The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm

by Norman Hunter, Martin Jarvis (Narrator)

Professor Branestawm is the most absent-minded inventor you'll ever meet and no matter how hard he tries his brilliant ideas never seem to keep him out of crazy scrapes.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Humor, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Career
Hunter wrote popular books on writing for advertising, brain-teasers and conjuring among many others. His career started as an advertising copywriter and in the 1930s he was performing as a stage magician in Bournemouth.
It was at this time he started to write the Professor Branestawm series, originally intended for radio. The books were published in hardback, with the first illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. Other illustrators were to follow, including James Arnold, George Worsley Adamson, Gerald Rose, David Hughes, Jill McDonald and Derek Cousins. In the 1960s the books were reprinted in Puffin Books, the Penguin children's imprint.
Hunter returned to London during the Second World War, living on a boat on the Thames. Post-war, in 1949 he went to work in South Africa and the fiction writing ceased. On his retirement in 1970, he once again returned to London, where Thames Television had just produced the Professor Branestawm eight-part TV series. He continued writing in his retirement, with his last book published in 1983.
Works (Incomplete)
Simplified Conjuring for All: a collection of new tricks needing no special skill or apparatus for their performance with suitable patter, C. Arthur Pearson (1923)
Advertising Through the Press: a guide to press publicity, Sir I. Pitman & Sons (1925)
New and Easy Magic : a further series of novel magical experiments needing no special skill or apparatus for their performance with suitable patter, C. Arthur Pearson (1925)
The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm, John Lane (1933)
New conjuring Without Skill, Bodley Head (1935)
Professor Branestawm's Treasure Hunt, John Lane (1937)
Larky Legends (1938), republished as The Dribblesome Teapots and Other Incredible Stories (1973)
Successful Conjuring for Amateurs, Pearson (c.1951)
The Puffin Book of Magic (1968), republished as Norman Hunter’s Book of Magic, Bodley Head (1974)
The Peculiar Triumph of Professor Branestawm, Bodley Head (1970)
The Dribblesome Teapots and Other Incredible Stories (1971)
Professor Branestawm Up the Pole, Bodley Head (1972)
Professor Branestawm's Dictionary, Bodley Head (1973)
The Frantic Phantom and Other Incredible Stories (1973)
Professor Branestawm's Great Revolution, Bodley Head (1974)
The Home-made Dragon and Other Incredible Stories (1974)
Dust up at the Royal Disco: and Other Stories (1975)
Professor Branestawm’s Do-It-Yourself Handbook, Bodley Head (1974)
Long Live Their Majesties (1975)
Professor Branestawm Round the Bend, Bodley Head (1977)
Professor Branestawm’s Compendium of Donundrums, Riddles, Puzzles, Brain Twiddlers and Dotty Descriptions, Bodley Head (1975)
Vanishing Ladies, and Other Magic, Bodley Head (1978)
Professor Branestawm's Perilous Pudding, Bodley Head (1979)
The Best of Branestawm, Bodley Head (1980)
Sneeze and Be Slain and Other Incredible Stories (1980)
Professor Branestawm and the Wild Letters, Bodley Head (1981)
Professor Branestawm's Pocket Motor Car, Bodley Head (1981)
Professor Branestawm's Mouse War, Bodley Head (1982)
Professor Branestawm's Building Bust-Up, Bodley Head (1982)
Count Bakwerdz on the Carpet and Other Incredible Stories (1982)
Professor Branestawm's Crunchy Crockery, Bodley Head (1983)
Professor Branestawm's Hair-Raising Idea, Bodley Head (1983)

Wikipedia

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and not too dated (but definitely there were bits! maybe skip the first story, in which they casually make a war worse and shoot some people!).

In addition to the main character's stereotype of an absent-minded professor with no common sense, Hunter makes fun of social aspects such as peoples' tendency to judge by surface appearance surface appearance and clothing (the professor swaps clothes with his 'special friend'* Colonel Dedshott and the Colonel's own men don't notice the difference).

There are also more purely science-fantasy mishaps, like accidentally bringing a waste bin of receipts to homicidal life.

I read this one story per night before bed. The humor is a bit samey so I don't recommend reading it all in one go.


*The Colonel is consistently referred to this way, and they apparently knew each other since youth -- the professor has a photo of Dedshott getting dressed in his uniform for the first time and asking how it looks.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Harrison, my temporary teacher in Junior 3 read this to us at the end of the day and I loved every minute of her readings of the whacky professor and his five pairs of spectacles and his coat done up with safety pins and his great inventions. I think Heath Robinson (hang on I'll check - yes) did the illustrations and Wikipedia have reminded me that the Professor invented a clock that didn't need winding up (this was the 30s)- 'but the omission of an important component ("I forgot to put a little wiggly thing in") means the clock doesn't stop at twelve but continues striking thirteen, fourteen and so forth until it can't keep up with itself.' There are many more of these type of inventions.

Ah Miss Harrison. She said I was a good writer (I was 9) and set me up on a project to write a long story (over 10 pages she said but i think I did 30) and had another pupil do the illustrations, another one to bind it and so on. It was a Dr Who story (the Doctor was new then) and she said it was so good she was going to get it published. And then she vanished, after Easter she didn't come back and my MS had disappeared. Scarred me for life. And set me out on the quest to be a published writer. I always wondered what happened to Miss Harrison.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible serendipity! Being a strong bibliophile, just lately (I am a senior) have been acquiring as many children's classics I once knew and loved and re-reading them. I make the rounds weekly of every used bookseller within a few local towns. Having not previously been familiar with Professor Branestawm, and seeing this book in a shop once or twice before, took absolutely no particular notice. Now as a new Goodreads member, I've been scrolling through some reviews of children's books. Imagine my delighted surprise when I read some regarding this one. Returning to the shop in hopes the copy was still available, I pounced upon it and triumphantly made the purchase for fifty cents. Arriving home I devoured it cover to cover (thank goodness it's the weekend) and am happy to confirm what many others have reported---this is a terrifically funny book and Heath Robinson's illustrations, as always, are fantastic. Especially love the libraries' books and the burglar trial. Thanks, Goodreads!

[Sara Hollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024: My boys chose to re-listen to this, and we loved it again! The audio narrator is fantastic.

We heard of this book through the book list in A Place to Hang the Moon, and the audio is simply fantastic! This reminds me of Mr. Bean or Monty Python but for kids. It had us all laughing! My boys begged for more from this book more than any other this year! We are all sad there are no sequels.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is it that this book has eluded me all my life? It should be in every library in the world. Yes, a worthy choice for 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read.

Professor Branestawm (his last name, I learned, is a homophone of the word “brainstorm”) is a classic absent-minded professor. The professor spends his days creating amazing inventions like a Spring-Cleaning Machine and an Elixir of Vitality and a Clock-That-Doesn’t-Need-Winding, always accompanied by his patient housekeeper Mrs. Flittersnoop and his loyal friend Colonel Dedshot.

I can see movie makers eating this movie up.

A 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

[Negin Khoshdaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

واسه زمان خودش طنز ملایم و بامزه‌ای داشت

[Fi's Journey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've finished this book over a month ago but I still remember how utterly silly this Professor Branestawm is! He gets into all sorts of misadventures and troubles - all of them crazy, weird and hilarious - but at the end always gets out of them.
He's a silly, funny and wacky character who is (almost) always working on new inventions.

Then there is his housekeeper Mrs. Flittersnoop who tries to help the Professor but she doesn't know that she's not actually helping him at all but making things worse.
The Professor's friend Colonel Dedshott also comes into most of the stories who really adores the Professor but doesn't half understand what he's saying most of the time.

This book was definitely fun even though it took me sometime to finish it.
Overall I recommend this book to people who enjoyed The Magic Pudding, Pippi Longstocking and Alice in Wonderland. They all have a wacky sense of humour and adventures.

[Anthony Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant fun and I was torn between four and five stars. I let my daughters' enthusiasm nudge it up to five despite a couple of flaws, primarily that some elements of the book are quite repetitive. Overall its a very funny engaging book that made me and my kids laugh together, which can't be a bad thing.

[Ammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is technically a collection of short stories and they are quite comical. I didn't laugh out loud that I can remember, but I chuckled and smiled throughout. He is the epitomy of an absent minded professor with a child like innocence and absolutely enduring. I need to find a copy to own.

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure joy.

[Jemima Pett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the theory of Professor Branestawm - the nutty professor who gets into all sorts of scrapes when his inventions go wrong. The inventions, brought to life so beautifully by Heath Robinson, more or less lived up to my expectations. I don't know whether I'm a little jaded, or I really have lost my humur mojo, but I found some of the stories mildly amusing, more of them irritating, and a couple, just a couple, had me laughing out loud.

There are 14 incredible adventures, and I laughed at the Pancake one (partly because I love pancakes and would have loved a machine making them for me - so would my mum, I reckon) and the Too-many Professors, which was a wonderful confection of chaos I could really imagine. I also delighted in no.3 The Professor Borrows a Book. I suspect the intricacies of the library system described would be lost on today's youngster, since libraries are under threat, and the thought of each village having its own library is just a pipe-dream. We still have a mobile library in our rural area, which you have to be ready for on the right day of the month for the right half hour when it is scheduled to be in the village! Otherwise it's a bus to the main library in the city, although there is one attached to a school in a nearby town. I digress. But the Professor's principle of getting a copy of the same book out of one library in order to check it back into a different one is not unlike the way some people use credit cards, so I expect people will relate to it.

I kept wondering whether the book is too dated for the modern MG reader. Frankly, I was surprised that it is given a 9+ reader designation, since I felt the stories were suitable for six and upwards. Some of the words are quite long, and there is a lot of reflective narrative that is eminently suitable for a bedtime story, but I'm not sure how well it would be received by a young reader. I will give my copy to a friend of the right age and ask for feedback. He's already read it, I expect!

The quote from Charlie Higson on the front cover "Can still make a modern kid laugh like a drain" is something I bear in mind. Charlie Higson writes hugely popular kids books featuring vampires and seriously messy stuff. I assume he knows what a modern kid laughs at. It's just that I can easily put four words in front of that quote, which makes more sense to me. Those are: "I wonder if it" .

No, I'm being too hard. The plots are ridiculous in the slapstick tradition and very clever. The names of people, places and organisations are full of delightful puns. It is beautifully written. And I laughed out loud at some of them. What more do you want?

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've realised that I really really love Professor Branestawm and the Colonel's friendship.

And the writing.

And all the similarities between the professor and other absent minded fictional professors, especially the one from Mistress Masham's Repose, and Professor Calculus. Time to look at the publication dates!

So: Branestawm first published 1933. The very first Tintin (Tintin in the Land of the Soviets) was in 1930, but my in-depth research (quick wikipedia skim) says Calculus didn't show up till Red Rackham's Treasure in 1943. So Branestawm wins! I'm unsure of the probability of Belgian adult Hergé reading the English children's books of Branestawm... but the similarities (Colonel Dedshott is a good parallel for Capt. Haddock too!) are too many for me to ignore!
Mistress Masham's Repose first published 1946. It's English, and T.H. White did read quite a lot, so there's some possibility he was influenced by Branestawm.

Perhaps we just love the absent-minded professor trope too much. Highly intelligent, yet eccentric socially? Maybe this is where all the mildly autistic fictional characters are hiding!

[Alecsander Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Branestawm in the 1970s as a lad but couldn't find the box set I loved so much. But thanks to eBay I have an early edition with the illustrations by W Heath Robinson.
To the modern audience it may seem dated but I still loved the characters, the language, the mad inventions and the crazy situations the Professor finds himself in.
I never did find out what university he worked at...

[Jon Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories possess a lovely logic whereby all the professor's inventions become Frankenstein monsters taking the Professor and Colonel Dedshott to places they would rather not go: I still have my battered old copy from the Sixties which I treasure as my favourite book from junior school days. Norman Hunter has certainly influenced my own writing, particularly my short stories where processes of degeneration abound. I wouldn't say Professor Branestawm is likely to greatly enrich anyone's emotional life, but for sheer fun and inventiveness these stories stand up there with the best children's books.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading for a fanfic project. I had forgotten quite what a wizard of silliness Norman Hunter was, and how he can be hilariously funny using simple, childsize words and sentences.

[Yorky Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this is a kiddies book but it was v entertaining!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly. My son loved it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long time ago, back when I used to get the opportunity to buy books from the Scholastic Book Club in infants and primary school. I came across Norman Hunter's Professor Branestawm. Then, for somewhere in the region of fifty years I'd forgotten the eccentric English inventor character and the author who created him. Thankfully the internet offers many opportunities to rediscover the past and what made it meaningful, and I was able to get a copy of The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm online. Whilst it isn't the perfect kids' book for today or indeed from yesteryear, this is still a very funny and rewarding read that will raise a smile for young and old readers alike.

The most engaging aspect of The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm is Hunter's slightly absurdist prose, with its emphasis on non-sequitors, redundancies, onomatopoeia and left of centre logic. Hunter's writing will remind one of other comedic writers such as Spike Milligan, P.J. Wodehouse, Douglas Adams and perhaps even J.K. Rowling. The slightly anarchic narratives created by Hunter's prose are redolent of a very English sense of eccentric humour, and one is invited to contemplate, considering that the Branestawm books first emerged in the late 1930s, that perhaps Norman Hunter had a (major) impact on later humorous authors. As I was reading the stories in this volume I was reminded again and again of Spike Milligan's Goon Show, with Branestawm, his housekeeper Mrs Flittersnoop and his friend Colonel Deadshott distaff relatives of characters of Neddy Seagoon, Minnie Bannister, Henry Crun and Major Bloodnok. In fact, I wonder if Hunter's work was known to Milligan and that perhaps had a direct influence on his comedic sensabilities.

To give you some idea of how inventive, funny and playful Hunter's prose is, consider this quote:

"“Here,’ he explained, pointing to different parts of the machine, ‘are the flour bin, the egg receptacle, the milk churn, and the sugar canister and the lemon squisher.’
‘Squeezer,’ murmured the Mayor, who didn’t agree with funny words, and the curly-haired fireman who was sitting next to him thought he meant squeeze Mrs Flittersnoop, so he tried to, but she was so thin and bony he hurt himself.”."

Then there is this example:

"“But,’ thundered the Judge, getting all worked up, ‘as it was you who broke into the house and as it was your own house you broke into, we can only sentence you to be set free, and a fine waste of good time this trial has been.”"

Hunter loves to write so that his words evoke double meanings, or take a slight turn that is both logical and yet ridiculous. There is a subtle subversiveness to the way Hunter uses his prose, so that the reader is both surpised and made to feel wryly amused by what is on the page. It's all rather impressive and, considering the silliness and wit inherent to his writing, accessible for both children and adults.

It must also be said that The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm is also rewarding thanks to the illustrations. Drawn with pen and ink by W. Heath Robinson, they are both detailed yet slightly impressionistic. They offer the reader just the right type and amount of visual information to support Hunter's narrative without spoiling the imagination. I'm sure that many a child, myself included back in the day, found the drawings as a relief and a support to the tales told by the author's writing, and the combination of text and illustration is highly commendable.

When it comes to why one should read The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm my suggestion is that it will serve as an amusing if old fashioned opportunity for a more precocious child to discover the world of a silly inventor, in tales not that alien in spirit to other British comedic fiction. Or, it will remind the nostalgic adult of the magic of a fun children;s book that they might have read many a year ago. I suspect Profesor Branestawm is a bit of a cultural curiosity or forgotten character that won't be widely accessible nowadays in bookshops or libraries. However, if it is found then please, give it a whirl.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say that while I enjoyed most of the stories, Professor Branestawm is more of a public nuisance rather than a genius. A mad genius would be a compliment in certain contexts but with Branestawm he overcomplicates everything and makes the lives of those he's meant to help harder. Him being so forgetful is certainly a theme that made this book funny and the use of irony throughout even more so with clever wordplay sprinkled in every chapter. Hunter mostly relies on miscommunication in his stories and while I'm not exactly the target audience I still think this is rather clever instead of annoying. You'd expect a so-called genius like Branestawm to be able to explain himself better but at some points, his housekeeper, Mrs Flittersnoop came across as more of a logical person. The illustrations are all rather cool. My main complaint about this book is that the main character is more of a menace than a reasonable person. I suppose incredible adventures makes sense however Branestawn does not work quite well, rather a misnomer in my opinion.

Some stories did seem to me to be fillers and Hunter himself didn't really have in mind how best to conclude them. This made them quite sloppy and took away from the ideas which were so much better. So much potential with thoughts of a liquid able to bring anything to life and with a time machine or a self-sustaining machine like a clock for instance but I feel as though these were simply wasted and dumbed down for children to enjoy. The pancake story reminded me of a favourite childhood movie of mine, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

[Fatemeh Rasouli · Rating 5 out of 5]

پروفسور برانشتام پنج جفت عینک دارد که همه آنها را روی سرش می‌گذارد و البته همیشه هم آنها را گم می‌کند. راستش پروفسور همیشه همه چیز را گم و فراموش می‌کند. او همانقدر که یک نابغه است، یک فراموشکار و خرابکار هم هست. هر چیزی اختراع می‌کند اما همه اختراعاتش دردسر بزرگ خنده‌داری ایجاد می‌کنند.
ماجراهای باورنکردی پروفسور برانشتام یک مجموعه کتاب 13 عددی داستان کودک و نوجوان است که طی 50 سال توسط نورمن هانتر انگلیسی نوشته شده است. او دو کتاب اول از این مجموعه را در دهه 1930 میلادی منتشر کرد و انتشار مابقی کتابها را در دهه 1970 از سر گرفت که تا 1983 ادامه پیدا کرد.
پروفسور به شدت مایه خنده است. در حالی که خودش اصلا چنین فکری نمی‌کند همه آدمهای داخل کتاب هم چنین فکری نمی‌کنند. برای همه یک دانشمند قابل احترام است.
به راحتی قابل تصور است که بچه ها هنگام خواندن این کتاب قاه قاه خندیده اند و هیچ بعید نیست که هوس کرده باشند مانند پروفسور دست به اختراع بزنند. نورمن هانتر در خلق صحنه‌ها خنده داری که گاهی اصلا فکرش را نمی‌کنیم ، دومینویی از لحظات خنده دار که قاعده و قانون عرف و منطق ما را ندارند اما به هر حال قاعده و قانون و عرف ومنطق خودشان را دارند، به وجود می آورد.
پروفسور یک دوست گرمابه و گلستان دارد به اسم کنل ددشات. یک مرد نظامی. که همیشه هیچ چیزی از توضیات علمی پروفسور نمی فهمد اما وانمود می کند که می فهمد و البته همیشه هم از توضیحات علمی پروفسور سرش به دوران می افتد. این دقیقا کاری است که نورمن هانتر با خواننده اش می کند، سر او را با شوخی های مسلسل بار به دوران می اندازد.

[Mika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming book comprehensively answers the question: what would happen if Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering, from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, appeared in a Laurel and Hardy style slapstick comedy, directed by Hal Roach?

The answer is fabulous, hilarious, and pokes fun at everything and anything, from gossipy housekeepers to the British judicial system.

All the classic 1930s slapstick moments are there, from the professor and the Colonel getting stuck in the same pair of trousers, to the professor dashing out in his housekeeper’s best hat, decked with dainty strawberries. Things go boom, people go crash, and pancakes go floppity flop, right into the town mayor’s face. It’s a wild time.

If you love old black-and-white slapstick movies, or if you’ve ever studied with an endearing old college professor, who dressed in eccentric clothes, forgot things right and left, and who could talk on and on about a topic, in a way guaranteed to “make your head go round and round” then this book will be right up your alley!

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the mood for something silly, chortlesome, and fun for the whole family? Look no further than these episodic stories about a bumbling, lovable inventor and the companions who try to keep him in one piece.

It's the absent-minded professor, blended with a bit of Doc Brown, and a splash of P.G. Wodehouse, and a lot of something vaguely familiar which can't be placed.

Note on content:
The first chapter (with the time travel) had a few elements which might give pause, such as sudden obliteration of a great many soldiers.
The chapter of the Wild Wastepaper was very like the Ugly-wuglies of E. Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle (though exceedingly abbreviated, comparatively). It was a little scary, perhaps, with the matters of murderous intent and axe-wielding.
There are occasional dated references/comments which would be considered politically incorrect nowadays.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how I even found this book, maybe it was recommended on hoopla? But I am so excited. Now I want to find the whole series. This one was written in the 1930s and then the rest of them in the 60s and 70s. What fun. What an endearing character in the professor. I loved the word plays on the names. The book was full of short stories about his misadventures as he tries to invent things. It was just a happy read with all that’s going on in the world, and not as heavy as other books I read.I recommended it today to my daughter to read to my grandson as he gets older. Can’t wait to find the other books.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was written in 1933 and this is clearly reflected in some of its humour an social settings. Nonetheless, my nine-year-old appreciated the zany antics of Professor Branestawm and his best friend, Colonel Dedshott of the Catapult Cavaliers, and everything that happens to them and the professor's housekeeper Mrs Flittersnoop.

The structure of the book is episodic and while some early events are referred to in later stories, each chapter pretty much stands on its own.

All in all, it was an enjoyable enough read.

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening story, "The Professor Invents a Machine," says: "On went the machine, but nothing else happened. On and on they whirled, and nothing happened. And it kept on happening over and over again, till everything was so nothing that neither of them could notice anything." Mostly it is delightful like this, until, near the end, it does the thing that books published in 1933 tend to do, which is to drop a purposeless racial slur and then continue merrily with the story. "For seven- to ten-year-olds," says the publisher. Perhaps then it is not entirely for me.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm intrigued to find out if I can listen to any of these vignettes from the BBC's children's hour broadcasts.

The absurd, silly, and sometimes madcap doings of the professor are quite enjoyable. I'm glad that some of his intentions were successful -- particularly the pancake-maker. It would have been fun if Mrs. Flittersnoop was given more of an intercessory role in seeing the professor to rights with his absent-mindedness.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as part of a Puffin 50th Anniversary set as a child. Back then I remember thinking it was vaguely entertaining, amusing in places, but kind of silly. And reading it again now I have to say I agree with child me. It was a quick read with some good stories and some less good ones. I genuinely enjoyed the one with the photographs. Not a bad read but I'm not sure who I would recommend it to. Some kids might enjoy it.

[Amy A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories is this book we’re funny, but I think they would be best read as short stories and not something to sit and read for an hour straight through. They get a little tedious when read one after another in one sitting, but they are quite funny when split up over time. I loved the writing and the characters. The professor was appropriately frustrating throughout the stories, with lots of people who metaphorically rolled their eyes at him but tolerated and supported him nonetheless.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 2 out of 5]

Professor Branestawm is an absent-minded inventor who has five different pairs of glasses (at the same time) and gets into all sorts of crazy situations.
This one didn't do much for me. It seems like a bedtime story that a parent is making up haphazardly as he goes along, without much thought invested and while trying too hard to be silly.

[Aljaž Podgornik · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't find it funny, I didn't like the characters, I found it too random and I felt like I was wasting my time. I cannot say if all of the stories are like this, but because I have given up after the 3. story I can only rate this book a 1 star (reserved for books I didn't want to finish).