What do you think?
Rate this book
Joan Kahn-Harper #2
The Man Who Lost His Wife
Gilbert Welton’s life changed one breakfast time – his wife, Virginia, announced she was leaving him. Perhaps not the expected beginning of a comedy, but Symons employs his customary skill and brilliant wit to reveal the funny side of the tale. The result is a hilarious and riotous look at the life of a very ordinary middle-aged man.
238 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 1977
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Julian Symons
257 books67 followersJulian Gustave Symons is primarily remembered as a master of the art of crime writing. However, in his eighty-two years he produced an enormously varied body of work. Social and military history, biography and criticism were all subjects he touched upon with remarkable success, and he held a distinguished reputation in each field.
His novels were consistently highly individual and expertly crafted, raising him above other crime writers of his day. It is for this that he was awarded various prizes, and, in 1982, named as Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America - an honour accorded to only three other English writers before him: Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and Daphne Du Maurier. He succeeded Agatha Christie as the president of Britain's Detection Club, a position he held from 1976 to 1985, and in 1990 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writer.
Symons held a number of positions prior to becoming a full-time writer including secretary to an engineering company and advertising copywriter and executive. It was after the end of World War II that he became a free-lance writer and book reviewer and from 1946 to 1956 he wrote a weekly column entitled "Life, People - and Books" for the Manchester Evening News. During the 1950s he was also a regular contributor to Tribune, a left-wing weekly, serving as its literary editor.
He founded and edited 'Twentieth Century Verse', an important little magazine that flourished from 1937 to 1939 and he introduced many young English poets to the public. He has also published two volumes of his own poetry entitled 'Confusions about X', 1939, and 'The Second Man', 1944.
He wrote hie first detective novel, 'The Immaterial Murder Case', long before it was first published in 1945 and this was followed in 1947 by a rare volume entitled 'A Man Called Jones' that features for the first time Inspector Bland, who also appeared in Bland Beginning.
These novles were followed by a whole host of detective novels and he has also written many short stories that were regularly published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. In additin there are two British paperback collections of his short stories, Murder! Murder! and Francis Quarles Investigates, which were published in 1961 and 1965 resepctively.
His novels were consistently highly individual and expertly crafted, raising him above other crime writers of his day. It is for this that he was awarded various prizes, and, in 1982, named as Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America - an honour accorded to only three other English writers before him: Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and Daphne Du Maurier. He succeeded Agatha Christie as the president of Britain's Detection Club, a position he held from 1976 to 1985, and in 1990 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writer.
Symons held a number of positions prior to becoming a full-time writer including secretary to an engineering company and advertising copywriter and executive. It was after the end of World War II that he became a free-lance writer and book reviewer and from 1946 to 1956 he wrote a weekly column entitled "Life, People - and Books" for the Manchester Evening News. During the 1950s he was also a regular contributor to Tribune, a left-wing weekly, serving as its literary editor.
He founded and edited 'Twentieth Century Verse', an important little magazine that flourished from 1937 to 1939 and he introduced many young English poets to the public. He has also published two volumes of his own poetry entitled 'Confusions about X', 1939, and 'The Second Man', 1944.
He wrote hie first detective novel, 'The Immaterial Murder Case', long before it was first published in 1945 and this was followed in 1947 by a rare volume entitled 'A Man Called Jones' that features for the first time Inspector Bland, who also appeared in Bland Beginning.
These novles were followed by a whole host of detective novels and he has also written many short stories that were regularly published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. In additin there are two British paperback collections of his short stories, Murder! Murder! and Francis Quarles Investigates, which were published in 1961 and 1965 resepctively.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 15, 2010
Gilbert Welton is a fairly bland middle age man living a comfortable if not exciting life. At breakfast one morning his wife announce her desire to go on a holiday to reevaluate their marriage. Gilbert thinks it is nonsense but his wife is adamant that she needs some time away from him. She decides to travel to Yugoslavia (the story was published in 1970). Gilbert begins to grow suspicious that she is having an affair when his business partner also goes to Yugoslavia on business.
Symons weaves a deft tale showing how events conspire for a murder to occur, based on the character and psychology of the protaganist.
Symons weaves a deft tale showing how events conspire for a murder to occur, based on the character and psychology of the protaganist.
May 7, 2020
Gilbert Welton is a successful publisher who lives with his wife In London. When she declares one morning that she is thinking of leaving him, he becomes convinced that she is having an affair. She decides to visit Yugoslavia in an effort to decide on her future. Gilbert, rather repressed and struggling to exert himself in both his personal and professional life, feels himself plunging into an emotional abyss. He eventually follows her to Yugoslavia, where he embarks on an adventure of sexual antics, foreign travel, and intrigue, culminating eventually in death.
I really enjoyed this novel. It's not exactly what I was expecting, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Julian Symons was a superb writer, everything of his I've read has been top quality. There is an element of themes that mark this out as being very much a product of its time (it was written in the late 1960s) - the attitude to women, homosexuality, foreign travel, etc - but don't let that deter you. I quite liked the cold character of Gilbert Welton and found the details of working in the publishing industry to be very interesting. It's very much a book of two distinct halves, both perfectly balanced to bring out the best in the other. Don't go expecting a traditional murder mystery - this really isn't that kind of novel - but rather a finely drawn character-study of a middle-aged man fighting to regain control of his life. I thought it was excellent.
I really enjoyed this novel. It's not exactly what I was expecting, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Julian Symons was a superb writer, everything of his I've read has been top quality. There is an element of themes that mark this out as being very much a product of its time (it was written in the late 1960s) - the attitude to women, homosexuality, foreign travel, etc - but don't let that deter you. I quite liked the cold character of Gilbert Welton and found the details of working in the publishing industry to be very interesting. It's very much a book of two distinct halves, both perfectly balanced to bring out the best in the other. Don't go expecting a traditional murder mystery - this really isn't that kind of novel - but rather a finely drawn character-study of a middle-aged man fighting to regain control of his life. I thought it was excellent.
September 11, 2018
I read Julian Symons' "The man who killed his wife" quite a few years ago and I loved it, so I was really looking forward to reading another one of his books. What a disappointment. The story was practically non-existent, the characters and their actions didn't make any sense and it was just a very tedious affair getting through this. A lot of the book was made up of not very interesting tidbits about the main character's business and not a whole lot happened really. The few times there was any kind of action in this book at all, it was over pretty quick and wasn't convincing anyway. I just kept trying to work out what the point was to this whole book. I don't give out one star ratings very often but when I do I really mean it. Stay clear of this one. If you want to read a Julian Symons book I would choose "The man who killed his wife", a much better read for sure!
October 14, 2020
My copy of The Man Who Lost His Wife is part of the Penguin Crime series, but to be honest it's not really a 'crime' novel per se. Sure things of a criminal nature happen, but this is more about characters, choices, with a few unusual events thrown in.
August 21, 2023
Julian Symons is a long time favourite author and a highly intelligent writer.
His characterisations have so much humanity and the emotions and conundrums of Gilbert’s adventure are such that it’s easy to identify with him. Really well crafted.
His characterisations have so much humanity and the emotions and conundrums of Gilbert’s adventure are such that it’s easy to identify with him. Really well crafted.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews