Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet
This is my first encounter with Rumpole in print (ok, e-ink), so I thought I'd start at the beginning. The first couple of stories in this volume wet my appetite but later tales really turn on the charm. Reading Rumpole is a bit like slipping into a comfy pair of jeans and slippers. It's also a great "in between" read to "cleanse" my little gray cells as I switch from one thriller or police procedural to another.
John Mortimer's The First Rumpole Omnibus is actually a collection of three books published in the late 1970s: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return -- and these, in turn, are based on a BBC Television series. There are at least two other Omnbius editions as well as other one-off novels.
In the main, I enjoyed the 12 short stories more than the lengthier novel which brings Rumpole out of retirement, linking a chance encounter with a flower child in Florida with a murder trial that draws he back to England. Rumpole is an acquired taste with all things in the world seen through the his somewhat self-serving eye. Bu it is delightful to give in to Rumpole behaving like a little boy ... sixty or so years younger than his age.
Small caveat: Penguin have allowed an appalling number of simply typos to creep into this edition. Truly: the text is a mess by any reasonable professional standard.
Avaialble for Kobo and Kindle for around $10 (although in Canada, bizarrely, Penguin wants over $15 ...). |
The Rumpole omnibus editions were pulled from the USA Kindle store b/c of geo restrictions. I snagged a copy before this happened - and yes, the number of typos is appalling.
Rumpole is a very "comfy" read - the film adaptations with Leo McKern are the finest translation of book into film that I have ever seen (along with Morse) - the actors chosen fit my mental images perfectly.