Reviews

The Green Man by Kingsley Amis

angus_mckeogh's review against another edition

3.0

By no means a barn burner, and this just by coincidence is Amis’s foray into a ghost story; it was comical and interesting. I wouldn’t venture to call it scary or even creepy really, but it was a fun read. More about the dissolution of a man rather than the haunting of a house.

dreliseruthenbeck's review

adventurous dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kevin_shepherd's review against another edition

5.0

“Nothing short of physical handicap has ever made anybody turn over a new leaf.”

Gothic horror best read with a shot of bourbon or a glass of wine.

Meet Maurice Allington, a surprisingly likable, sex-obsessed, dipsomaniac innkeeper who knowingly dwells on the cusp of carnal debauchery and unknowingly on the precipice of Satan’s abyss. Picture Dean Martin in Hell House; One minute you’re laughing hysterically, the next you’re sleeping with a light on. I’d put this on par with Poe and Lovecraft for sheer frightful brilliance. Five stars.

scheu's review against another edition

4.0

At times a ghost story, at others a sex farce, and at yet others an occult mystery. Overall enjoyable, as long as you can resolve the fact that the protagonist is an arrogant alcoholic jerk. I also laughed out loud a few times, especially when the main character derided novelists; you know the character isn't a front for the author when that happens!

mturner2's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

atticrat's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

theslozat's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jimmypat's review against another edition

3.0

Amis never quite succeeds in mixing all the genres at play in this novel to achieve a great story. Is it horror? Is it a 60s-70s (obsessively boring) naughty sex book? Is it a character study of an alcoholic? Is it a (not very funny) comedy? It never really gels, but I found the last chapter to be quite excellent.

causearuckus's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

borealis85's review against another edition

2.0

Maurice is a womanizer who has a younger wife and a younger lover, funerals of his father in sight, an alcohol problem and a ghost in his inn. Too many clishes, but the book is not apologetic of that and delivers a short-story like tale in a novel format. I havent read any kingsley Amis before, so i do not know how good is this compared to his other stuff, but i would hope there would be something that stands out a bit more than this.