What do you think?
Rate this book
Dodo Trilogy #3
Dodo Wonders
Excerpt from Dodo Wonders
Dodo was so much interested in what she had herself been saying, that having just lit one cigarette, she lit another at it, and now contemplated the two with a dazed expression. She was talking to Edith Arbuthnot, who had just returned from a musical tour in Germany, where she had conducted a dozen concerts consisting entirely of her own music with flaring success. She had been urged by her agent to give half a dozen more, the glory of which, he guaranteed, would completely eclipse that of the first series, but instead she had come back to England. She did not quite know why she had done so: her husband Bertie had sent the most cordial message to say that he and their daughter Madge were getting on quite excellently without her - indeed that seemed rather unduly stressed - but... here she was. The statement of this, to be enlarged on no doubt later, had violently switched the talk on to a discussion on free will.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Dodo was so much interested in what she had herself been saying, that having just lit one cigarette, she lit another at it, and now contemplated the two with a dazed expression. She was talking to Edith Arbuthnot, who had just returned from a musical tour in Germany, where she had conducted a dozen concerts consisting entirely of her own music with flaring success. She had been urged by her agent to give half a dozen more, the glory of which, he guaranteed, would completely eclipse that of the first series, but instead she had come back to England. She did not quite know why she had done so: her husband Bertie had sent the most cordial message to say that he and their daughter Madge were getting on quite excellently without her - indeed that seemed rather unduly stressed - but... here she was. The statement of this, to be enlarged on no doubt later, had violently switched the talk on to a discussion on free will.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
273 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
E.F. Benson
1,030 books354 followersEdward Frederic "E. F." Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
E. F. Benson was the younger brother of A.C. Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson, an author and amateur Egyptologist.
Benson died during 1940 of throat cancer at the University College Hospital, London. He is buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.
Last paragraph from Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2014
An odd E.F. Benson book, which I wasn't quite sure how to rate.
On the one hand, it contains yet another tour-de-force female character in Dodo, who is conveyed quite brilliantly, and the book is interesting in that it has a far darker and more thoughtful sub-text than the Mapp and Lucia books. The trouble I had with it was that I wasn't sure that the darkness was conveyed in a convincing enough way, though I did admire Benson's attempt to show how war affects even privileged socialites like Dodo and her ilk.
There is a vast amount of dialogue in the book, too, and although I am normally a big fan of this approach, (as it takes us straight into the heart of the character, and usually "shows, not tells"), in this case it didn't always work. I somehow felt that I was actually being TOLD a lot of the time, rather than shown with Benson's usual subtlety and lightness of touch.
The book also jumps forward a lot and this sometimes felt too abrupt, and the ending felt rushed and rather unsatisfying. However, overall, I'm glad I read this novel, as it did succeed in showing me a side of the war (and of Dodo) that was interesting and sometimes very poignant, too. Basically, I feel the book is flawed but by no means irredeemably so.
On the one hand, it contains yet another tour-de-force female character in Dodo, who is conveyed quite brilliantly, and the book is interesting in that it has a far darker and more thoughtful sub-text than the Mapp and Lucia books. The trouble I had with it was that I wasn't sure that the darkness was conveyed in a convincing enough way, though I did admire Benson's attempt to show how war affects even privileged socialites like Dodo and her ilk.
There is a vast amount of dialogue in the book, too, and although I am normally a big fan of this approach, (as it takes us straight into the heart of the character, and usually "shows, not tells"), in this case it didn't always work. I somehow felt that I was actually being TOLD a lot of the time, rather than shown with Benson's usual subtlety and lightness of touch.
The book also jumps forward a lot and this sometimes felt too abrupt, and the ending felt rushed and rather unsatisfying. However, overall, I'm glad I read this novel, as it did succeed in showing me a side of the war (and of Dodo) that was interesting and sometimes very poignant, too. Basically, I feel the book is flawed but by no means irredeemably so.
November 3, 2015
Crafted with insight to the people he writes about and offering a window into a world very removed from mine the story doesn't have the light touch of PG Woodhouse but the undercurrent of a darker side is more evident. I understand that this author was a favourite of the queen mothers - Mmmmm.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews