Review of 'Reginald' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A funny, often anarchic collections of short fiction about Reginald, a mischievous young man who delights in causing trouble, especially for older, more conservative members of society. The narrator of "Reginald" states:
"I did it — I who should have known better. I persuaded Reginald to go to the McKillops’ garden-party against his will.
We all make mistakes occasionally."
That's a bit of understatement, considering Reginald's behavior at the party.
Then there's the attempt of the vicar's daughter to reform Reginald. She mistakenly allows him to supervise the annual outing of the choirboys that culminates in a Bacchanalian procession through the village:
"The singing had died down long before the main street was reached, but the miserable wailing of pipes brought the inhabitants to their doors. Reginald said he had seen something like it in pictures; the villagers had seen nothing like it in their lives, and remarked as much …
A funny, often anarchic collections of short fiction about Reginald, a mischievous young man who delights in causing trouble, especially for older, more conservative members of society. The narrator of "Reginald" states:
"I did it — I who should have known better. I persuaded Reginald to go to the McKillops’ garden-party against his will.
We all make mistakes occasionally."
That's a bit of understatement, considering Reginald's behavior at the party.
Then there's the attempt of the vicar's daughter to reform Reginald. She mistakenly allows him to supervise the annual outing of the choirboys that culminates in a Bacchanalian procession through the village:
"The singing had died down long before the main street was reached, but the miserable wailing of pipes brought the inhabitants to their doors. Reginald said he had seen something like it in pictures; the villagers had seen nothing like it in their lives, and remarked as much freely.
Reginald’s family never forgave him. They had no sense of humour."
Then there's his prank on the rather pompous Miss Langshan-Smith:
"There was a paper pinned on her door with a signed request that she might be called particularly early on the morrow. Such an opportunity does not come twice in a lifetime. I covered up everything except the signature with another notice, to the effect that before these words should meet the eye she would have ended a misspent life, was sorry for the trouble she was giving, and would like a military funeral. A few minutes later I violently exploded an air-filled paper bag on the landing, and gave a stage moan that could have been heard in the cellars. Then I pursued my original intention and went to bed. The noise those people made in forcing open the good lady’s door was positively indecorous; she resisted gallantly, but I believe they searched her for bullets for about a quarter of an hour, as if she had been an historic battlefield."
Reginald also sees himself as a philosopher, and has opinions on just about everything. For example, on aunts:
"Then there are aunts. They are always a difficult class to deal with in the matter of presents. The trouble is that one never catches them really young enough. By the time one has educated them to an appreciation of the fact that one does not wear red woollen mittens in the West End, they die, or quarrel with the family, or do something equally inconsiderate. That is why the supply of trained aunts is always so precarious."
On canaries:
"I knew a canary once that had been trying for months and years to hatch out a family, and everyone looked upon it as a blameless infatuation, like the sale of Delagoa Bay, which would be an annual loss to the Press agencies if it ever came to pass; and one day the bird really did bring it off, in the middle of family prayers. I say the middle, but it was also the end: you can’t go on being thankful for daily bread when you are wondering what on earth very new canaries expect to be fed on."
Education:
"And then there’s the Education Question — not that I can see that there’s anything to worry about in that direction. To my mind, education is an absurdly over-rated affair. At least, one never took it very seriously at school, where everything was done to bring it prominently under one’s notice. Anything that is worth knowing one practically teaches oneself, and the rest obtrudes itself sooner or later. The reason one’s elders know so comparatively little is because they have to unlearn so much that they acquired by way of education before we were born."
Children:
"It is dreadful to think that other people’s grandchildren may one day rise up and call one amiable.
There are moments when one sympathises with Herod.
"Reginald" is like a mix of "MASH", the Marx brothers, and P. G. Wodehouse. The stories sometimes lag, which is why I only gave it four stars, but there is a lot that is very funny, especially "Reginald's Choir Treat" and "Reginald's Christmas Revel." There is a sequel, [b:Reginald in Russia|28136913|Reginald in Russia|Saki|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|48147879], which I have not read yet.
