There is only one Just William. The loveable imp has been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting hundreds of thousands of readers for years. Here, lisping, frilly-dressed Violet Elizabeth becomes William's worst nightmare. Not only does she expect him to play fairies - she even expects him to kiss her!
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.
Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.
Wouter leidt zijn vrienden, vaak tegen hun zin en tegen beter weten in, weer in een heleboel avonturen. Gewoonlijk loopt dat vooral voor Wouter zelf verkeerd af, al komt hij er toch steeds weer uit met een minimum aan "winst". De misverstanden leiden steeds weer tot nog grotere misverstanden en, voor de lezer, hilarische toestanden. De mentaliteit van Wouter, nu proberen en morgen zien we wel hoe het afloopt, helpt ook niet echt om de kleine en grote catastrofes te voorkomen. Meestal zijn de slachtoffers van de goede bedoelingen van de bende wel minder sympathieke personen, dus medelijden verdienen ze niet echt. De ouders en broer en zus van Wouter beschouwen hem min of meer als een hopeloos geval en ondergaan gelaten de gevolgen van zijn akties. Al volgt er steevast wel een, vaak lijfelijke, straf. Dus het wokegehalte is nul komma nul. Hilarisch voor de leeftijdsgroep waarvoor het boek bedoeld is. Weliswaar verouderd en het speelt in een voorbije en misschien ook toen wel, geïdealiseerde wereld. Maar ook voor oudere lezers (of om voor te lezen) primeert het humorgehalte.
"When Robert saw his “overflow bag” he had turned red.
When he saw his socks he had turned purple.
When he saw his shirt he had turned green.
When he saw his trousers he had turned white.
When he saw his note-book he had turned yellow.
When Miss Hatherly began to read he muttered something about feeling faint and crept unostentatiously out of the window. Marion followed him."
“Mother,” she said, “can’t we do anything about William? Can’t we send him to an orphanage or anything?”
“No, darling,” said Mrs. Brown calmly. “You see, for one thing, he isn’t an orphan.”
“But he’s so awful!” said Ethel. “He’s so unspeakably dreadful!”
“Oh, no, Ethel,” said Mrs. Brown still darning placidly. “Don’t say things like that about your little brother. I sometimes think that when William’s just had his hair cut and got a new suit on he looks quite sweet!”
Some quite good William stories here, and for the first time his group of friends (the Outlaws) starts taking its definitive shape. William Brown is a great literary creation, and still funny a century later.
Delightful collection of stories here. Right from the first appearance of the Bott family to some other really funny stories like the Matchmaker, the blackmail haunted house,truthful Christmas and valentine
"Still - William", the fifth instalment in Richmal Crompton's beloved Just William series, proves once again that William Brown is a timeless hero of mischief. This delightful book finds our young protagonist embroiled in a series of scrapes and adventures that are as entertaining as they are farcical.
Crompton's writing remains as sharp as ever, her wit as sparkling. The stories are a masterclass in the art of narrative, with William's antics leading the reader on a merry dance through suburban Britain. Each chapter is a self-contained gem, shining with humour and the sort of innocent roguishness that only a character like William can embody.
What stands out most in "Still - William" is the delightful way Crompton captures the essence of childhood - that blend of naïveté and cunning, of earnestness and mischief. William, with his Outlaws in tow, navigates a world that is constantly baffling, often unjust, but always ripe for his particular brand of chaotic intervention.
From trying to improve his report card to dabbling in the world of art, William's adventures are as mischievous as they are well-meaning. Crompton’s ability to evoke laughter through the simplest of scenarios is uncanny. She plays the English language like a fiddle, crafting dialogue and description that dance off the page with vivacity.
In conclusion, "Still - William" is a delightful romp through the world of a boy who is as exasperating as he is lovable. It’s a book that doesn't just tickle the funny bone; it gives it a good-natured prod. For fans old and new, William remains an unrivalled champion of childhood shenanigans.
This was a hilarious set of stories. It is set in a more innocent time when children were allowed to be a lot more independent than they are now and were forced to use their imagination more because the only electronic entertainment they had was the radio. Martin Jarvis is a first rate narrator and he really brings the stories in the audiobook to life. I like William and his long suffering family and really enjoyed the "problems" he and his friend the outlaws got themselves into. An added bonus to the CD is a 1964 interview with the author Richmal Crompton who said that she originally wrote the series for adults but over time it was moved to children's section in libraries. I really enjoyed this CD and would recommend.
Esta entrega de las Aventuras de Guillermo tiene dos cosas en común, muchas de las aventuras está protagonizadas por Violet Elizabeth Bott, auténtica némesis de William, y que parte de las historias que la componen, no fueron editadas en España. Destacamos tres relatos: "The Sweet Little Girl In White" es la primera historia de Violet, y como trata de manipular a Guillermo. "William The Match-Maker" aunque dentro de este tomo intenta "ayudar" a su hermano Robert con su vida amorosa, en esta ocasión busca un novio para su hermana Ethel, y les concierta una cita. "William And Uncle George", Guillermo caracterizado de abuelo en una silla de ruedas, rodeado por sus potenciales herederos, al lado una suculenta merienda.
Hilarious and laugh out loud funny. When I need a pick me up I reach for the next William. There are no modern children's books to compare. The prose style is utterly delightful. For anyone who loved William, try Booth Tarkington's Penrod and it's adorable sequel 'Penrod and Sam'.
The main reason I decided to go ahead with this one is that I wanted to read the famous debut of Violet Elizabeth Bott. There is a ring of truth to Violet Elizabeth stronger than any other I've experienced so far, and her introduction adds quite a bit of much-needed variety to the series, as do the other stories featuring the Bott family.
I was pleased to discover that this book features quite a lot of typical boyhood adventures with the Outlaws as a foursome, just as I wished for in my last review. I find Ginger, Henry and Douglas far more believable and satisfying characters for William to interact with than anyone else in the series (including his own family) and I feel that this book really shows the Outlaws with a strong group dynamic for the first time.
One thing Richmal Crompton often does rather well is make the reader sympathise with William's sense of despair at the hypocrisy of the adult world. I enjoyed William's attempts to follow the advice of the vicar by always telling the truth over the Christmas period, as any trouble that arose from the situation was because William was being asked leading questions to which the adults that asked them did not really want to know the truthful answers.
Apart from that it's a lot more of the same as we've had before, including yet another of William's interesting exhibitions, and an almost total facsimile of an earlier story detailing William's attempts to turn over a new leaf and "help" his family with their everyday endeavours. This has confirmed for me that it's time to take a break from these books.
William strikes again - a juvenile whirlwind strewing chaos in his wake with his usual mixture of over-enthusiasm, misunderstanding of the crazy adult world, single-minded desire for revenge and, let's face it, pure naughtiness. Were he around today he would be taken into care by social services or diagnosed with ADHD & doped to the gills with Ritalin.
Instead in the 20's & 30's such behaviour seemed to strike people as being a nuisance but not hugely remarkable - people may not have been quite so sang froid in real life but I suspect that his adventures are not too far from reality - especially when I remember some of the things I got up to in the 1970's!
These may be children's stories but it is more than just nostalgia that compels me to read them again, they are beautifully written and constructed, with an almost Wodehousian skill, and are still very, very funny
The uproarious tales of 11 year-old William Brown, his friends the outlaws (Ginger, Douglas and Henry) and the various notable members of their village somewhere in South East England. Many children will identify with William's patronising elder siblings, adults' lack of sympathy or understanding for many of the boys' games and adventures, and the fact that William's good intentions almost invariably land him in trouble - perhaps none better than his resolution to tell the truth after a vicar's Christmas sermon which results in him telling a family Christmas guest she is rather ugly! Despite the fact that these stories date from the years before, during and after WW2, many of the situations and events encountered remain comparable today; a child's life if never entirely what it seems to us adults!
An entertaining collection of William Brown stories. While I found the book entertaining, only a few of the stories really made me laugh out loud, which was a stark contrast to the previous William books I have read.
I found the character of Violet Elizabeth Bott to be incredibly annoying, but I think this is more down to my personal taste than anything else.
However I did enjoy the majority of the stories, my favourites included:
'A Bit of Blackmail' 'The Bishop's Handkerchief' 'The Haunted House' 'An Afternoon With William'
I used to read the Still William books every sunday afternoon after church in 5th and 6th grade. They were funny then and they're funny now! I love William, he reminds me a little of myself! My sister used to fall off her bed, laughing while reading Still William! They may be children's books but their appeal goes beyond. Its a great way to unwind after a tiring week.!
The William series is one of my best childhood memories. My fiance recently gifted me this book. I relived all my memories at the age of 24 and I was in splits once again. Though classified as a childrens' book, all ages can enjoy Richmal Crompton.
Ah...for about four years I would go to sleep every night to the wonderful voice of Martin Jarvis :) Hilarious stories! Especially "William and the White Cat"