What do you think?
Rate this book
"Mischief" "Rookery Nook" "Cuckoo in the Nest"
MISCHIEF is the quick-witted, farcical story of the calamitous marriage between Reggy--the middle-aged protective husband--and his impulsive and lovely young wife, Eleanor. The humor is delightfully British...a combination of 1920s bedroom farce and a tongue-in-cheek poke at the proprieties that govern "civilized" man. "Think of Feydeau, of Keystone Comedies, of Wodehouse, perhaps faintly, of Saki and read MISCHIEF with delight. It is preposterous and hilarious." --Emily Kimbrough
640 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 1985
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 22, 2024
Plenty of humour and absurdity!
The first story is definitely the most compelling, simply because it has the most depth. The second was still good, and honestly I think I tried to read them all too quickly or they declined in quality because the third one I lost interest pretty fast and skimmed to get to the end. But the writing and plotting are both tight, there are some Oscar Wilde-esque asides and aphorisms, and I enjoyed it as a light read. I appreciated that while there was a lot of impropriety there was not a lot of actual immorality. Plenty of temptation, though ;)
Like most British novels of its time, there's enough classicism to be uncomfortable at times and I can't say its portrayal of women is always stellar, but there are some good moments of humanity and sympathy for all. And the men don't always come off too well, either. Sort of an equal-opportunity satire, but without bitterness.
The first story is definitely the most compelling, simply because it has the most depth. The second was still good, and honestly I think I tried to read them all too quickly or they declined in quality because the third one I lost interest pretty fast and skimmed to get to the end. But the writing and plotting are both tight, there are some Oscar Wilde-esque asides and aphorisms, and I enjoyed it as a light read. I appreciated that while there was a lot of impropriety there was not a lot of actual immorality. Plenty of temptation, though ;)
Like most British novels of its time, there's enough classicism to be uncomfortable at times and I can't say its portrayal of women is always stellar, but there are some good moments of humanity and sympathy for all. And the men don't always come off too well, either. Sort of an equal-opportunity satire, but without bitterness.
Displaying 1 of 1 review