Mr. Vogel

by Lloyd Jones

The quirky exploits of Mr. Vogel, a strange, solitary man who leaves his car lights on so that people will knock on his door, is documented in this warm-hearted novel about a man's dreams for love, friendship, and freedom. Mr. Vogel's life unexpectedly changes when an unorthodox competition wins him a fortune of money, a beautiful house, a quaint little croft, and a pagoda. Odd circumstances then compel him to embark upon a quixotic walking tour of Wales, and he soon finds himself traveling backward in time, visiting his childhood and even observing the development of his country's history and literature. At the core of this humorous and gentle tale is a rumination on the importance of hope.

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2004

About the author

Lloyd Jones was a novelist from Wales.

He formerly worked on a farm and as a newspaper editor, a lecturer and a mencap nurse. His first two novels were both published through Welsh publishing house Seren. Mr Vogel (2004), winner of the McKitterick Prize, was based partly upon Jones' walking completely around Wales, a 1000-mile journey (he is the first Welsh person to do so). His second book, Mr Cassini (2006), was partially inspired by his walking across Wales in seven different directions; it won the Wales Book of the Year award 2007. His third book, My First Colouring Book, a collection of short stories and essays, was published in October 2008. He published a novel in Welsh, Y Dŵr, with Y Lolfa in June 2009.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this out of a box of books left for folk to help themselves to on a bench near my house. For reasons I now put down to serendipity its’ cover leapt out at me and I had to return to get it! It’s a tour of Wales, a detective story, a historical document and quirky story all rolled into one. So as a lover of of all of these it’s not surprising that I found it an enjoyable read. It’s no Harlan Coben but the search for Mr Vogel becomes a bit of a page-turner - especially in the middle of the book. It’s full of accurate and poetic descriptions of familiar places and interesting information from historical records. And, yes, there is a twist at the end! So - if you’ve ever yearned to walk around Wales; if you love local history and research; if you've ever wondered about the origins of the Orthopaedic Hospital just outside Oswestry (who hasn’t!); if you like quirky and loveable characters - I would recommend Mr. Vogel to you!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a novel about a mysterious Welshman nicknamed Mr Vogel, who claims to have circumnavigated Wales on foot, by Welsh writer Lloyd Jones. I have some Welsh ancestors, so I read it because the blurb on the back says that the book “is a celebration about the culture and landscape of one small country” and I wanted to know more about where that side of my family comes from. I was expecting a Bill Bryson-esque tour of the country, a story using gentle humour and anecdotes to present a warm and affectionate ode to Wales. Unfortunately, this book is nothing like that at all. There is a little intrigue and some amusing asides, but mostly I was lost. I know a few Welsh place names, yet I could rarely locate the characters, so there is no clear sense of progress as they appear to be on one side of the country and in the next chapter they are suddenly on the opposite coast. Their conversational babble is often hard to follow, even though they don’t seem to indulge in a lot of Welsh language or local idiom. Then the writer had the temerity to insert himself into the story in both first and third person, creating extra confusion in the general chaos of the narrative. Its main saving grace is that the descriptions of the countryside are truly marvellous – I’ve been to Wales and have witnessed exactly what is written here. But I was often frustrated while reading it and I don’t feel that this book taught me anything I didn’t already know about Wales, its culture, or its people.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully dense, intricately woven meander around Wales in search of the truth behind the fictitious Mr Vogel.

[GaiB · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - what’s the opposite of gripping? I only got to about half way in three weeks because I kept losing concentration. Which was disappointing because it seemed like a great idea.

[Robert Humphries · Rating 4 out of 5]

The discovery of an unfinished manuscript in an antiquarian bookshop inspires a picaresque ramble around Wales in search of the titular "Mr. Vogel." Lloyd Jones playfully weaves through layer upon layer of storytelling to create a modern-day myth. As in the ancient tales and legends encountered on the narrator's thousand-mile walk around Wales, characters and chronologies are confused, and alternate realities interact. Part mystery and part travelogue, it adds up to a passionate meditation on what it means to be Welsh.

[Mab Jones]

£2.50 in a charity shop! Bargain :-p