Stephen Leacock
1920
Kindle edition
General Books (2010)
It takes a lot of effort to reach an author like Leacock. In my quest to meet the Extraordinary Reading Challenge by The Curious Reader, I was to read something funny. Now, heavens alone know why, but we are constantly fed with satire in the name of humour. Well, I refused to take it since I don’t like satire. I asked around, tried some books, and finally picked up Leacock. And I am quite glad I did. I am actually disappointed that I haven’t read his work earlier.
It is light and easy to read. It is entertaining and funny. The best bit is that it is not targeted at people but at situations. The first story in itself would give you a peek into what lies in store. At one point, this young lady is actually begging to be kidnapped when the kidnappers start having second thoughts. Each of the stories in this book are of a different genre. Each as bizarre and mad as the earlier one. My favourite is the one of the Kidnapped Plumber. The description of the conclave of plumbers and their fight for rights is fantastic. This borders a bit on satire but it is too funny to be anything else.
An enjoyable read. Some of the best things in life are free (available for kindle download on amazon: https://amzn.to/2udjTMB). Looking forward to reading more of his work.
P.S. It is a bit of a dampener that he opposed the right of women to vote. But I don’t know why. Yet. So will keep his view aside for now.