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larryleex's review
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
disreputabledog's review
3.0
This was neither a terrible book nor a great book, but somewhere right in the middle, and I'm totally okay with that. I picked it up because I was curious to know what former Python Michael Palin's fiction was like, and though there is definitely quite a bit of humor in it, "Hemingway's Chair" is not quite as zany or side-splittingly funny as some of Palin's Monty Python sketches. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.
Martin Sproale lives a dull life as assistant postmaster in the small, quiet English town of Theston. He has two pleasures in life: his job, which he takes pride in, and his obsession with Earnest Hemingway, which has resulted in a collection of Hemingway artifacts and replicas. Martin expects to be promoted to head postmaster when the current one retires; however, when the time comes, Martin is passed over in favor of an outsider, Nick Marshall. Nick makes sweeping changes to the Theston post office that force Martin to take action - as a Hemingway hero would - and defend his town.
Though not an outstanding book, this is a nice one to pick up if you're looking for something light and quick to read. My only real disappointment was with the ending, which felt a little rushed and anticlimactic. I also felt that, as someone who hasn't read much Hemingway, I probably missed out on most of the references and inside jokes aimed at Hemingway fans. With that being said, this is still an enjoyable book regardless of how much or little Hemingway you've read.
Martin Sproale lives a dull life as assistant postmaster in the small, quiet English town of Theston. He has two pleasures in life: his job, which he takes pride in, and his obsession with Earnest Hemingway, which has resulted in a collection of Hemingway artifacts and replicas. Martin expects to be promoted to head postmaster when the current one retires; however, when the time comes, Martin is passed over in favor of an outsider, Nick Marshall. Nick makes sweeping changes to the Theston post office that force Martin to take action - as a Hemingway hero would - and defend his town.
Though not an outstanding book, this is a nice one to pick up if you're looking for something light and quick to read. My only real disappointment was with the ending, which felt a little rushed and anticlimactic. I also felt that, as someone who hasn't read much Hemingway, I probably missed out on most of the references and inside jokes aimed at Hemingway fans. With that being said, this is still an enjoyable book regardless of how much or little Hemingway you've read.
htetrasme's review
3.0
Nicely written and sweet but twisted. I wish Palin would write another novel.
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