All the Tea in China: Which Tells How Carolus Mortdecai Van Cleef Set Out to Seek His Fortune in London Town, on the High Seas, in India, th

by Kyril Bonfiglioli

Book Overview

Inspired by a shotgun blast in the seat of his breeches, young Karli Van Cleef quits his native Holland to seek his fortune. He arrives in early Victorian London and soon he is turning a pretty... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394413857
• ISBN13: 9780394413853
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Too Bad I can't give this Book More Stars!

KB at his best! The Mordecai Books could only give a reader the slightest inclination of the delights of ATTIC (All The Tea In China) - a fantastic romp (no other word will do) round the globe and human conditions!A must read for any sporting young man!

A wonderful satire of the Human Condition

Bonfiglioli is at his best in ALL THE TEA IN CHINA . It is a satire of the English which employs an historical perspective in a unique way. The narration employs social history using the form of a patriarch's memoir to his descendants. Full of admonitions and asides about inheritance, or the lack thereof, Bonfiglioli raises the non sequitor to an art form and re-creates the world of 19th century England and its mercantile destiny. His sense of character, the pacing of his narrative, all make for wonderful reading. In fact, one can read him too fast- it is necessary to re read to fully appreciate his humour and insights. And re-reading is perhaps more rewarding than one's first impression of this original writer. This is a book which proves hard bindings aren't obsolete .

Historical romp; convincingly executed parody of this type.

Unscrupulous wastrel (and moma's boy), trysts with the wrong maidens and consequently must flee mid 19th century Holland for the wonder and wealth of the Far East. Author has a wonderful sense of place, invoking the taste and smells of the period, delighting in plot twists, daring escapes, flim flams and danger while providing an insightful travelogue. Not simply a ribald send up of the genre, but an affectionate tribute worthy of Stevenson, Defoe and Dumas. In flavor, comparable to Flashman saga