The Unspeakable Skipton: The Modern Classic

by Pamela Hansford Johnson and Pamela Hansford-Johnson

Book Overview

'Witty, satirical and deftly malicious' Anthony Burgess

Described by the New York Times upon her death as 'one of Britain's best-known novelists', delve into the sparkling and satirical world of Pamela Hansford Johnson with this wickedly funny tragicomedy about a destitute English author living in Bruges.

'A maliciously witty account of literary skulduggery and loft pretensions.' TLS

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1473679893
• ISBN13: 9781473679894
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Classic social comedy still funny after 50 years

The noted academic & novelist Pamela Hansford Johnston wrote The Unspeakable Skipton in 1959, when the world was a very different place. I first read the book about 20 years ago, and again this week. I enjoyed it greatly both times. Although it is part of a loose trilogy, it is complete in itself. The novel certainly doesn't appear anti-feminist to me. Indeed, most of the male characters are shown to be more or less incompetent rogues completely without awareness of any kind - especially self-awareness. The ladies are treated relatively generously, to my mind. And if the Australian woman poet is based on the person that I suspect, then she has got off very lightly indeed!

Entertaining but unremarkable

I would really offer this review only 3.5 stars, if such were allowed. I found the authors style quite engaging, and enjoyed the read very much, but the overall content and story were not particularly stellar. I had hoped for something along the lines of Saki (H.H. Munroe) but such was not to be. If there is ever a dearth of literature in my 'to read' pile I shall consider more by this author, but probably not until then...

Solid Satire

Daniel Skipton, a British writer of limited talent and possibly even more limited success, pretends to himself and the world that he is a great writer. He is, in fact, a liar, a chiseler, a boor, and a swindler, as his conduct over the week or so covered in this novel demonstrates. Skipton is ruined in the end, of course. I do think that the novel had been better had any of the major characters been at all sympathetic; as it is, only Lotte, Skipton's landlady's daughter, who knits socks for him and brings his meals to his room is at all appealing.

funny (if you have a sense of humor)

I'm halfway through this book. It's hilarious. Veryvivid. I've never read anything quite like it. Thefact that grumpy idealogues are denouncing it here is a sign of how wickedly funny it is. (Grumpy idealoguesare oblivious to funny, but they have a good nose forwickedness.)

entertaining if very light weight

I can understand why this book is not particularly popular; it is certainly not the first book one should read of Johnson. But it does have its moments, and could reasonably compare to humorous genre fiction and light romance. But if you can get into it, it's not so bad, and I for one was not offended by it.