Rumpole and the younger generation

Rumpole of the Bailey

by John Mortimer

The first-ever Rumpole story, introducing many of the characters and setting the scene for the whole series. In reminiscent mood, Horace Rumpole, barrister, looks back to his successful defence of 16-year-old Jim Timson, member of a large and industrious family of South London criminals.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Short Stories, Book Club, British Literature, Crime

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

John Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.

Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles

Reviews

[Daren]

Rumpole of the Bailey, well known for the popular and long running television series (although I am familiar with it, I don't recall ever watching it), in what feels like an excerpt, published as a Penguin 60. I say it feels like an Excerpt, because I cannot be sure if it is a stand alone short story, which carries on in the next short story, or whether it is simply a chapter break in a book.
Either way, it stands alone well enough, although I had some doubts about the relevance of what I was reading five pages from the end. However, it closed loop in the story, and ultimately worked well.

The rear of the book states this is the first story featuring Rumpole, so it works well as an introduction to the character, his family, and his colleagues. It involves a court case, where Rumpole is a defence solicitor, working as legal aid (ie paid by the state to defend the accused). It is a simple enough story, but it is well written, with variance in pace, and colour in the descriptions.

Very readable, very accessible, and not bogged down in law, as a book of this genre could so easily be.

Between 3 and 4 stars, rounded up.

[Stephanie]

restores my faith in humor & dry witt

[Greg]

A fun story about a British barrister that would appeal to anyone who is a lawyer or interested in the legal profession--which I am not. It's about the compromises they make and the professional politics they encounter. Good read for a short flight or an evening when you can't get to sleep.

[Paul Barnes]

[Penguin Books] (1995). SB. 54 Pages. Purchased from The British Heart Foundation.

“…the first Rumpole story in the long-running series…”

Taken from “Rumpole of the Bailey” (1978).

Of great appeal; I love both the Fleet Street area and courtroom narratives.

[Marie]

Engaging story from where Rumpole began and became the formidable character in the later works. Great Penguin60,

[Endimione]

Bello e piacevole!

[Katla Lárusdóttir]

Barn síns tíma, nenni ekki að lesa gamla kynstaðlaða brandara um konur.

[Sam]

Small cigars and red wine never sounded more necessary, a super hero who is unfit and overweight but still his humanity shines through.

[Roger Carr]

Good humour

[Angelika]

For the most part this little story bored me to death. Too much of the sort of English humor that is so overly dry that it almost hurts. But not in a good way. A desert-like humor. A humor that is often witty and depending on verbosity. A humor that only occasionally made me grin. A humor that - I can imagine - works well when put onto the screen. Had it been longer, I probably wouldn't have finished it. If you are very interested in legal procedures, this may be for you - but don't expect any kind of emotions or characters to relate to, I had difficulty detecting any.

[S S]

Quirky, witty and observational

[Coenraad]

In this first Rumpole story, John Mortimer presents us with a fascinating set of facts, setting out the basis for a long and well-loved series set in the legal world. We get to know the main character from his own words and observations as first-person narrator, as well as his colleagues (and work place politics), his family (and home life politics), as well as the family of villains who provide him with a seemingly endless list of clients. The sophisticated and nuanced narrative deserves to be explored further.

Rumpole is 'n hoogs ervare misdaadprokureur in Londen. In hierdie eerste storie van 'n lang en geliefde reeks leer ons hom ken as spitsvondige eerstepersoonsverteller met 'n skerpsinnige waarnemingsvermoë, asook sy kollegas, familie en kliënte. Die verhaal is geskakeerd omdat Rumpole, selfs al wen hy 'n saak, voel dat hy soms belangriker dinge verloor. Mortimer het 'n komplekse karakter geskep wat duidelik meer leesaandag van my gaan verg!

[Marco]

Racconti piacevoli, veloci da leggere, basati su un paio di personaggi nel mondo leguleio inglese negli anni '60. Scritto bene con il sottile humor inglese con forse troppi rimandi alla poesia inglese citata semre in originale.

[Saya]

Along the lines of Jeeves and Wooster but perhaps not as frivolous; an amusing observation on the English professional and upper classes.

[Not-just-yeti]

Some nice humor, and fun gruff personality.
Wasn't too drawn in by the story-arc of office politics.

[Maureen]

Great Intro. Can't wait to sink my teeth into the Rumpole series.

[Anthony]

Rumpole triumphs again! All the usual villains and some of them in silk.