The Harold and Edith Adventures (Curmudgeon Avenue #2) in Get Reviews!

Dec 27, 2018 Paul Falk rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humor, general-fiction-adult

The author presented another hilarious romp through the streets of Whitefield, England, with this second installment of the comical escapades of Harold and Edith. Never a more polar opposite of two people had ever come to exist. The storyline followed the two main protagonists as they dodged and bullied their way through countless obstacles in the only way known possible - haphazardly. In clear prose, they were well-drawn. I was overcome with chuckling from beginning to end in response to their The author presented another hilarious romp through the streets of Whitefield, England, with this second installment of the comical escapades of Harold and Edith. Never a more polar opposite of two people had ever come to exist. The storyline followed the two main protagonists as they dodged and bullied their way through countless obstacles in the only way known possible - haphazardly. In clear prose, they were well-drawn. I was overcome with chuckling from beginning to end in response to their endless hijinks.

Within this well-written novel, the narrative contained many quirky twists and off-the-wall antics that made for a stimulating read. Worth repeating, the storyline came through with the delivery of non-stop enjoyment. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more to ask for.

It's also worthy to note, the voice resonated with an informal British tongue that took me to a distant shore yet traveled. It's my own way of paying a quick and easy visit to the UK. Samantha - I have you to thank for that.

Of all things, an incident with a Sarsaparilla tablet was the straw that turned Harold into a regular con man - thief. Anything that would fit into his rucksack was fair game. Eventually, busted by a shop owner for attempted shoplifting, his life of crime came to an abrupt end - temporarily. The sudden onset of guilt felt was only a minor setback; soon he was back in the saddle living up to his old thieving and conniving ways. His most notorious theft was stealing Edith's heart.

Originally having started out as just an ordinary boarder in her house, his affections were first paid to Edith's older sister, Edna. Soon he found himself attracted to Edith after having unceremoniously dumped Edna. As expected, some friction developed between the sisters. Undoubtedly, Harold was a real piece of work. In his oddball way, only he could have pulled off a stunt like that.

As time went on, it was Edith's hope that Harold would eventually take the plunge and ask for her hand in holy matrimony. She considered that he might need a little coercing. Little by little, she began to chip away at his shield of armor. Now backed into a corner, Harold had to decide in which life-changing way to go, remain a bachelor till the cows come home or make an honest woman of his squeeze. Think - Harold - think. The time for arriving at a decision had finally arrived.

I offer my thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
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Feb 06, 2020 Kat rated it it was amazing

It appears I totally dig the Manchester sense of humor. Samantha Henthorn’s Curmudgeon Avenue series is completely hilarious. Edith and Harold are in a relationship… sort of. Edith is hoping it will become a marriage. Harold… well, he’s hoping to be discovered by the news programs so he can give his opinions (seriously, so funny.) The dry humor in the way that Henthorn slyly describes Harold’s paging through “The Economist” and being so sure a canned response to an email is a message directly as ...more

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May 19, 2020 William Cook rated it it was amazing

The house is at it again, and the gang is all here, except for Edna and Genevieve, who may be off to France. As the omniscient narrator, the house first reminds us of who the dramatis personae are, then simply concludes, “They are still a set of nincompoops, and I am still exasperated by their presence here.”

Smelly Harold (feet, armpits, breath) now resides in the Curmudgeon Avenue house, desperately afraid that Edith, the owner, will find out that he is responsible for Deirdre the elephant’s ru The house is at it again, and the gang is all here, except for Edna and Genevieve, who may be off to France. As the omniscient narrator, the house first reminds us of who the dramatis personae are, then simply concludes, “They are still a set of nincompoops, and I am still exasperated by their presence here.”

Smelly Harold (feet, armpits, breath) now resides in the Curmudgeon Avenue house, desperately afraid that Edith, the owner, will find out that he is responsible for Deirdre the elephant’s running amok and squishing her parents. He has no source of income until he discovers “Where there’s blame, there’s a claim!” That litigation chicanery comes to a screeching halt when Psycho Steve catches him practicing to fall at a local kebab shop. Perhaps he would be better off winning the “World Black Pudding Throwing Championship in the formidable village of Ramsbottom?” And then there’s always shoplifting…

Edith seems to be looking for love in all the wrong places (most especially from Harold!) and jumps on his accidental proposal of marriage to her. Patchouli, Wantha, and Toonan persuade her to come with them for a “hen do,” and it becomes a bachelorette party to be sung about in song and legend, fueled by uncounted bottles of cheap Prosecco.

The wedding is another incomparable disaster, made all the more uproarious by the memorable “camping trip honeymoon” afterwards.

Throughout the story, the goings-on at Curmudgeon Avenue are being watched by “a mysterious, tall, handsome, well-dressed stranger with a well fancy car.” First Harold thinks the man is a fraud detective, but then he becomes convinced he’s something even more sinister—an elephant detective! Toonan thinks he’s stalking her with evil, sexual intent. We find out who he is on the last page, and we know we’ll have to read the next book.

I confess I have the same grammatical misgivings I had with Book #1, but I feel more forgiving this time. Hey! The house has its own voice, and it don’t need no stinkin’ grammarian! I do wish, however, that the author had included an active table of contents to facilitate navigation between the chapters. Some richly deserve a re-reading.

Curmudgeon Avenue #2 actually gets funnier as it goes along, and by midway through, I was chuckling on every page. In these sober times, its zany, over-the-top lunacy is much-needed virtual escape from quarantine. Thank you, Ms. Henthorn!
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Oct 18, 2020 Nico Genes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humor, fun

Great British humor continues.

The number one Curmudgeon Avenue house continues to humor us with the stories about its inhabitants.

The two sisters, Edna and Edith, inherited the house after the death of their parents. In the first book of the series, we get acquainted with their strange relationship and meet the new tenants. Some were meant to stay longer, others only to visit occasionally, as was Wantha, the on/off girlfriend of Ricky, Edith's son.

Edna left with Genevieve. presumably somewhere ...more

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Mar 17, 2019 Deborah J Miles rated it liked it

Another simple but eye-catching cover belies the mayhem unfolding within!

Once again, the story is told mainly from the perspective of the house itself. The house has its own personality and particular way of delivering the story - it is chatty, upbeat and sometimes sarcastic. I feel it delivers its story almost manically at times, likely driven to insanity by its occupants and strange array of visitors.

In this book, there is a new character, 'a tall, handsome man who drives a well fancy car', w Another simple but eye-catching cover belies the mayhem unfolding within!

Once again, the story is told mainly from the perspective of the house itself. The house has its own personality and particular way of delivering the story - it is chatty, upbeat and sometimes sarcastic. I feel it delivers its story almost manically at times, likely driven to insanity by its occupants and strange array of visitors.

In this book, there is a new character, 'a tall, handsome man who drives a well fancy car', who appears to be stalking Toonan... or possibly Harold, or even Ricky Ricketts. He pops up frequently but remains an enigma, right to the last minute, and thus provides a suspenseful link to the next book in this series.

Toonan and Wantha's mother, Patchouli, is a stand-out character for me. Nothing gets past her, and she has got Harold's measure. She is supposed to need a carer, a role Wantha fills, yet she is certainly on the ball, and out the door, when it comes to shoplifting. She provides Edith with much-needed support and friendship throughout.

I do feel for Edith. She finds herself in some uncomfortable situations, and Harold really does not put himself out to help her, and often only ends up making matters worse.

I love that the house still thinks of Harold as a nincompoop - although I would personally use harsher words about him - the loathsome individual! In his attention seeking, he finds himself proposing marriage, and surprisingly, at least to me, he follows through. I will have to give him a point - well half a point - for trying to give Edith a lovely surprise with his choice of wedding breakfast venue; but he even manages to mess that up!

We get a glimpse of Edna and Genevieve on Curmudgeon Avenue to whet the appetite for Book Three, Edna and Genevieve Escape from Curmudgeon Avenue. There is also a brief sighting of Georgina Foote in Northumberland - the tenant who stole the rent money. The cheeky madam has given her prospective landlord Edith's name for a reference! But I think there might be an interesting coincidence concerning the cottage which Georgina Foote is attempting to rent... Although it is not directly mentioned, I'm putting two and two together and hoping this will be addressed in Book Three.

All-in-all, another quirky, tongue-in-cheek funny story, that had me feeling sorry for Edith, in that she is much taken advantage of by Harold, and also her son Ricky. Yet there is a real warmth of friendship through Edith's interactions with Toonan, Wantha and Patchouli which I found heart-warming.
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Jan 29, 2021 Sharley Scott rated it it was amazing

For me, the parts I most love about this book are the humour and the voice that carries through so clearly. I loved the scene with the black pudding ‘wangling’ (my expression used there) and the not-so-romantic proposal, where Harold’s scheming once again doesn’t work in his favour. It was the first time I felt for Ricky. I mean, who’d want Harold as their step-dad? The money-pit house is always one step of them all, seeing Harold for the useless, selfish person he is – and laughing at Ricky’s w ...more

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