+++++
My favorite critic, Slate's Stephen Metcalf, drastically oversold this puppy when he knowingly hyperbolized "it'll be a treasure you'll take to the grave". It is a perfectly good book which contains more than one page that transplanted me into Jim's person and left me mirroring his emotions, however, it never fought my eventual need to put it aside. Billed as a humorous British classic, there are many amusing descriptions, and at least one laugh till you cry bit, but I found myself wishing I'd chosen to labor elsewhere in the vast expanse that is my general literary ignorance. I'll still check out Amis's "Everyday Drinking" at some point, but now assume Waugh or Lodge provide more bang for the buck when it comes to novels, or maybe my fondness will grow like a cancer and I'll spontaneously reverse course.
