
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
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Narrated by:
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June Whitfield
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Suzy Aitchison
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Hywel Simons
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Ioen Meredith
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By:
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Tobias Smollett
Written as the letters of the five members of Squire Bramble's household sent as they journey around Britain, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is a grouchy, very funny examination of how one story varies depending on who's doing the telling.
The tale is centered around the arrival of Mr. Clinker into the otherwise uneventful household, who never speaks and does not even enter the novel until a third of the way through. In spite of this, the duels, imprisonments, failed romances and jealousies and an inconveniently overturned carriage, all recounted with Smollett's characteristically coarse and satirical verve, manage to make Mr. Clinker one of classical literature's best-loved characters. This was Tobias Smollett's last novel.
Published in 1771, the year of the author's death, it brought together all the qualities of Smollett's work - his renowned gravelly style, his knowledge of the travails of a doctor beset by hypochondriacs,(being a qualified surgeon and MD himself), his lengthy and varied travels and a recent stay at the fashionable and increasingly ridiculous spa at Bath - all combine to make a very funny read.
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At one point there was an extended dialog between two characters about whether Scotland gained or lost in uniting with Britain. It was not clear what was intended. Was this a serious policy discussion or presentation of information? Was it intended to be humorous, showing the chauvinism of the Scotsman through his outrageous statements? Without historical knowledge of the events, it is hard to know.
Think of the old Ed Sullivan show: some acts wow you, some fall flat and some are awful, depending on your taste but no one is pleased with everything.
And yes, the servants are lampooned for their malapprops but the upper classes are treated the same way. Everyone has their foibles twitted, high or low.
Quirky brits on parade
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just fantastic
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The story is told in the letters they write to their particular friends. And the joy of the audiobook - and it is a joy, first to last - is the excellence of the ensemble cast. Unfortunately, though the four people in the cast are named in the credits, there is no guide as to who reads which part. Squire Bramble - Hywel Simons? Ioen Meredith? - is an especially brilliant performance.
Plot? There's no plot. There's lots of movement, though, and a few surprises and coincidences; and plenty of conflict, and a happy ending. If you decide to try this one out, just sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the wonderful trip and the engaging characters. As with any good journey, the real pleasure comes from the diversions and digressions.
And don't bother trying to remember the names of the people addressed by the letters. Liddy unfortunately writes to someone named Letty, which occasioned some confusion in the beginning. But the people written to never write back, so the only people you really need to keep straight are the six letter writers themselves - and Humphry Clinker.
A treat
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Underrated writer!
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Good for long walks
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I’m not in love with all the performances. There are two main letter writers (both male) and three more occasional letter writers (all female, although it sounds like one actress does double duty by reading the letters of two of the women). The women performers are very good, and one of the men is also quite good, but I found it difficult to listen to the other (younger) man. I have a paper copy of the book and ended up just reading his letters and fast forwarding through them in the audiobook.
An odd book
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I must also recommend the delightful performances by the entire cast. Altogether splendid entertainment.
The author who birthed Dickens all by himself
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There are multiple readers. They're pretty good, except that the reader portraying the crotchety uncle often modulates his speech close to a whisper, which is annoying if you're not in a perfectly silent environment.
The author thinks it's funny to portray the speech and spelling of members of the lower or servile classes as being the productions of unconsciously funny morons. While I am far from being a righteous warrior of the politically correct, assuming that all non-aristocrats are buffoons is simply not funny. Maybe it was funny in Smollett's day, but I doubt it. I take him to be an over-the-top, nose-in-the-air snob. I'll take slobs over snobs.
In sum: Unless you are planning to time travel to 18th century Britain, and require a detailed foretaste, I'd skip this. It has its charms, but it's mostly a bore.
A (boring) travelogue, not a novel
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The narrators
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