Call number
FIC PAL
Collection
Genres
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (1999), Edition: 2, 288 pages
Description
In a British post office, injustice arrives in the guise of modernization. The mild-mannered assistant, Martin Sproale, an admirer of Hemingway must decide whether to accept it passively, or fight for what he believes, like his hero would.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member denisa.howe
I am still not sure if I really liked this book or not. At times I felt I was caught within Martin’s own mind and he was talking to himself. He truly is Hemmingway’s number one fan… to many lengths in his life. I did enjoy the characters that were introduced to me. They were all true to life
I expected a bit more on the humor side but it did not take away from the book itself. It was a read I am glad I read.. I half way expected Martin to mimic or even pretend he was Hemingway more often, I have since concluded that Martin was in awe of Hemingway… He wanted to be like him but not actually become him; for knowledge he would never have been as great..
I cringed at the thought of a big corporation coming in and changing a small rural area… the people, their lifestyles and whom they would have become. The touch of the big modern way touched this little town; Martin and others fought back. I liked this bit of history that probably happened more times than we care to admit. It gave the plot a more of a human touch and reached out and gave us a thought to ponder when it comes to our own small towns and the businesses we let in. The biggest problem I had with the book is the fact it is so drawn out in places; I struggled to wade through the pages to get at the good parts. It was as if I stepped in mud, struggled to pull my foot out and the shoe came off; but alas, I kept at it.
I bought this book via Amazon.com
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and normal personalities. A new boss arrives and takes the job Martin thought he was going to advance to…and he has his eye on Martin’s girl and even seeks out a friendship with Martin. This friendship puts in at odds with others…I expected a bit more on the humor side but it did not take away from the book itself. It was a read I am glad I read.. I half way expected Martin to mimic or even pretend he was Hemingway more often, I have since concluded that Martin was in awe of Hemingway… He wanted to be like him but not actually become him; for knowledge he would never have been as great..
I cringed at the thought of a big corporation coming in and changing a small rural area… the people, their lifestyles and whom they would have become. The touch of the big modern way touched this little town; Martin and others fought back. I liked this bit of history that probably happened more times than we care to admit. It gave the plot a more of a human touch and reached out and gave us a thought to ponder when it comes to our own small towns and the businesses we let in. The biggest problem I had with the book is the fact it is so drawn out in places; I struggled to wade through the pages to get at the good parts. It was as if I stepped in mud, struggled to pull my foot out and the shoe came off; but alas, I kept at it.
I bought this book via Amazon.com
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LibraryThing member dirac
A decent quick read. I wanted to like it more but I was left wanting by then last act of the book. The characters were decent and the build up was decent but the ending felt rushed. Much like this review!
LibraryThing member msl521
A quick, entertaining read.
LibraryThing member sleahey
Martin's staid life as post office worker is threatened when he is passed over for promotion and a new manager wants to modernize the community hub that is the post office. Martin is obsessed with everything to do with Hemingway, and he meets his match when an American professor moves to the
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village to write a book about Hemingway's women. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mithril
Quite decent.
LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
A Michael Palin novel should be a wonder of the modern world, filled with belly laughs aplenty. So, "Hemingway's Chair" is quite the disappointment.
The protagonist Martin is a staid post office worker in a small English town opposed to the new post office manager and what he has planned for the
The protagonist Martin is a staid post office worker in a small English town opposed to the new post office manager and what he has planned for the
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post office. Martin is also a mad keen Ernest Hemingway fan and collects everything he can of the man and his work. He gets up to all manner of minor levels of shenanigans trying to save the post office and gets not one but two women and Hemingway's Chair. The biggest issue with "Hemingway's Chair" though is the lead character, for whom I could find no sympathy for, and was astonished at his success with the ladies. Show Less
Pages
288
ISBN
0312205503 / 9780312205508