The Legacy of Reginald Perrin

Reginald Perrin #4

by David Nobbs

*The fourth book of the classic comic series about the 'sweaty, charming, paunchy, sad, hilarious man' who faked his own death. First published in the late 1970s, the three previous books were made into an immensely popular BBC TV series starring Leonard Rossiter. *THE LEGACY OF REGINALD PERRIN is set in the present day, and Reggie is now REALLY dead. He's bequeathed vast sums of money to his family and old associates on the condition that each performs a really absurd act. Here is the return of all the favourite Perrin characters, whose hilarious catch-phrases have become by-words: Reggie's hopeless brother-in-law Jimmy ('Bit of a cock-up on the catering front'), and his old boss at Sunshine Desserts, C. J. ('I did'nt get where I am today by. . . ')

Genres: Fiction

313 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 1997

Reviews

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last will and testament of Reginald Perrin.

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm! Seems to have been a mistake to read this installment immediately after the first book, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. What was clever & eccentric in the first was merely dreary & annoying in this, the 4th book. Nice to re-visit some of the characters 20 years later, perhaps, but disappointing in it's execution.

The departed Reggie has the old gang jumping through hoops in an effort to get their hands on the extraordinary legacy he's left behind. Seems they all learn something about themselves in the process, and it wasn't a bad scheme at that. Nice but not nearly as entertaining, nor as memorable, as Reggie's early escapades.

-----------------------------------------
cover:
When Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, forty-six, a middle manager at Sunshine Desserts, caught the 8.16 one fateful Thursday morning he had no intention of calling his mother-in-law a hippopotamus. But one thing led to another. He threw a dinner party with no food. He filled a trout stream with loganberry essence. And finally he disappeared, leaving his clothes in a pile on the seashore. He returned under an alias. He created Grot, a shop which sold useless objects, and made a fortune. He created Perrin's, a therapy centre, which collapsed in utter chaos. And he ended up going to work as a middle manager for Amalgamated Aerosols and commuting on the 8.16.

Twenty-five years later, killed by a falling billboard advertising the Royal and General Accident Insurance Company, Reginald Perrin finally rests in peace. But when his widow Elizabeth, his daughter Linda, his military brother-in-law Jimmy and his old business associates, C.J., Doc Morrissey and David Harris-Jones gather for the reading of the will, what they here astounds them. Thanks to Grot, Reginald Perrin died a multi-millionaire and he has bequeathed vast sums to his relatives and close associates on condition that each does something totally and utterly absurd.

This sparkling new novel traces the fortunes of all the old Perrin crowd, including C.J. ('I didn't get where I am today by being absurd'), as they combine to devise a strategy which will, they hope, not only earn them their inheritance, but also create a worthy memorial to Reggie's extraordinary life. The result is a breath-taking scheme as bizarre and bold as anything Reggie ever attempted.

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Reggie Perrin book without Reggie? Despite this, still a very entertaining read. The other people in his life are set an impossible task if they are to fulfil his legacy and inheirt lots of £££ from his estate. Eventually an anti-ageism party is born ... and the satire is only wafer-thin sometimes.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was wonderful fun to check in on these characters again, nearly 20 years after the last Reginald Perrin book. As much fun as it was, though, it would have been nice to have a stronger plot.