The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer

by Charles James Lever

It was on a splendid morning in the autumn of the year 181-- that the Howard transport, with four hundred of his Majesty's 4--th Regt., dropped anchor in the beautiful harbor of Cove. It was with a mingled sense of pain and pleasure that we gazed upon that peaceful little village. The moody silence our thoughts had shed over us was soon broken: the preparations for disembarking had begun, shaking off the load that oppressed my heart, I descended the gangway. . . .

524 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1839

About the author

Charles James Lever was an Irish novelist.

He was educated in private schools and earned a degree in medicine in 1831 at Trinity College, Dublin.

He lived in the backwoods of Canada, Germany (Göttingen, Jena), Austria (Vienna), Belgium (Brussels) and Italy (Como, Florence, Spezia, Trieste), where he died of heart failure.

Reviews

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer was published in 1839 and I had the good fortune to read a William Curry first edition that was previously owned by Charles Kent, Vicar of Ludford (1807-1885), it was apparently quite the popular book back in the day.

How has it aged? In a word, fair. If you were to update the scenes to the present day it would likely make for a popular movie - one man's search for love (and money) gallivanting through Europe derailed by numerous distractions upon his journey.

It's quite a rambling novel, presented as a memoir of an English military officer on detachment to Ireland, the plot is quite flimsy, basically a stream of events with a meandering course and not a great deal of direction. It didn't really contain much in the way of description of how things were back in the day in terms of the functioning of civilisation, although there are a few pistol duels and numerous presentations of the horse and carriage.

Overall, it was fair a little cumbersome at times, but interesting in others. It has quite small and closely spaced font so the 344 pages is more like 700 if it were to use a modern typeface, margins and spacing.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This early 1800s picaresque was a favorite of Dickens', which is why I picked it up. It has the all the faded charm and the stubborn quirkiness of another era. The plot is as thin as deli cheese, and it is rounded out with endless discursive tales told by characters the hero runs into along his journeys. The book is based on two premises, considered hilarious in the day, and offensive to many in the 21st Century: everything soldiers and Irishmen do is funny, because they're dumb, and even funnier things happen when you put the two groups together. Get them drinking, and you've got sure-fire humor. Well, my friends, the moment has passed and all that's left is Harry's escapades, which do bring the occasional smile, but mostly leave you scratching your head in wonder at the changing nature of humor over the years. The best moment? When Harry is mistaken for a famous composer, and feted by an adoring audience full of music fans. Aside from that, it's slow going.

[Rick Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of humorous early 19th century anecdotes, organized into a fictional memoir.
This book takes place right after the Napoleonic wars. It was very popular. The author's next few books gave him a reputation for military realism, like Stephen Crane's reputation vis the American Civil War.