biggest loganberry slick on his way, he dumps his clothes on a Dorset beach and sets off for new adventures...
March 19, 2017
Deceptively simple. If there's a better depiction of a mid-life crisis/nervous breakdown, I'm unaware of it. Funny and poignant, superb cast of characters, and almost documentary in its detailing of middle-class middle-England in the mid-70's. I didn't get where I am today by not giving this 5 Stars!
July 28, 2011
I didn't get where I am today by not saying that this book is hilariously funny, but also very poignant in ways which perhaps don't quite come across in the (excellent) TV series. The incestuous affair enjoyed by Reggie's daughter was quite a surprise.
November 30, 2012
Publicado en http://lecturaylocura.com/caida-y-auge/
Siempre he guardado afinidad lectora con la editorial Impedimenta, especialmente por un catálogo escogido con buen gusto y del que no hay muchas editoriales que se encarguen; un segmento de obras que han escogido son las inglesas, en particular de principios del siglo XX, recuperando de esta manera para los lectores españoles a E. F. Benson, Edmund Crispin o Stella Gibbons, por poner algunos ejemplos estupendos y muy representativos. Ahora han vuelto a la carga con otra historia propiamente inglesa de la mano de David Nobbs y su archiconocido “Caída y auge de Reginald Perrin”, novela que, en el Reino Unido, originó la creación de una exitosa comedia televisiva en la BBC.
El arrebatador comienzo invita a la risa desde casi la primera frase:
“Cuando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin se dispuso a salir para el trabajo aquella mañana de jueves, no entraba en sus planes llamar hipopótamo a su suegra. Nada más lejos de su pensamiento”
En esas primeras páginas se descubren los traumas infantiles de tan curioso personaje, relacionados con su gran cantidad de pelo corporal: “Tenía el cuerpo recubierto de vello, tanto que en el colegio le apodaban Felpudo Coco” o con su torpeza natural: “Siempre había sido bastante torpe en el colegio cuando no era Felpudo Coco, era Pato Patoso”.
Los gags se suceden cada dos por tres y en cada página tenemos un motivo más para pasarlo bien, con momentos memorables que arrancan las carcajadas como aquellos con el insigne doctor o en la cena sin comida que organiza el propio Perrin. Todo este comienzo está desencadenando la caída a los infiernos del personaje, que busca como sea un cambio de vida, de trabajo, de todo lo que le aflige, se vuelve tan incrédulo que no puede seguir adelante (“Tienes derecho a preguntarme en qué creo, yo que me declaro tan antitodo. Pues se lo diré: creo en el nihilismo en la medida en que creo en la ausencia de ismos. Sé que no sé y creo en no creer”).
El final del camino, que desembocará en el cambio, llegará sólo cuando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin desaparezca, no en vano, las siglas (RIP) eran una prolepsis de lo que iba a ocurrir con el personaje, aprovecha el autor para mostrarnos su momento más lírico justo en el momento más doloroso para él:
“Había una larga franja de guijarros y, por detrás de la bahía, la tierra se elevaba en una pendiente de hierba salpicaba de arbustos vencidos por el viento. El pueblo estaba al final de ninguna parte. Era un lugar ideal para poner fin a una vida.”
Como adelantaba el título del libro, estamos hablando de una tragicomedia, Nobbs utiliza estos momentos para que Perrin cambie de personalidad, buscando algo con lo que de verdad identificarse, algo con lo que iniciar su nueva vida, las dudas le acucian:
“Me tienta pensar en mí mismo como una figura espectral, igual que ellos, pero la verdad es otra bien distinta. Para mí el problema de la identidad no es no saber quién soy sino saber demasiado quién soy: soy Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, Felpudo Coco Perrin. Soy absurdo luego existo. Existo, luego soy absurdo”
Según va encontrando su identidad los momentos cómicos empiezan a originarse nuevamente, ahora las ironías se suceden; llegando a asistir a su propio funeral, tronchante el momento en el que el predicador indica en el sermón:
“En cierto sentido Reggie Perrin no ha muerto. ¡Él está aquí hoy entre nosotros, de una forma real y significativa, en esta precisa iglesia, a esta precisa hora!”
La ironía final, deliciosa, es genial; ya que su “muerte” desencadena el cambio del resto de sus familiares, amigos, jefe,… todos cambios a mejor, su aparente muerte es anecdótica pero necesaria para el devenir del resto; sin embargo, él se vuelve a casar con la misma persona, y todo vuelve, casi, a ser como era, pero diferente, incluso trabajando para su mismo jefe pero en una fundación a su nombre. Qué paradoja, qué cambio de actitud para darse cuenta de lo importante que es vivir.
Siempre he guardado afinidad lectora con la editorial Impedimenta, especialmente por un catálogo escogido con buen gusto y del que no hay muchas editoriales que se encarguen; un segmento de obras que han escogido son las inglesas, en particular de principios del siglo XX, recuperando de esta manera para los lectores españoles a E. F. Benson, Edmund Crispin o Stella Gibbons, por poner algunos ejemplos estupendos y muy representativos. Ahora han vuelto a la carga con otra historia propiamente inglesa de la mano de David Nobbs y su archiconocido “Caída y auge de Reginald Perrin”, novela que, en el Reino Unido, originó la creación de una exitosa comedia televisiva en la BBC.
El arrebatador comienzo invita a la risa desde casi la primera frase:
“Cuando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin se dispuso a salir para el trabajo aquella mañana de jueves, no entraba en sus planes llamar hipopótamo a su suegra. Nada más lejos de su pensamiento”
En esas primeras páginas se descubren los traumas infantiles de tan curioso personaje, relacionados con su gran cantidad de pelo corporal: “Tenía el cuerpo recubierto de vello, tanto que en el colegio le apodaban Felpudo Coco” o con su torpeza natural: “Siempre había sido bastante torpe en el colegio cuando no era Felpudo Coco, era Pato Patoso”.
Los gags se suceden cada dos por tres y en cada página tenemos un motivo más para pasarlo bien, con momentos memorables que arrancan las carcajadas como aquellos con el insigne doctor o en la cena sin comida que organiza el propio Perrin. Todo este comienzo está desencadenando la caída a los infiernos del personaje, que busca como sea un cambio de vida, de trabajo, de todo lo que le aflige, se vuelve tan incrédulo que no puede seguir adelante (“Tienes derecho a preguntarme en qué creo, yo que me declaro tan antitodo. Pues se lo diré: creo en el nihilismo en la medida en que creo en la ausencia de ismos. Sé que no sé y creo en no creer”).
El final del camino, que desembocará en el cambio, llegará sólo cuando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin desaparezca, no en vano, las siglas (RIP) eran una prolepsis de lo que iba a ocurrir con el personaje, aprovecha el autor para mostrarnos su momento más lírico justo en el momento más doloroso para él:
“Había una larga franja de guijarros y, por detrás de la bahía, la tierra se elevaba en una pendiente de hierba salpicaba de arbustos vencidos por el viento. El pueblo estaba al final de ninguna parte. Era un lugar ideal para poner fin a una vida.”
Como adelantaba el título del libro, estamos hablando de una tragicomedia, Nobbs utiliza estos momentos para que Perrin cambie de personalidad, buscando algo con lo que de verdad identificarse, algo con lo que iniciar su nueva vida, las dudas le acucian:
“Me tienta pensar en mí mismo como una figura espectral, igual que ellos, pero la verdad es otra bien distinta. Para mí el problema de la identidad no es no saber quién soy sino saber demasiado quién soy: soy Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, Felpudo Coco Perrin. Soy absurdo luego existo. Existo, luego soy absurdo”
Según va encontrando su identidad los momentos cómicos empiezan a originarse nuevamente, ahora las ironías se suceden; llegando a asistir a su propio funeral, tronchante el momento en el que el predicador indica en el sermón:
“En cierto sentido Reggie Perrin no ha muerto. ¡Él está aquí hoy entre nosotros, de una forma real y significativa, en esta precisa iglesia, a esta precisa hora!”
La ironía final, deliciosa, es genial; ya que su “muerte” desencadena el cambio del resto de sus familiares, amigos, jefe,… todos cambios a mejor, su aparente muerte es anecdótica pero necesaria para el devenir del resto; sin embargo, él se vuelve a casar con la misma persona, y todo vuelve, casi, a ser como era, pero diferente, incluso trabajando para su mismo jefe pero en una fundación a su nombre. Qué paradoja, qué cambio de actitud para darse cuenta de lo importante que es vivir.
April 23, 2025
Author Jonathan Coe, writing in 2015 about the career of the late David Nobbs, claimed that Nobbs’ most famous book, The Fall and Rise Of Reginald Perrin, should be considered a classic. Initially I was sceptical that the story of Reggie Perrin, a 1970’s sales executive who fakes his own death and comes back disguised as someone else, could really be up there with Shakespeare.
First there were the dodgy jokes. While I laughed my way through some very funny sections, I nevertheless felt that some of the jokes were unwisely reheated from David Nobbs’ other career as a gag writer for TV comedians:
The driver got in the car and slammed the door.
‘Lead on, Macduff,’ said Uncle Percy Spillinger.
‘I’m not Macduff. I’m Carter,’ said the driver.
‘I spoke figuratively,’ said Uncle Percy Spillinger.
‘Macduff’s got ’flu,’ said the driver.
That joke could have have helped fill the half hour on The Two Ronnies.
Apart from the odd less than ground-breaking joke, there was the bigger problem of accepting that a man could come back to his family, a bit older, greyer, suntanned, new bearded, and with nothing more than some am-dram experience, fool them into believing he is someone else.
AlI this being said, I still found myself fascinated by the story of an average man who wants to be something more. Reggie Perrin is a classic 1970s executive suffering a typical midlife crisis, hoping to escape his humdrum fate. David Nobbs does some very interesting things with the theme of fate, making you realise that we can never escape our destiny because what ever happens to us, no matter how bizarre, turns into what we are destined to do. Achieving something special does not involve leaving ordinary life behind, but finding remarkable qualities within it. This reminded me of that great tome of classic modern literature, the Alexandria Quartet, where Lawrence Durrell writes that our aim should not be to evade destiny, “but to fulfil it in its true potential.” David Nobbs makes the same point more succinctly, and with more laughs.
Overall the theme of fate is handled with such sensitivity and wit that I couldn’t help thinking of parallels with other authors who have written about the same thing, authors like, oh I don’t know, Shakespeare. Talking of Shakespeare, we could go back to my gripe about the veracity of Reggie fooling everyone with his disguise. Are all the cases of mistaken identity in Shakespeare always totally believable? Without the benefits of advanced prosthetics and a team of theatrical makeup artists, can shipwrecked Viola in Twelfth Night really concoct a disguise which persuades everyone that she is her brother? And dashing into the woods to escape her father in As You Like It, is it realistic that Rosalind manages to disguise herself as the sort of man capable of turning the head of shepherdesses? While we are on the subject of Shakespeare, let’s not forget that his plays have their share of dodgy jokes. What about all those puns? “You have dancing shoes with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead,” says Romeo. Did you get that - sole sounds like soul? If the Two Ronnies were working in the sixteenth century they might have passed on that gag.
By the time I reached the end of Fall and Rise, I’d decided that a rather silly romp could actually be a classic story.
First there were the dodgy jokes. While I laughed my way through some very funny sections, I nevertheless felt that some of the jokes were unwisely reheated from David Nobbs’ other career as a gag writer for TV comedians:
The driver got in the car and slammed the door.
‘Lead on, Macduff,’ said Uncle Percy Spillinger.
‘I’m not Macduff. I’m Carter,’ said the driver.
‘I spoke figuratively,’ said Uncle Percy Spillinger.
‘Macduff’s got ’flu,’ said the driver.
That joke could have have helped fill the half hour on The Two Ronnies.
Apart from the odd less than ground-breaking joke, there was the bigger problem of accepting that a man could come back to his family, a bit older, greyer, suntanned, new bearded, and with nothing more than some am-dram experience, fool them into believing he is someone else.
AlI this being said, I still found myself fascinated by the story of an average man who wants to be something more. Reggie Perrin is a classic 1970s executive suffering a typical midlife crisis, hoping to escape his humdrum fate. David Nobbs does some very interesting things with the theme of fate, making you realise that we can never escape our destiny because what ever happens to us, no matter how bizarre, turns into what we are destined to do. Achieving something special does not involve leaving ordinary life behind, but finding remarkable qualities within it. This reminded me of that great tome of classic modern literature, the Alexandria Quartet, where Lawrence Durrell writes that our aim should not be to evade destiny, “but to fulfil it in its true potential.” David Nobbs makes the same point more succinctly, and with more laughs.
Overall the theme of fate is handled with such sensitivity and wit that I couldn’t help thinking of parallels with other authors who have written about the same thing, authors like, oh I don’t know, Shakespeare. Talking of Shakespeare, we could go back to my gripe about the veracity of Reggie fooling everyone with his disguise. Are all the cases of mistaken identity in Shakespeare always totally believable? Without the benefits of advanced prosthetics and a team of theatrical makeup artists, can shipwrecked Viola in Twelfth Night really concoct a disguise which persuades everyone that she is her brother? And dashing into the woods to escape her father in As You Like It, is it realistic that Rosalind manages to disguise herself as the sort of man capable of turning the head of shepherdesses? While we are on the subject of Shakespeare, let’s not forget that his plays have their share of dodgy jokes. What about all those puns? “You have dancing shoes with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead,” says Romeo. Did you get that - sole sounds like soul? If the Two Ronnies were working in the sixteenth century they might have passed on that gag.
By the time I reached the end of Fall and Rise, I’d decided that a rather silly romp could actually be a classic story.
April 29, 2021
Excelente ejemplo de humor inglés que entretiene de principio a fin y que a los más curiosos les invitará tanto a leer la continuación como a ver la serie que se filmó en la misma época en la que se escribió el libro, mediados los 70.
May 30, 2013
Buena novela de humor negro británico, aunque en ocasiones el carácter pusilánime del protagonista se hace un poco previsible.
March 19, 2015
Estoy 3 o 4 estrellas con este libro. Mis expectativas eran que fuera más parecido a Wilt o El anciano que saltó por la ventana y se largó, y aunque indudablemente tiene escenas y pasajes en ese estilo, me parece algo más profundo que esos libros, usando el humor para presentar la "crisis de la mediana edad" o como el protagonista ve la rutina de su vida y se le hace insoportable, tomando decisiones totalmente alocadas intentando romperla y hacerse una vida nueva.
Me ha resultado curiosa también la mezcla entre puritanismo y amoralidad en el libro.
Me ha resultado curiosa también la mezcla entre puritanismo y amoralidad en el libro.
January 25, 2008
A somewhat surreal and bizarre book, revolving around the more serious issue of a man having a rather caricatured mid-life crisis. I loved the first sentence, though it went a little downhill thereafter. Perhaps worth reading once; the occasional humorous moment but not the laugh-aloud hilarity I was promised on the blurb.
October 28, 2014
Si eres entusiasta del humor clásico inglés, te gustan las novelas con diálogos ágiles y brillantes y buscas mantener la sonrisa a lo largo de una lectura, no lo dudes, Caída y auge de Reginald Perrin es un libro que deberías tener en cuenta.
¡Puedes leer en mi blog mi opinión completa sobre este libro!
http://www.elladofriodemialmohada.com...
¡Puedes leer en mi blog mi opinión completa sobre este libro!
http://www.elladofriodemialmohada.com...
June 28, 2017
Deseando leer el segundo. La parte central es un poco pesada, pero el principio y el disparatado y brillante final valen mucho la pena.
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May 23, 2020for being an indifferently proofread large-print volume that looks like it was typeset in wordpad (don't repeat my mistake; avoid the isis edition) this was a p wonderful reading experience! w/o doxxing myself it's safe to say that a protagonist fed up with their absurd job in the cpg industry and constant public transit delays was QUITE relatable content, & along w/ some 1st-rate farce (nobbs is great at putting disparate personalities together in a room & shaking 'em up like an ant farm) it's also got sth trenchant to say about the difficulty of reinventing one's self. there's one plot point involving reggie's daughter linda i'm still absolutely mystified by (you'll know what i'm talking about) but all in all this one's an unrivaled comic earwig for parsnips of all ages
May 20, 2019
Na pewno spodoba się fanom Monty Python'a ;)
March 17, 2020
Brillante, brillante como toda la obra de Tom Sharpe aunque la haya escrito otro. He leído todo Tom Sharpe, algunas varias veces, y si me presentaran este texto como un inédito suyo o algo escrito con seudónimo, me lo creería.
Al margen de eso, es brillante, una divertidísima crisis de los 40.
Al margen de eso, es brillante, una divertidísima crisis de los 40.
November 23, 2018
This was David Nobbs' breakthrough novel, written in his late thirties, six years after the flurry of his first three. Those first three were bleakly absurdist in the tradition of the Goon Show / Beckett / Ionesco, with hints of Monty Python in them, but through the three of them there's a progression from straightforwardly absurdist alienation to a more recognizably human set of relationships. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (and the sequel, The Return) are probably Nobbs' most successful marrying of surreal, stagey comedy with the human concerns that he explored more in the better of his later books, especially A Bit of a Do and Second to Last in the Sack Race.
Some of the running jokes ("earwig" for any word, mother in law as hippopotamus) aren't funny, but some really land, and the ones that land land because they match the theme of the book: we're all stuck, but some of us don't even realize how stuck we are. Jimmy, CJ, David, Tony, Mark, Tom, Uncle Percy Spillinger, all with their catchphrases and their unchangeable worldviews, are funny because of how desperately they try to make the world fit what they already think, or how blithely they don't care that it doesn't; but they touch us because they're all trying so desperately to cling to what meaning they can find in life. And yet they form part of the background cacophany that Reggie feels so strongly that he has to escape. The female characters are softer, blander: Reggie lives in a world full of people who broadcast and don't listen, and that's a world that's closed to women, though Nobbs might have found a way to write a woman monster like his men monsters if he'd written this after the rise of Margaret Thatcher. Both the Jimmy / Linda subplot and the Lavinia / Percy subplot give a full voice to the women in them, however, and let you feel the relief and dread that both women feel at any sense that things could be different.
Reggie is stuck, too, but he realises it, and the first two thirds of the book is him unconsciously realising what he needs to do to escape that. There's no moment in the book where he decides he's going to fake suicide. The plan's not there, and then it's always been there, and all he has to think about is how to execute it. And then the last third of the book is him realizing that there's a reason why we end up stuck in our personal situations: knowing what's expected of you makes life easy and bearable. The book tries to sell it as his love for Elizabeth, but it comes over more as "always keep a hold of Nurse / for fear of finding something worse".
It's easy to quibble with particular narrative choices, but this is still a great book, trying to do a specific thing and accomplishing it with style and vision.
Some of the running jokes ("earwig" for any word, mother in law as hippopotamus) aren't funny, but some really land, and the ones that land land because they match the theme of the book: we're all stuck, but some of us don't even realize how stuck we are. Jimmy, CJ, David, Tony, Mark, Tom, Uncle Percy Spillinger, all with their catchphrases and their unchangeable worldviews, are funny because of how desperately they try to make the world fit what they already think, or how blithely they don't care that it doesn't; but they touch us because they're all trying so desperately to cling to what meaning they can find in life. And yet they form part of the background cacophany that Reggie feels so strongly that he has to escape. The female characters are softer, blander: Reggie lives in a world full of people who broadcast and don't listen, and that's a world that's closed to women, though Nobbs might have found a way to write a woman monster like his men monsters if he'd written this after the rise of Margaret Thatcher. Both the Jimmy / Linda subplot and the Lavinia / Percy subplot give a full voice to the women in them, however, and let you feel the relief and dread that both women feel at any sense that things could be different.
Reggie is stuck, too, but he realises it, and the first two thirds of the book is him unconsciously realising what he needs to do to escape that. There's no moment in the book where he decides he's going to fake suicide. The plan's not there, and then it's always been there, and all he has to think about is how to execute it. And then the last third of the book is him realizing that there's a reason why we end up stuck in our personal situations: knowing what's expected of you makes life easy and bearable. The book tries to sell it as his love for Elizabeth, but it comes over more as "always keep a hold of Nurse / for fear of finding something worse".
It's easy to quibble with particular narrative choices, but this is still a great book, trying to do a specific thing and accomplishing it with style and vision.
February 14, 2017
“Cuando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin se dispuso salir para el trabajo aquella mañana de jueves, no entraba en sus planes llamar hipopótamo a su suegra. Nada más lejos de su pensamiento”
Así empieza este libro, humor Inglés en estado puro.
Sólo apto para los que gusten de ese tipo de sentido del humor tan British, lleno de cinismo, de situaciones absurdas y a la vez dramáticas.
Un hombre de mediana edad del que nadie entendería que se quejara: Una bonita casa en las afueras, una mujer encantadora, dos hijos ya criados y un trabajo bien pagado.....hasta que un día se da cuenta de que todo lo que le rodea es absurdo: Su jefe, su trabajo, sus compañeros , su casa, su vida.
Quiere a su mujer, pero da la impresión que son dos robots que comparten casa. Sus hijos no le respetan, han hecho todo lo contrario y se comportan justo como no hubiera querido que se comportaran. Su jefe es imbécil. Su trabajo absurdo...Y dice basta.
En apenas unos días elabora un demencial plan para empezar de cero, pero…¿Desde cuándo los planes salen bien? Sobre todo si eres Reginald Perrin, siempre tan correcto, siempre en esa zona gris de la sociedad donde ni te ven ni quieres que te vean, siempre tan torpe y carente de habilidades, desde el principio ves que este pobre hombre se la va a dar, que está nadando fuera del agua (nunca mejor dicho, los que leísteis el libro lo entenderéis).
Ahora bien, no siempre que no te sale el plan es para mal.
Divertida por momentos, triste por otros, la novela tiene altibajos narrativos y cambios de registro de la comedia al drama que me han dejado descolocado. El estilo tampoco es el de un gran narrador, y las situaciones cómicas a veces se llevan un poco lejos hasta sentir lástima por su protagonista. Se deja leer y me ha arrancado más de una sonrisa, pero quizás lo triste es que en algunas cosas (afortunadamente no en todas) me sentía identificado con el pobre Reggie y eso es lo que me hizo, al contrario de lo que debería, disfrutar del libro.
Así empieza este libro, humor Inglés en estado puro.
Sólo apto para los que gusten de ese tipo de sentido del humor tan British, lleno de cinismo, de situaciones absurdas y a la vez dramáticas.
Un hombre de mediana edad del que nadie entendería que se quejara: Una bonita casa en las afueras, una mujer encantadora, dos hijos ya criados y un trabajo bien pagado.....hasta que un día se da cuenta de que todo lo que le rodea es absurdo: Su jefe, su trabajo, sus compañeros , su casa, su vida.
Quiere a su mujer, pero da la impresión que son dos robots que comparten casa. Sus hijos no le respetan, han hecho todo lo contrario y se comportan justo como no hubiera querido que se comportaran. Su jefe es imbécil. Su trabajo absurdo...Y dice basta.
En apenas unos días elabora un demencial plan para empezar de cero, pero…¿Desde cuándo los planes salen bien? Sobre todo si eres Reginald Perrin, siempre tan correcto, siempre en esa zona gris de la sociedad donde ni te ven ni quieres que te vean, siempre tan torpe y carente de habilidades, desde el principio ves que este pobre hombre se la va a dar, que está nadando fuera del agua (nunca mejor dicho, los que leísteis el libro lo entenderéis).
Ahora bien, no siempre que no te sale el plan es para mal.
Divertida por momentos, triste por otros, la novela tiene altibajos narrativos y cambios de registro de la comedia al drama que me han dejado descolocado. El estilo tampoco es el de un gran narrador, y las situaciones cómicas a veces se llevan un poco lejos hasta sentir lástima por su protagonista. Se deja leer y me ha arrancado más de una sonrisa, pero quizás lo triste es que en algunas cosas (afortunadamente no en todas) me sentía identificado con el pobre Reggie y eso es lo que me hizo, al contrario de lo que debería, disfrutar del libro.
March 31, 2014
Reginald Perrin is going through something of a mid-life crisis. Sick of the minutiae of his job at Sunshine Desserts, he is driven to desperate measures, and decides to steal a giant lorry shaped like a jelly, fake his own death, and start a new life. This book – the first in a series of three – tells of Reggie’s adventures as he tries to find a meaning to this life.
The very first line – “When Reginald Iolanthe Perrin set out for work on the Thursday morning, he had no intention of calling his mother-in-law a hippopotamus” – gave me a clue that this book was going to be funny, and somewhat surreal. What I didn’t expect was that it would actually be tinged with melancholy too. It’s easy to sympathise with Reggie’s frustration at his colleagues and his job, although the measures he took to find something more to live for were admittedly drastic and ridiculous.
Nobbs balances the melancholy out with lots of laughter though. During the first part of the book, I was amused on several occasions, but not enough to make me really laugh. However, then came the scene describing the funniest dinner party I have ever read about, which actually gave me a stomach ache from laughing so hard.
The book takes a bizarre turn towards the end, and and while it was supposed to be satirical, it didn’t strike quite the right note with me, because it was just TOO unbelievable. However, I did enjoy it overall, and certainly intend to read the next two books in the series.
The very first line – “When Reginald Iolanthe Perrin set out for work on the Thursday morning, he had no intention of calling his mother-in-law a hippopotamus” – gave me a clue that this book was going to be funny, and somewhat surreal. What I didn’t expect was that it would actually be tinged with melancholy too. It’s easy to sympathise with Reggie’s frustration at his colleagues and his job, although the measures he took to find something more to live for were admittedly drastic and ridiculous.
Nobbs balances the melancholy out with lots of laughter though. During the first part of the book, I was amused on several occasions, but not enough to make me really laugh. However, then came the scene describing the funniest dinner party I have ever read about, which actually gave me a stomach ache from laughing so hard.
The book takes a bizarre turn towards the end, and and while it was supposed to be satirical, it didn’t strike quite the right note with me, because it was just TOO unbelievable. However, I did enjoy it overall, and certainly intend to read the next two books in the series.
August 3, 2017
L'incipit:
Quando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin si incamminò per andare al lavoro giovedì mattina, non aveva alcuna intenzione di chiamare sua suocera ippopotamo. Nulla avrebbe potuto essere più lontano dai suoi pensieri.
Nella prefazione, Jonathan Coe afferma che "questo romanzo, più di qualsiasi altro, è quello che mi ha trasformato nello scrittore che sono diventato oggi", e dall'incipit si capisce subito che non si tratta di un dramma. E' invece un libro lieve sia nello stile che nei contenuti, che si legge con facilità e con piacere, impregnato di humor tipicamente britannico e carico di ironia. Con la sua trama vagamente surreale strappa un sorriso ad ogni pagina. Libro lieve ma che lascia qualcosa e ci insegna, per dirlo in tre parole, ad accontentarci di ciò abbiamo.
Quando Reginald Iolanthe Perrin si incamminò per andare al lavoro giovedì mattina, non aveva alcuna intenzione di chiamare sua suocera ippopotamo. Nulla avrebbe potuto essere più lontano dai suoi pensieri.
Nella prefazione, Jonathan Coe afferma che "questo romanzo, più di qualsiasi altro, è quello che mi ha trasformato nello scrittore che sono diventato oggi", e dall'incipit si capisce subito che non si tratta di un dramma. E' invece un libro lieve sia nello stile che nei contenuti, che si legge con facilità e con piacere, impregnato di humor tipicamente britannico e carico di ironia. Con la sua trama vagamente surreale strappa un sorriso ad ogni pagina. Libro lieve ma che lascia qualcosa e ci insegna, per dirlo in tre parole, ad accontentarci di ciò abbiamo.
August 24, 2013
It is sadder and more poignant than I remember from years ago. I can only see Leonard Rossiter who starred in the TV series as Reggie, AKA Coconut Matting (his school nickname). The funny bits are very funny and I laughed out loud many times, but Reggie's introspection, his fake suicide and ultimate return to his loving and loved wife are beautifully told. It was well worth re-reading. Onwards to Vol. 2.
July 31, 2011
It was funny, sad, still fairly fresh despite it being nearly 40 years old now. It had a sort of 'modern life is rubbish' theme beneath the main midlife crisis story. I wanted more of that, more digs at the way the world is. These were the bits that made me laugh and there were less and less of them as is went along.
November 21, 2012
Divertidísimo libro plagado de personajes tronchantes (empezando por el protagonista) que te hacen soltar la carcajada, y no exento de una profunda reflexión crítica sobre el progreso y la sociedad contemporánea.
Además está resuelto de forma muy brillante, con un final muy teatral.
Recomendado a todos aquellos que hayan disfrutado con el nuevo libro de humor de Benedicto XVI :ppp
Además está resuelto de forma muy brillante, con un final muy teatral.
Recomendado a todos aquellos que hayan disfrutado con el nuevo libro de humor de Benedicto XVI :ppp
April 19, 2019
Loved it. Haven't seen the tv series since my teenage years, when it made a big impression on me. If memory is correct though, the book is much darker, and more melancholic than the tv series. A fantastic dark comic novel, and a very easy read. Looking forward to reading the further adventures of R.I.P.
December 27, 2013
I revisit this every few years and it touches me more each time. The TV series is wonderful but the book has a magical melancholy all of its own.
The sequels are enormous fun but this first stands above them. Cannot recommend it enough. Quite superb.
The sequels are enormous fun but this first stands above them. Cannot recommend it enough. Quite superb.
July 4, 2018
Reggie Perrin suffers a midlife crisis. The humor is wonderful—farcical and odd like a 1970s British sitcom. The plot lost me in the middle as Reggie plots to run away from his life, but the is genuinely moving and quite hilarious.
December 4, 2013
Recordaba haber visto la serie cuando era un niño y tenía curiosidad. Humor inglés con algún buen momento, sin más.
December 6, 2012
Puedes leer mi crítica aquí: http://amnistiaparticular.wordpress.c...
April 16, 2015
Los capítulos finales me reconciliaron con una historia que había empezado rayando demasiadas veces lo absurdo.
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