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The Wrong Box
Two brothers will do whatever it takes to hide a body and inherit a fortune in this laugh-out-loud crime caper Elderly Joseph and Masterman Finsbury are the last survivors of a tontine established in their youth. Their nephews, Morris and John, have one simple Keep Uncle Joseph alive longer than Uncle Masterman. If they succeed, the brothers will be set for life. If they fail, the fortune goes to cousin Michael—and poverty will be their fate. When the siblings regain consciousness after a train wreck, they discover that Joseph—or a man dressed exactly like him—died in the crash. Not to worry; Morris has a plan. Instead of burying the body where anyone might dig it up, they’ll ship it around the world until Uncle Masterman dies. It seems foolproof, until the incorrect package arrives at the first destination and Morris and John have to find poor, dead Uncle Joseph before somebody opens the wrong box. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1889
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1285 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,614 books6,887 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
July 8, 2022
The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of his lesser-known works probably because it is a farce revolving around a tontine – a group insurance policy that goes to the last survivor – a bad idea in any era. The tontine inevitably leads to cheating, regardless of the family members, no matter how honorable the group of people, the temptation for shenanigans occurs and Stevenson exploits these temptations by contemplating a family: brothers, an uncle, a ward. This is a family with individuals trying to get the better of each other when it appears that the uncle has died. The novel pokes fun at how people that love each other become vultures in the face of loss becoming gain. There is silliness in the truth, but sadness, as well. The language was an impediment to my enjoyment. I believe modern audiences will feel the same way, although I would still characterize this as a classic because it fulfills my three criteria. It is odd that The Wrong Box was initially written by Stevenson's stepson Lloyd Osbourne, and is actually the first of 3 collaborations between the two.
October 23, 2022
#Retovictorianspirits de la cuenta @victorianspiritsblog, premisa "Un libro Ambientado en Londres”.
Una novela corta que al principio no termino de emocionarme o interesarme. Tuvo que pasar un cuarto de la misma para que, sin llegar a convertirse en el libro de mi vida, acabase por disfrutar sorprendentemente de esta lectura, la cual es ligera y amena, en la que nunca dejan de pasar cosas, y que en general me ha dejado un excelente sabor de boca. Para ser sincera me ha dado un poco de rabia haber tardado casi cinco días en finiquitar este libro, porque se trata de una novela muy corta y su autor, Stevenson, tiene un estilo muy directo y muy fácil de leer. Pero la vida adulta a veces es un coñazo, y no he podido leer tan rápido como me hubiera gustado o como hubiera podido.
Siendo pequeños, los hermanos Mastermann y Josep Finsbury fueron inscritos en un juego de Tontina. Para quien no sepa de que va el asunto, cito al propio narrador de la presente obra: “Un grupo de alegres muchachos reúnen en común ciertas sumas que ingresan rápidamente en un banco a interés compuesto. Y cada uno de los depositarios vive como puede, y como es natural pasado el tiempo, va muriendo uno detrás de otro. Cuando han fallecido todos menos uno, este feliz mortal cobra la suma depositada más los intereses compuestos”. Al igual que en el ejemplo, los años pasan hasta que los dos únicos supervivientes entre los integrantes de la ton tina son los propios hermanos Finsburi. El jugoso premio se convierte en el objeto de interés de Maurice, sobrino de ambos, al cual Josep (su tutor) le ha despojado de toda su fortuna al mal invertirla en un negocio ruinoso. Un accidente de tren y un cadáver mal identificado se convertían en el desencadenante de una chispeante historia de enredos, conspiraciones, equivocaciones, amores y luchas familiares.
Stevenson es un autor con el que tengo una relación cuanto menos compleja. No voy a decir que me desagrade, ni mucho menos. Solo que, o bien me encanta lo que leo de él, o bien me deja indiferente porque no acaba de convencerme. Y luego está este nouvellette que se queda entre los dos puntos. Tiene cosas muy buenas y ha sido una lectura muy disfrutable. Pero sin más. Stevenson es un escritor excelente, con un estilo, como dije más arriba, directo y ágil; pero, a la vez, muy cuidado y pulcro. Sabe crear tramas muy interesantes y que, tras su aparente sencillez o liviandad, suelen tener bastante injundia y más complejidad de lo que aparece a simple vista. “Las Aventuras de un Cadáver” es buen ejemplo de esto. Podría clasificarse dentro del género de la novela de misterios o de detectives, pero en sus poco más de doscientas páginas no todo se reduce a un misterio a resolver, por más que un cadáver sea el detonante de los acontecimientos. Stevenson hace partícipe al lector de la historia al proporcionarle las mismas herramientas y conocimientos de los que el narrador omnisciente de la obra dispone. Desde el primer momento él o ella (el lector) sabe que es lo que pasa, cual es la clave de los misterios que los personajes de la obra tienen delante y que marcan el argumento.
La gracia de la lectura es ver como todos ellos se enfrentan a esos dilemas, como lo van embrollando todo poco a poco hasta hacer que vayan metiéndose más y más en un pozo del que solo podrán salir al final. El autor tiene a su disposición unos pocos elementos y personajes, pero sabe utilizarlos tan bien que logra que algo aparentemente sencillo y sin muchas complicaciones acabe volviéndose más peliagudo página a página, hasta llegar a un punto en el que no solo los personajes están desconcertados y no saben hacia dónde van a tirar las cosas, también el lector tiene esa sensación. Lo que hace que no pueda parar de leer. Todos esos elementos y personajes tienen su peso en la trama, sin ellos nada sería lo mismo y están unidos firmemente, como si todo fuera de la tela de una araña. Quizás la historia de amor que se forja entre dos personajes me halla dejado muy fría, y a nivel emocional no me halla proporcionado nada. Pero aún así, esta relación tiene su importancia dentro de la historia, es necesaria para que el argumento avance inexorablemente.Es cierto que todo es, desde cierto punto, muy previsible en cuanto como va a terminar todo. Pero aún así resulta muy divertido ver como todo se va liando más y más y como la angustia, el miedo y la tensión cunden entre la mayoría de los personajes.
La clave de toda la obra es el tono satírico que Stevenson emplea en ella. Envuelto en un deje socarrón, el autor se vale de esta tragicomedia para burlarse de diferentes cuestiones de la sociedad de la época, incluido el propio genero de la novela policíaca, tan en boga en esa época gracias a las publicaciones por entregas. Parece, incluso, que el escritor escocés no se toma en serio a ninguno de sus propios personajes, esbozados de forma sencilla pero realmente eficaz y concisa. El humor es tan pronunciado que al leer nunca te deja la sensación de que Stevenson se ríe de ellos mientras narra sus pericias, no puede ni quiere tomárselos en serio, y ni hace el esfuerzo. Y esto se ve bien en uno de los principales protagonistas, el abogado Michael Finsbury. Michael es un abogado socarrón e inteligente, amante de la diversión y la bebida. No es un héroe al uso para nada, ni pretende serlo. De hecho, más de una vez parece que solo está para molestar y para reírse del resto de los personajes, ya que todo el asunto le divierte mucho. De hecho, sus intervenciones, muchas veces, solo sirven para complicar el asunto mucho más. Ni que decir tiene que ha sido mi personaje favorito y el que más veces me ha hecho dar más de una carcajada. Porque si algo tengo que reconocerle a la novela (y esto ha sido lo que más he disfrutado de ella) es que ha habido momentos en los que no he podido evitar reírme con comentarios que se hacían o con lo que pasaban. El humor de Stevenson es negro y ácido, y tengo que decir que lo he disfrutado sobremanera.
El final de la novela ha tenido algo que me ha recordado a las tragedias de Shakespeare: todo termina por resolverse y la paz, la cordura y la justicia son impartidas por un personaje que sobresale por encima de todos , cuya decisión es tan justa como inapelable.
Mención especial a la edición que he manejado… pero para recalcar lo malota que es. Se trata de una edición de una editorial barata, de esas que puedes comprar en los mercadillos por menos de cinco euros. Para lo que pagué en su momento por ella no está mal. Pero si eres un poquito exigente, no te lo aconsejo. Hay muchos errores topográficos y ortográficos, frases que no tienen sentido, palabras mal puestas, errores sintácticos y la traducción no es muy para nada buena. Es una publicación económica y se nota. Cumple y se deja leer si no pides mucho. Aunque a veces me ha irritado un poco la cantidad de errores que contiene.
En resumidas cuentas, “Las Aventuras de un Cadáver” es un parodia satírica en la que prima el humor negro y la burla. Una fina capa que oculta una crítica por parte de su autor hacia la sociedad del momento; hacia sus mezquindades y hacia las consecuencias que tiene la avaricia. Es una novela que tiene mucho que ofrecer pese a que parezca lo contrario. Se trata de una lectura amena y ágil que no tiene desperdicio. La trama es bastante entretenida, nunca se para y está plagada de malentendidos, errores y un aire de novela negra que hace que sea una lectura muy interesante. Desde luego no es una novela de misterios al uso para nada, ni pretende serlo. Para mi esa es su gracia, y lo que hace que puede llegar a ser una lectura de lo más amena. Lo dicho, no pasará a la historia como mi libro favorito, pero se deja leer y me ha entretenido más de lo que esperaba en un principio. Con eso me quedo.
Una novela corta que al principio no termino de emocionarme o interesarme. Tuvo que pasar un cuarto de la misma para que, sin llegar a convertirse en el libro de mi vida, acabase por disfrutar sorprendentemente de esta lectura, la cual es ligera y amena, en la que nunca dejan de pasar cosas, y que en general me ha dejado un excelente sabor de boca. Para ser sincera me ha dado un poco de rabia haber tardado casi cinco días en finiquitar este libro, porque se trata de una novela muy corta y su autor, Stevenson, tiene un estilo muy directo y muy fácil de leer. Pero la vida adulta a veces es un coñazo, y no he podido leer tan rápido como me hubiera gustado o como hubiera podido.
Siendo pequeños, los hermanos Mastermann y Josep Finsbury fueron inscritos en un juego de Tontina. Para quien no sepa de que va el asunto, cito al propio narrador de la presente obra: “Un grupo de alegres muchachos reúnen en común ciertas sumas que ingresan rápidamente en un banco a interés compuesto. Y cada uno de los depositarios vive como puede, y como es natural pasado el tiempo, va muriendo uno detrás de otro. Cuando han fallecido todos menos uno, este feliz mortal cobra la suma depositada más los intereses compuestos”. Al igual que en el ejemplo, los años pasan hasta que los dos únicos supervivientes entre los integrantes de la ton tina son los propios hermanos Finsburi. El jugoso premio se convierte en el objeto de interés de Maurice, sobrino de ambos, al cual Josep (su tutor) le ha despojado de toda su fortuna al mal invertirla en un negocio ruinoso. Un accidente de tren y un cadáver mal identificado se convertían en el desencadenante de una chispeante historia de enredos, conspiraciones, equivocaciones, amores y luchas familiares.
Stevenson es un autor con el que tengo una relación cuanto menos compleja. No voy a decir que me desagrade, ni mucho menos. Solo que, o bien me encanta lo que leo de él, o bien me deja indiferente porque no acaba de convencerme. Y luego está este nouvellette que se queda entre los dos puntos. Tiene cosas muy buenas y ha sido una lectura muy disfrutable. Pero sin más. Stevenson es un escritor excelente, con un estilo, como dije más arriba, directo y ágil; pero, a la vez, muy cuidado y pulcro. Sabe crear tramas muy interesantes y que, tras su aparente sencillez o liviandad, suelen tener bastante injundia y más complejidad de lo que aparece a simple vista. “Las Aventuras de un Cadáver” es buen ejemplo de esto. Podría clasificarse dentro del género de la novela de misterios o de detectives, pero en sus poco más de doscientas páginas no todo se reduce a un misterio a resolver, por más que un cadáver sea el detonante de los acontecimientos. Stevenson hace partícipe al lector de la historia al proporcionarle las mismas herramientas y conocimientos de los que el narrador omnisciente de la obra dispone. Desde el primer momento él o ella (el lector) sabe que es lo que pasa, cual es la clave de los misterios que los personajes de la obra tienen delante y que marcan el argumento.
La gracia de la lectura es ver como todos ellos se enfrentan a esos dilemas, como lo van embrollando todo poco a poco hasta hacer que vayan metiéndose más y más en un pozo del que solo podrán salir al final. El autor tiene a su disposición unos pocos elementos y personajes, pero sabe utilizarlos tan bien que logra que algo aparentemente sencillo y sin muchas complicaciones acabe volviéndose más peliagudo página a página, hasta llegar a un punto en el que no solo los personajes están desconcertados y no saben hacia dónde van a tirar las cosas, también el lector tiene esa sensación. Lo que hace que no pueda parar de leer. Todos esos elementos y personajes tienen su peso en la trama, sin ellos nada sería lo mismo y están unidos firmemente, como si todo fuera de la tela de una araña. Quizás la historia de amor que se forja entre dos personajes me halla dejado muy fría, y a nivel emocional no me halla proporcionado nada. Pero aún así, esta relación tiene su importancia dentro de la historia, es necesaria para que el argumento avance inexorablemente.Es cierto que todo es, desde cierto punto, muy previsible en cuanto como va a terminar todo. Pero aún así resulta muy divertido ver como todo se va liando más y más y como la angustia, el miedo y la tensión cunden entre la mayoría de los personajes.
La clave de toda la obra es el tono satírico que Stevenson emplea en ella. Envuelto en un deje socarrón, el autor se vale de esta tragicomedia para burlarse de diferentes cuestiones de la sociedad de la época, incluido el propio genero de la novela policíaca, tan en boga en esa época gracias a las publicaciones por entregas. Parece, incluso, que el escritor escocés no se toma en serio a ninguno de sus propios personajes, esbozados de forma sencilla pero realmente eficaz y concisa. El humor es tan pronunciado que al leer nunca te deja la sensación de que Stevenson se ríe de ellos mientras narra sus pericias, no puede ni quiere tomárselos en serio, y ni hace el esfuerzo. Y esto se ve bien en uno de los principales protagonistas, el abogado Michael Finsbury. Michael es un abogado socarrón e inteligente, amante de la diversión y la bebida. No es un héroe al uso para nada, ni pretende serlo. De hecho, más de una vez parece que solo está para molestar y para reírse del resto de los personajes, ya que todo el asunto le divierte mucho. De hecho, sus intervenciones, muchas veces, solo sirven para complicar el asunto mucho más. Ni que decir tiene que ha sido mi personaje favorito y el que más veces me ha hecho dar más de una carcajada. Porque si algo tengo que reconocerle a la novela (y esto ha sido lo que más he disfrutado de ella) es que ha habido momentos en los que no he podido evitar reírme con comentarios que se hacían o con lo que pasaban. El humor de Stevenson es negro y ácido, y tengo que decir que lo he disfrutado sobremanera.
El final de la novela ha tenido algo que me ha recordado a las tragedias de Shakespeare: todo termina por resolverse y la paz, la cordura y la justicia son impartidas por un personaje que sobresale por encima de todos , cuya decisión es tan justa como inapelable.
Mención especial a la edición que he manejado… pero para recalcar lo malota que es. Se trata de una edición de una editorial barata, de esas que puedes comprar en los mercadillos por menos de cinco euros. Para lo que pagué en su momento por ella no está mal. Pero si eres un poquito exigente, no te lo aconsejo. Hay muchos errores topográficos y ortográficos, frases que no tienen sentido, palabras mal puestas, errores sintácticos y la traducción no es muy para nada buena. Es una publicación económica y se nota. Cumple y se deja leer si no pides mucho. Aunque a veces me ha irritado un poco la cantidad de errores que contiene.
En resumidas cuentas, “Las Aventuras de un Cadáver” es un parodia satírica en la que prima el humor negro y la burla. Una fina capa que oculta una crítica por parte de su autor hacia la sociedad del momento; hacia sus mezquindades y hacia las consecuencias que tiene la avaricia. Es una novela que tiene mucho que ofrecer pese a que parezca lo contrario. Se trata de una lectura amena y ágil que no tiene desperdicio. La trama es bastante entretenida, nunca se para y está plagada de malentendidos, errores y un aire de novela negra que hace que sea una lectura muy interesante. Desde luego no es una novela de misterios al uso para nada, ni pretende serlo. Para mi esa es su gracia, y lo que hace que puede llegar a ser una lectura de lo más amena. Lo dicho, no pasará a la historia como mi libro favorito, pero se deja leer y me ha entretenido más de lo que esperaba en un principio. Con eso me quedo.
July 26, 2019
This was very fun!
The Wrong Box is one of the lesser-known works by Robert Louis Stevenson, and I happened to own a copy. Actually, I've owned a copy for a decade, so it was high time to get to it :D
The book revolves around a bunch of relatives - two brothers, their cousin and uncle, his ward, etc. And all of them are up to no good :) There is a grand piano, a misplaced corpse, a dying business and a huge sum of money - so, naturally, shenanigans ensue.
The characters are comic in their self-centeredness, attempts to get the upper hand end in hilarious situations, and the book flies by in a moment. It was a quick, light read, nostalgic in its naivety of humor. Loved it!
The Wrong Box is one of the lesser-known works by Robert Louis Stevenson, and I happened to own a copy. Actually, I've owned a copy for a decade, so it was high time to get to it :D
The book revolves around a bunch of relatives - two brothers, their cousin and uncle, his ward, etc. And all of them are up to no good :) There is a grand piano, a misplaced corpse, a dying business and a huge sum of money - so, naturally, shenanigans ensue.
The characters are comic in their self-centeredness, attempts to get the upper hand end in hilarious situations, and the book flies by in a moment. It was a quick, light read, nostalgic in its naivety of humor. Loved it!
April 15, 2018
Body, body--Who's got the body?!
The Wrong Box (1889) is a hilarious mystery spoof by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne. It revolves around Masterson and Joseph Finsbury, two brothers who are the last surviving beneficiaries of a tontine. A tontine is a rather diabolical "investment" scheme--subscribers pay into a fund that is then invested for the lifetime of the participants. It is a winner-take-all scheme meaning that the only one to benefit is the last man or woman standing. This, of course, puts all sorts of temptation in the way of the participants (and/or their heirs)--especially once the numbers start to dwindle naturally. I, mean, after all if you have to live to be 100 in order to outlive the competition just how much are you going to be able to enjoy the spoils? And one's sons or nephews might also think it a good idea to shuffle the competition (and you--last, of course) off the playing field so they have an opportunity to enjoy it for you.
Michael Finsbury is Masterson's son. He is a successful lawyer who isn't afraid to skate a little close to the wind if necessary to get a client off and win a case. Morris and John Finsbury are nephews (and wards) of Joseph. Because Joseph was not the best of businessmen and managed to fritter away what little money he held in trust for his nephews, Morris has gotten the old man to sign over his winnings from the tontine (should he outlast Masterson). So--more than ever, Morris spends his days watching over dear Uncle Joseph just to be sure that he doesn't catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and leads to death before tontine.
He also has a vague feeling that his Uncle Masterson is really dead and Michael is just pretending the old boy is still alive and kicking while he waits for Joseph to keel over. Once that happens, he [Michael] will produce a "tame doctor" who will verify Masterson's death (after Joseph's) and Michael will scoop the pot. This must be avoided at all costs.
Morris decides that the best plan would be to head to the country with Uncle Joseph and keep him all cozy at the seaside where he can breathe the lovely country air and be just as healthy as can be. Plans go awry when there is a train smash-up and an elderly dead body is found in the rubble--with bruised face and wearing what seems to be Uncle Joseph's coat. Morris and John are in despair--there goes their inheritance! So they decide to stash the body in an out-of-the-way cottage until Morris comes up with a plan to ship uncle's body to himself in a huge barrel. The barrel gets mislabeled and the body winds up going on an unexpected journey--from barrel to packing crate to piano and back again. Who has the body? And is Uncle Joseph really dead? Is Uncle Masterson really dead? Who is going to inherit all that money?
This is an absolutely delightful story--the black comedy is a little unexpected from Stevenson, but it is hilarious. Watching Morris drive himself quietly crazy as he tries to outsmart Michael and track down his missing uncle is great fun. Who would have thought that the most prominent and interesting character in a book would be a dead man who won't sit still long enough for you to get a really good look at him? Not that the other characters aren't interesting, they are. Stevenson always provides great characters and those in The Wrong Box meet his standards. Highly recommended.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The Wrong Box (1889) is a hilarious mystery spoof by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne. It revolves around Masterson and Joseph Finsbury, two brothers who are the last surviving beneficiaries of a tontine. A tontine is a rather diabolical "investment" scheme--subscribers pay into a fund that is then invested for the lifetime of the participants. It is a winner-take-all scheme meaning that the only one to benefit is the last man or woman standing. This, of course, puts all sorts of temptation in the way of the participants (and/or their heirs)--especially once the numbers start to dwindle naturally. I, mean, after all if you have to live to be 100 in order to outlive the competition just how much are you going to be able to enjoy the spoils? And one's sons or nephews might also think it a good idea to shuffle the competition (and you--last, of course) off the playing field so they have an opportunity to enjoy it for you.
Michael Finsbury is Masterson's son. He is a successful lawyer who isn't afraid to skate a little close to the wind if necessary to get a client off and win a case. Morris and John Finsbury are nephews (and wards) of Joseph. Because Joseph was not the best of businessmen and managed to fritter away what little money he held in trust for his nephews, Morris has gotten the old man to sign over his winnings from the tontine (should he outlast Masterson). So--more than ever, Morris spends his days watching over dear Uncle Joseph just to be sure that he doesn't catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and leads to death before tontine.
He also has a vague feeling that his Uncle Masterson is really dead and Michael is just pretending the old boy is still alive and kicking while he waits for Joseph to keel over. Once that happens, he [Michael] will produce a "tame doctor" who will verify Masterson's death (after Joseph's) and Michael will scoop the pot. This must be avoided at all costs.
Morris decides that the best plan would be to head to the country with Uncle Joseph and keep him all cozy at the seaside where he can breathe the lovely country air and be just as healthy as can be. Plans go awry when there is a train smash-up and an elderly dead body is found in the rubble--with bruised face and wearing what seems to be Uncle Joseph's coat. Morris and John are in despair--there goes their inheritance! So they decide to stash the body in an out-of-the-way cottage until Morris comes up with a plan to ship uncle's body to himself in a huge barrel. The barrel gets mislabeled and the body winds up going on an unexpected journey--from barrel to packing crate to piano and back again. Who has the body? And is Uncle Joseph really dead? Is Uncle Masterson really dead? Who is going to inherit all that money?
This is an absolutely delightful story--the black comedy is a little unexpected from Stevenson, but it is hilarious. Watching Morris drive himself quietly crazy as he tries to outsmart Michael and track down his missing uncle is great fun. Who would have thought that the most prominent and interesting character in a book would be a dead man who won't sit still long enough for you to get a really good look at him? Not that the other characters aren't interesting, they are. Stevenson always provides great characters and those in The Wrong Box meet his standards. Highly recommended.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
September 22, 2019
A brigante, brigante e mezzo!
Santi numi, signor Mattiolimilleottocentottantacinque! che scherzo birbone è stato mai questo?!? Mi ha sottratto dal volume 30 pagine. Con una magia, ha fatto sparire le pagine da 129 a 160!
Ma io che ... non per dire, in fatto di Magia …… ho prontamente recuperato le pagine assassine e mi sono gustato fino in fondo questa frenetica e stralunata avventura che l’amico Robert ha scritto in collaborazione con Lloyd Osbourne, figlio di primo letto della moglie Fanny.
Quando poi il sergente di bandiera Brand del Reggimento dei Blankth, sale sul carro, afferra il piffero e intona meravigliosamente The girl I left behind me, la musica, come per magia (e te dai!) mi ha già trasportato dall’altra parte dell’Oceano ��� http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTo9s8...
Santi numi, signor Mattiolimilleottocentottantacinque! che scherzo birbone è stato mai questo?!? Mi ha sottratto dal volume 30 pagine. Con una magia, ha fatto sparire le pagine da 129 a 160!
Ma io che ... non per dire, in fatto di Magia …… ho prontamente recuperato le pagine assassine e mi sono gustato fino in fondo questa frenetica e stralunata avventura che l’amico Robert ha scritto in collaborazione con Lloyd Osbourne, figlio di primo letto della moglie Fanny.
Quando poi il sergente di bandiera Brand del Reggimento dei Blankth, sale sul carro, afferra il piffero e intona meravigliosamente The girl I left behind me, la musica, come per magia (e te dai!) mi ha già trasportato dall’altra parte dell’Oceano ��� http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTo9s8...
March 5, 2020
21 JUL 2014 -- download here --
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1585
23 JUL 2014 -- in looking for more information about William Dent Pitman, author of The Quincunx Case, I discovered this exact name, "William Dent Pitman," featured as a character in The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson and his step-son, Lloyd Osbourne. I have a feeling this author is a combination of Stevenson and Osbourne and they were each having a fun time with us readers. I presented this question to Bettie, whose vast knowledge of books is unparalleled. I will cross-post this to my review of The Wrong Box.
22 JAN 2017 - reading this with the 19th Century Literature group at Yahoo. So far, this is a fun read!
2 FEB 2017 - a dark comedy about greed. Morris (and to some extent, John, his brother) are always looking over the fence at what life will be like when everyone is dead and the tontine belongs to them (well, really Morris believes it belongs to him alone), they have lost sight of common sense and the leather business. The Wrong Box is a silly refreshing read - enjoy!
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1585
23 JUL 2014 -- in looking for more information about William Dent Pitman, author of The Quincunx Case, I discovered this exact name, "William Dent Pitman," featured as a character in The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson and his step-son, Lloyd Osbourne. I have a feeling this author is a combination of Stevenson and Osbourne and they were each having a fun time with us readers. I presented this question to Bettie, whose vast knowledge of books is unparalleled. I will cross-post this to my review of The Wrong Box.
22 JAN 2017 - reading this with the 19th Century Literature group at Yahoo. So far, this is a fun read!
2 FEB 2017 - a dark comedy about greed. Morris (and to some extent, John, his brother) are always looking over the fence at what life will be like when everyone is dead and the tontine belongs to them (well, really Morris believes it belongs to him alone), they have lost sight of common sense and the leather business. The Wrong Box is a silly refreshing read - enjoy!
March 19, 2024
Stevenson was always known for a roguish sense of humour and wit even in his darkest of thrillers and adventures but in "The Wrong Box", he cuts loose splendidly, blithely and delivers a truly hilarious, even morbidly entertaining caper involving a tontine scheme, a corpse and many, many disguises. An odd, sparkling and sorely underrated gem which won an admirer even in Graham Greene as well as Rudyard Kipling.
October 28, 2024
2024
What would you do to recoup a loss of $1.6 million? What about to inherit $24 million? What about to get rid of an unexpected corpse? That last isn't of your making. It just... showed up on your doorstep, or in your piano, when least expected, and then rather annoyingly, doesn't show up when expected.
Well, this story is Stevenson's delightful answer to all those questions and introduces us to some marvelously amusing characters. Be warned. Somewhere in the middle of the book, he takes a rather devious and suspicious character and pulls off one of the best transformations in literature and makes him a thoroughly likable character.
I so enjoy this book and think you will too.
Previous review...
If you like mysteries that are more a series of misunderstandings and humerus coincidences, as I do, you'll love this story.
What would you do to recoup a loss of $1.6 million? What about to inherit $24 million? What about to get rid of an unexpected corpse? That last isn't of your making. It just... showed up on your doorstep, or in your piano, when least expected, and then rather annoyingly, doesn't show up when expected.
Well, this story is Stevenson's delightful answer to all those questions and introduces us to some marvelously amusing characters. Be warned. Somewhere in the middle of the book, he takes a rather devious and suspicious character and pulls off one of the best transformations in literature and makes him a thoroughly likable character.
I so enjoy this book and think you will too.
Previous review...
If you like mysteries that are more a series of misunderstandings and humerus coincidences, as I do, you'll love this story.
July 27, 2019
Romanzo molto carino, una commedia degli errori piena di equivoci e di imprevisti che però Stevenson fa funzionare come un meccanismo ad orologeria.
Alla base di tutto, una scommessa la cui posta che andrà al fratello che riuscirà a sopravvivere più a lungo. Il problema sono i rispettivi nipoti che hanno messo gli occhi sul malloppo. Complice un incidente ferroviario e uno scambio di etichette sul bagaglio, si verranno a creare situazioni molto divertenti e paradossali.
Zio Robbie si dimostra per l'ennesima volta un grande autore!
Alla base di tutto, una scommessa la cui posta che andrà al fratello che riuscirà a sopravvivere più a lungo. Il problema sono i rispettivi nipoti che hanno messo gli occhi sul malloppo. Complice un incidente ferroviario e uno scambio di etichette sul bagaglio, si verranno a creare situazioni molto divertenti e paradossali.
Zio Robbie si dimostra per l'ennesima volta un grande autore!
December 25, 2008
*giggles* absurd mayhem... pure entertainment
August 29, 2025
This was so cute! Can’t wait to get my hands on the movie!
March 2, 2021
DNF for profanity
July 11, 2021
If you have ever seen the movie that was adapted from this story, you will realize that while the plot and many of the characters remain the same, there are several differences. Most noticeably the Michael Finsbury character (Michael Caine) is much stronger in the book. Also Masterman Finsbury (the wonderful John Mills in the movie) is unseen on the printed page while Joseph Finsbury (the superbly irritating Ralph Richardson) still has a major part in the book. For the most part I prefer the movie because of the acting, but this book, though confusing some of the time, is entertaining and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. 3.5 stars
June 19, 2019
Spassosissima e intricatissima commedia degli equivoci piena di personaggi buffi, cialtronerie e situazioni assurde.
Un romanzo di Stevenson purtroppo poco conosciuto, ma che meriterebbe più notorietà e sarebbe anche perfetto per una trasposizione cinematografica o per una miniserie tv.
Un romanzo di Stevenson purtroppo poco conosciuto, ma che meriterebbe più notorietà e sarebbe anche perfetto per una trasposizione cinematografica o per una miniserie tv.
March 11, 2023
Entretenido, lo lei hace mucho tiempo y creo recordar que me gustó. 7/10
July 4, 2019
Much more humorous and to the point than 'The Wrecker'. While totally unbelievable, it was still quite quite funny. Point in case - Morris's enumerations of 'good' and 'bad' things in chapter six was hilarious.
" Bad. —— Good.
4. I have almost no money.
4. But there is plenty in the bank.
5. Yes, but I can't get the money in the bank.
5. But—well, that seems unhappily to be the case.
6. I have left the bill for eight hundred pounds in Uncle
Joseph's pocket.
6. But if Pitman is only a dishonest man, the presence of this
bill may lead him to keep the whole thing dark and throw the body
into the New Cut.
7. Yes, but if Pitman is dishonest and finds the bill, he will
know who Joseph is, and he may blackmail me.
7. Yes, but if I am right about Uncle Masterman, I can blackmail
Michael.
8. But I can't blackmail Michael (which is, besides, a very
dangerous thing to do) until I find out.
8. Worse luck!
9. The leather business will soon want money for current
expenses, and I have none to give.
9. But the leather business is a sinking ship.
10. Yes, but it's all the ship I have.
10. A fact.
11. John will soon want money, and I have none to give.
11.
12. And the venal doctor will want money down.
12.
13. And if Pitman is dishonest and don't send me to gaol, he will
want a fortune.
13.
'O, this seems to be a very one-sided business,' exclaimed Morris."
Nothing like balancing out the pros and cons to arrive at a fresh perspective. :'D
" Bad. —— Good.
4. I have almost no money.
4. But there is plenty in the bank.
5. Yes, but I can't get the money in the bank.
5. But—well, that seems unhappily to be the case.
6. I have left the bill for eight hundred pounds in Uncle
Joseph's pocket.
6. But if Pitman is only a dishonest man, the presence of this
bill may lead him to keep the whole thing dark and throw the body
into the New Cut.
7. Yes, but if Pitman is dishonest and finds the bill, he will
know who Joseph is, and he may blackmail me.
7. Yes, but if I am right about Uncle Masterman, I can blackmail
Michael.
8. But I can't blackmail Michael (which is, besides, a very
dangerous thing to do) until I find out.
8. Worse luck!
9. The leather business will soon want money for current
expenses, and I have none to give.
9. But the leather business is a sinking ship.
10. Yes, but it's all the ship I have.
10. A fact.
11. John will soon want money, and I have none to give.
11.
12. And the venal doctor will want money down.
12.
13. And if Pitman is dishonest and don't send me to gaol, he will
want a fortune.
13.
'O, this seems to be a very one-sided business,' exclaimed Morris."
Nothing like balancing out the pros and cons to arrive at a fresh perspective. :'D
September 23, 2018
En una carta fechada el 17 de septiembre de 1889, Rudyard Kipling le escribía a su confidente Edmonia Hill la siguiente afirmación: “He recibido ‘Aventuras de un cadáver’, de R. L. Stevenson, y me reí demencialmente cuando la leí. Ese hombre tendrá sólo un pulmón pero te hace reír con todo tu ser”. Y sí, sé que ya he reseñado a Stevenson en otras ocasiones, pero a un autor que tiene reconocimientos de ser una influencia mayúscula de gente de la talla de Borges, Bertolt Brecht, Proust, Conan Doyle, Henry James, Pavese, Hemingway, el propio Kipling, Jack London, Nabokov y G. K. Chesterton (por mencionar sólo a algunos) nunca sobrará volver a tratarlo. Y más si es una obra de un humor negro tan fino como “ Aventuras de un cadáver”.
Un dato curioso de la novela es que fue la primera de tres en las que Stevenson trabajó con la colaboración de su hijastro, Lloyd Osbourne. De hecho, Osbourne hizo el primer borrador, que Stevenson luego revisó un par de veces, hasta dejarlo listo para la imprenta. Sobra decir que la obra es de tal calidad que una de dos: u Osbourne también era excelente escritor, o Stevenson rehízo la novela (y se debe apuntar que es de la etapa final de su escritura juvenil, también). Sea como sea, es un texto que se disfruta de principio a fin.
(Ah, por cierto, a Stevenson le detectaron una enfermedad pulmonar desde muy joven, lo que provocó que mudara su residencia a California, primero, y luego a Samoa, en busca de lugares para sobrellevar su afección. Pero dudo que tener “un solo pulmón” sea una afirmación literal.)
Un dato curioso de la novela es que fue la primera de tres en las que Stevenson trabajó con la colaboración de su hijastro, Lloyd Osbourne. De hecho, Osbourne hizo el primer borrador, que Stevenson luego revisó un par de veces, hasta dejarlo listo para la imprenta. Sobra decir que la obra es de tal calidad que una de dos: u Osbourne también era excelente escritor, o Stevenson rehízo la novela (y se debe apuntar que es de la etapa final de su escritura juvenil, también). Sea como sea, es un texto que se disfruta de principio a fin.
(Ah, por cierto, a Stevenson le detectaron una enfermedad pulmonar desde muy joven, lo que provocó que mudara su residencia a California, primero, y luego a Samoa, en busca de lugares para sobrellevar su afección. Pero dudo que tener “un solo pulmón” sea una afirmación literal.)
July 20, 2009
THE READER OF THIS REVIEW, if this should meet the eye of, he will hear of SOMETHING TO HIS ADVANTAGE on the next paragraph
Hilarious mayhem, too bad the ending was somewhat rushed and surely wasn't up to the prevailing jocularity which characterized the remainder of the story.
Preferred character: Michael Finsbury
Best chapter: CHAPTER VII. In Which William Dent Pitman takes Legal Advice
ps: I heartily suggest you to follow this book with the reading of the famous classic of all times "who put back the clock?" whose main character Robert Skill, had probably been—in his own century—more widely renowned than Harry Potter himself.
audiobook at: http://librivox.org/the-wrong-box-by-...
Hilarious mayhem, too bad the ending was somewhat rushed and surely wasn't up to the prevailing jocularity which characterized the remainder of the story.
Preferred character: Michael Finsbury
Best chapter: CHAPTER VII. In Which William Dent Pitman takes Legal Advice
'It seems very wild,' said Pitman. 'And what will become of the poor young gentleman whom you know by sight?'
'It will do him good,'—said Michael cheerily. 'Just what he wants to steady him.'
'But, my dear sir, he might be involved in a charge of—a charge of murder,' gulped the artist.
'Well, he'll be just where we are,' returned the lawyer. 'He's innocent, you see. What hangs people, my dear Pitman, is the unfortunate circumstance of guilt.'
ps: I heartily suggest you to follow this book with the reading of the famous classic of all times "who put back the clock?" whose main character Robert Skill, had probably been—in his own century—more widely renowned than Harry Potter himself.
audiobook at: http://librivox.org/the-wrong-box-by-...
September 26, 2025
One of the lesser-known Stevenson novels with a much smaller scope than some of his more thrilling/supernatural fare, but this is quite possibly the funniest thing he ever wrote.
Edit: On reread (8 years later) this is not only the funniest book that Stevenson ever wrote, but probably the funniest book I've ever read. I was laughing out loud like a maniac alone in my apartment multiple times in the course of reading this. So underknown.
Edit: On reread (8 years later) this is not only the funniest book that Stevenson ever wrote, but probably the funniest book I've ever read. I was laughing out loud like a maniac alone in my apartment multiple times in the course of reading this. So underknown.
August 23, 2022
WAAAAAAY under-appreciated. Absolutely brilliant. Totally hilarious. RLS shows his mastery of the craft with yet another genre—comedy.
June 28, 2021
The basis for this novel is a tontine. Stevenson doesn't describe this insurance policy very well. For a tontine everyone puts in the same sum of money, the principle is allowed to grow over the years, and the last one left alive gets the pot. Essentially, if you live to be the last old person, you win the lottery. I had the benefit of having read - years and years ago - The Tontine. As I like serious rather than silly frivolous works, I preferred the Costain.
I understand tontines have been outlawed - probably a good thing. As you can well imagine, with a tontine there might be all sorts of shenigans. In this, we learn in the very early pages that there are two men remaining alive. As it happens in novels, the two men are brothers, though estranged. Two nephews have been orphaned and one of the brothers has no issue, so the nephews have been named as heirs. Though there is no murder in this, one of the nephews, Morris Finsbury, thinks his uncle Joseph has done him wrong and so is very anxious to get his hands on that tontine money. Is his other uncle - Masterson Finsbury - even still alive? And what happens when there is a train wreck and a body turns up wearing the clothes last seen on Uncle Joseph!
Yes, it's a silly novel. I think farce is an apt description, though perhaps not quite as broad as that humor. For what it is intended, it is probably rather good. It's just not my thing. 3-stars.
I understand tontines have been outlawed - probably a good thing. As you can well imagine, with a tontine there might be all sorts of shenigans. In this, we learn in the very early pages that there are two men remaining alive. As it happens in novels, the two men are brothers, though estranged. Two nephews have been orphaned and one of the brothers has no issue, so the nephews have been named as heirs. Though there is no murder in this, one of the nephews, Morris Finsbury, thinks his uncle Joseph has done him wrong and so is very anxious to get his hands on that tontine money. Is his other uncle - Masterson Finsbury - even still alive? And what happens when there is a train wreck and a body turns up wearing the clothes last seen on Uncle Joseph!
Yes, it's a silly novel. I think farce is an apt description, though perhaps not quite as broad as that humor. For what it is intended, it is probably rather good. It's just not my thing. 3-stars.
November 20, 2016
Humor from RLS? This is a comedy based on the notionof a tontine, in which a group of people invest money and the last surviving member takes it all. But what if there is some ambiguity on who is alive and who is not? That is the principle on which The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson And Lloyd Osbourne is based.
Unfortunately, the humor doesn't come off well for this Yankee reader -- perhaps it's a bit too British. It is funny in parts, but sometimes I found it a bit forced.
Unfortunately, the humor doesn't come off well for this Yankee reader -- perhaps it's a bit too British. It is funny in parts, but sometimes I found it a bit forced.
January 17, 2021
In the world of art, collaboration is always a difficult business. To some extent it is necessary in all performance arts. Music requires collaboration between the composers and performers. Theatre and cinema require a mixture of writing, acting, directing and good effects (costume, lighting, sets etc) to make them work.
Where collaboration often falls down is in writing. To have two or more writers working on a project is to doubly dilute the quality of the final product. Firstly you have a good writer tied to a mediocre writer, something that weakens the final work. Secondly, even the good writer is slumming it, and is less likely to put their best work into a collaboration.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote three works with his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. Notably none of them are as fondly remembered as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, Treasure Island or The Master of Ballantrae.
The first of the books they made together was The Wrong Box, and it concerns a tontine. The word may not be familiar to you, but the concept possibly is. 35 youths agree a contract whereby each sets aside a sum of money. The last one to die inherits the total.
As Stevenson and Osbourne point out, this is an absurd thing to do, since the last surviving person will be too old to enjoy the money anyway. Nonetheless the idea has been used a few times in fiction, but not (I would imagine) in real life.
There are great potentialities in fiction. What happens when the number of living men dwindle? Will the remaining members of the tontine resort to unethical means to thin the number of people who stand between them?
While Stevenson and Osbourne exploit the potential elements of black comedy available in such a concept, they take a different path. In fact the action of the story begins in earnest when 33 of the original 35 men have died without foul play, and the survivors are both members of the Finsbury family.
Masterson Finsbury is in poor health. His brother Joseph is in better health, but his nephews Morris and John are determined to keep him alive for as long as possible, because Joseph (their guardian) has agreed to forfeit his share in the tontine to them as repayment for leaving them with financial difficulties.
However disaster strikes. There is a train crash containing the family, and Joseph’s fate seems uncertain. How will Morris and John manage now, when Masterson’s son Michael is unwilling to share?
From this point onwards, I am loath to discuss the plot in any more detail for fear of spoiling it. A series of plots and counter-plots are triggered, based on mistaken identity, attempted fraud, concealment, theft and misplaced luggage items – including the titular Wrong Box.
Much of the action follows the progress of the contents of this box. Here the story begins to falter, as there are rather too many contrivances and coincidences, leading to a surprisingly abrupt ending.
There is a distinctly satirical edge to the book. The Finsburys do not come off well. The various sons are greedy and devious. Masterson is disagreeable but does not appear much in the book. Other family members are more tolerable. Julia (another niece) is amiable and resourceful, but not especially gifted.
Uncle Joseph is a well-meaning bore who is obsessed with imparting his knowledge to others. As this knowledge is more in the way of information, it is tedious to some and patronising to others, especially those who are told how they should be doing their job. Joseph also seems obsessed with telling the lower classes how they could cheerfully exist on a sum of money that he would consider intolerable.
There are some amusing moments in the book, and the story is not especially dreadful. However the various intrigues eventually begin to outstay their welcome, and I was thankful that book was fairly short.
Where collaboration often falls down is in writing. To have two or more writers working on a project is to doubly dilute the quality of the final product. Firstly you have a good writer tied to a mediocre writer, something that weakens the final work. Secondly, even the good writer is slumming it, and is less likely to put their best work into a collaboration.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote three works with his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. Notably none of them are as fondly remembered as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, Treasure Island or The Master of Ballantrae.
The first of the books they made together was The Wrong Box, and it concerns a tontine. The word may not be familiar to you, but the concept possibly is. 35 youths agree a contract whereby each sets aside a sum of money. The last one to die inherits the total.
As Stevenson and Osbourne point out, this is an absurd thing to do, since the last surviving person will be too old to enjoy the money anyway. Nonetheless the idea has been used a few times in fiction, but not (I would imagine) in real life.
There are great potentialities in fiction. What happens when the number of living men dwindle? Will the remaining members of the tontine resort to unethical means to thin the number of people who stand between them?
While Stevenson and Osbourne exploit the potential elements of black comedy available in such a concept, they take a different path. In fact the action of the story begins in earnest when 33 of the original 35 men have died without foul play, and the survivors are both members of the Finsbury family.
Masterson Finsbury is in poor health. His brother Joseph is in better health, but his nephews Morris and John are determined to keep him alive for as long as possible, because Joseph (their guardian) has agreed to forfeit his share in the tontine to them as repayment for leaving them with financial difficulties.
However disaster strikes. There is a train crash containing the family, and Joseph’s fate seems uncertain. How will Morris and John manage now, when Masterson’s son Michael is unwilling to share?
From this point onwards, I am loath to discuss the plot in any more detail for fear of spoiling it. A series of plots and counter-plots are triggered, based on mistaken identity, attempted fraud, concealment, theft and misplaced luggage items – including the titular Wrong Box.
Much of the action follows the progress of the contents of this box. Here the story begins to falter, as there are rather too many contrivances and coincidences, leading to a surprisingly abrupt ending.
There is a distinctly satirical edge to the book. The Finsburys do not come off well. The various sons are greedy and devious. Masterson is disagreeable but does not appear much in the book. Other family members are more tolerable. Julia (another niece) is amiable and resourceful, but not especially gifted.
Uncle Joseph is a well-meaning bore who is obsessed with imparting his knowledge to others. As this knowledge is more in the way of information, it is tedious to some and patronising to others, especially those who are told how they should be doing their job. Joseph also seems obsessed with telling the lower classes how they could cheerfully exist on a sum of money that he would consider intolerable.
There are some amusing moments in the book, and the story is not especially dreadful. However the various intrigues eventually begin to outstay their welcome, and I was thankful that book was fairly short.
July 27, 2018
Robert Louis Stevenson is a household name, whose works include Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He only lived from 1850 to 1894 and this little number was published in 1889, so represents one of his final achievements delivered at the height of his powers. There’s a co-writer, Lloyd Osbourne, but he must have been reasonably good too because I can’t tell which passages are Stevenson’s and which are not. The story feels as if it was written by one mind, holding it in the hollow of a single hand with no hint of committee input.
RLS is generally thought of as an author of dramatic adventures, but this is a departure because it’s a macabre comedy, a farce if you like. He must have been a serious man with a sarcastic sense of humour that was dying to tunnel its way out of the starched shirt. Excuse the quotation from memory, as the book is no longer to hand, but some of the lines are just as applicable today, things like “Julia often made acquaintances in Bournemouth… and would have greatly preferred more allowance and less uncle.” There’s also “an incident at the railway ticket office which bordered on brigandage”, which sounds familiar and still topical to me. Then, after a supposed murder, failure to declare the death followed by desecration of the corpse and forgery of its signature, “the legal profession can be so petty”. There’s also a massive double train wreck, metal and mutilation, where one of the shell-shocked survivors declares “I think there may have been some sort of accident.”
Despite dozens of excellent moments, I marked it down from a four to a three star rating not because I didn’t think it was great stuff but because the language can be stilted, there are slow sections that could have been cut down to keep the action rolling, then it goes a bit wrong near the end and reads like a rush for the finish post. That aside, the core idea is terrific so I’m not underselling this.
The tontine idea this is based on is such a wonderfully, exquisitely pointless venture that even though it originated in Italy, I can easily imagine the Victorian English seizing on it and making it their own. It’s brilliant of course, brilliant, but pointless. I think I need that in my life. In brief, imagine the parents of thirty children putting in a block of money for investment. The last surviving child after ninety or so years wins all of the capital and the interest, which has accumulated over the course of their long lifetime. Naturally, they will be as good as dead when they get it and too much of an invalid to enjoy spending anything, so the whole scheme becomes ridiculous, just a way to put wealth out of circulation for up to a century. It’s a good excuse for the author to show the size of the group depleting in different entertaining ways, but this wasn’t explored as well as it might have been.
I can see themes in this book that have been re-used in popular culture, such as the body in the piano turning up again fifty years later in The Green Man (Alistair Sim) and I’d say it had some influence on Death of a Salesman and permeated into the roots of detective theatre.
The people for whom a tontine contract is not ridiculous are the children/nephews/nieces of the last two survivors as it’s the grandchildren of the original funders who are the true beneficiaries, not the original children at all, there’s the rub, and they have every incentive to prod the oldies to a premature demise.
The Wrong Box is black humour, it’s vicious, insulting, full of greed, cruel and utterly immoral, just like money itself. There can only be one winner in this story – and that’s the reader. I hope you like it as much as I did.
RLS is generally thought of as an author of dramatic adventures, but this is a departure because it’s a macabre comedy, a farce if you like. He must have been a serious man with a sarcastic sense of humour that was dying to tunnel its way out of the starched shirt. Excuse the quotation from memory, as the book is no longer to hand, but some of the lines are just as applicable today, things like “Julia often made acquaintances in Bournemouth… and would have greatly preferred more allowance and less uncle.” There’s also “an incident at the railway ticket office which bordered on brigandage”, which sounds familiar and still topical to me. Then, after a supposed murder, failure to declare the death followed by desecration of the corpse and forgery of its signature, “the legal profession can be so petty”. There’s also a massive double train wreck, metal and mutilation, where one of the shell-shocked survivors declares “I think there may have been some sort of accident.”
Despite dozens of excellent moments, I marked it down from a four to a three star rating not because I didn’t think it was great stuff but because the language can be stilted, there are slow sections that could have been cut down to keep the action rolling, then it goes a bit wrong near the end and reads like a rush for the finish post. That aside, the core idea is terrific so I’m not underselling this.
The tontine idea this is based on is such a wonderfully, exquisitely pointless venture that even though it originated in Italy, I can easily imagine the Victorian English seizing on it and making it their own. It’s brilliant of course, brilliant, but pointless. I think I need that in my life. In brief, imagine the parents of thirty children putting in a block of money for investment. The last surviving child after ninety or so years wins all of the capital and the interest, which has accumulated over the course of their long lifetime. Naturally, they will be as good as dead when they get it and too much of an invalid to enjoy spending anything, so the whole scheme becomes ridiculous, just a way to put wealth out of circulation for up to a century. It’s a good excuse for the author to show the size of the group depleting in different entertaining ways, but this wasn’t explored as well as it might have been.
I can see themes in this book that have been re-used in popular culture, such as the body in the piano turning up again fifty years later in The Green Man (Alistair Sim) and I’d say it had some influence on Death of a Salesman and permeated into the roots of detective theatre.
The people for whom a tontine contract is not ridiculous are the children/nephews/nieces of the last two survivors as it’s the grandchildren of the original funders who are the true beneficiaries, not the original children at all, there’s the rub, and they have every incentive to prod the oldies to a premature demise.
The Wrong Box is black humour, it’s vicious, insulting, full of greed, cruel and utterly immoral, just like money itself. There can only be one winner in this story – and that’s the reader. I hope you like it as much as I did.
November 6, 2009
This black comedy isn’t what you’d expect from Robert Louis Stevenson, but it is hilarious! Here’s the teaser I gave our book club:
Suppose your only hope of coming into your very large inheritance was for your guardian (whom you can't stand) to outlive your uncle, whom you haven't seen in years. And suppose that despite your best efforts to keep your guardian in good health, the two of you are in a train accident. Then imagine that your guardian, who likes you even less than you like him, escapes in the chaos while you lie unconscious, and that when you come to your discover in the wreckage a dead passenger whose features are no longer recognizable, but who happens to be wearing the exact same outfit as your guardian. Would you not do the only logical thing, and pack the corpse into a barrel and mail it to yourself so you could carry on as though your guardian were still living until you could be certain your uncle is pronounced dead first? And would you not be terribly alarmed when a prankster switched the address labels and you received in the mail, not the corpse you expected, but instead a gigantic marble statue of Hercules?
Suppose your only hope of coming into your very large inheritance was for your guardian (whom you can't stand) to outlive your uncle, whom you haven't seen in years. And suppose that despite your best efforts to keep your guardian in good health, the two of you are in a train accident. Then imagine that your guardian, who likes you even less than you like him, escapes in the chaos while you lie unconscious, and that when you come to your discover in the wreckage a dead passenger whose features are no longer recognizable, but who happens to be wearing the exact same outfit as your guardian. Would you not do the only logical thing, and pack the corpse into a barrel and mail it to yourself so you could carry on as though your guardian were still living until you could be certain your uncle is pronounced dead first? And would you not be terribly alarmed when a prankster switched the address labels and you received in the mail, not the corpse you expected, but instead a gigantic marble statue of Hercules?
Want to read
March 6, 2014Opening: How very little does the amateur, dwelling at home at ease, comprehend the labours and perils of the author, and, when he smilingly skims the surface of a work of fiction, how little does he consider the hours of toil, consultation of authorities, researches in the Bodleian, correspondence with learned and illegible Germans—in one word, the vast scaffolding that was first built up and then knocked down, to while away an hour for him in a railway train! Thus I might begin this tale with a biography of Tonti—birthplace, parentage, genius probably inherited from his mother, remarkable instance of precocity, etc—and a complete treatise on the system to which he bequeathed his name. The material is all beside me in a pigeon-hole, but I scorn to appear vainglorious. Tonti is dead, and I never saw anyone who even pretended to regret him; and, as for the tontine system, a word will suffice for all the purposes of this unvarnished narrative.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1585
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1585
June 14, 2017
This book is hilarious! I didn't know that Stevenson could write like this, since most of his stuff can be rather dark and dreary.
This mystery spoof is one ridiculous circumstance after another. The characters are all running circles around each other! There are far too many uncles. Why does everyone and their mother have an uncle waiting in the wings of every scene? haha! Every character seems to be of rather questionable moral integrity but basically respectable and decent until a corpse appears in their parlor.
The same corpse keeps getting lost, and the disguises and mistaken identities certainly keep things humming. I love that from start to finish, we don't see a single policeman or detective. The dialogue is snappy and ... oh, the whole thing is just wild! haha! It reminds me a lot of P.G. Wodehouse's funny books.
This mystery spoof is one ridiculous circumstance after another. The characters are all running circles around each other! There are far too many uncles. Why does everyone and their mother have an uncle waiting in the wings of every scene? haha! Every character seems to be of rather questionable moral integrity but basically respectable and decent until a corpse appears in their parlor.
The same corpse keeps getting lost, and the disguises and mistaken identities certainly keep things humming. I love that from start to finish, we don't see a single policeman or detective. The dialogue is snappy and ... oh, the whole thing is just wild! haha! It reminds me a lot of P.G. Wodehouse's funny books.
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March 15, 2013This comic novel by R.L. Stevenson (better known as the author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped) is a lot of very silly fun. Most of the action involves a much mislaid corpse, but, instead of being a gruesome tale, it's hilarious. The disappointment is the finale, which really doesn't quite hold up. It doesn't really end. It simply stops.
The book was adapted as a motion picture, and, unlike so many movies based on books, this film is actually far better than the book. Should you want to laugh until your sides hurt, I suggest you skip the book and rent or buy the DVD of The Wrong Box. It features Peter Sellers, Michael Caine, John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore - as distinguished a cast of actors as anyone could wish for, and all at the top of their form.
The book was adapted as a motion picture, and, unlike so many movies based on books, this film is actually far better than the book. Should you want to laugh until your sides hurt, I suggest you skip the book and rent or buy the DVD of The Wrong Box. It features Peter Sellers, Michael Caine, John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore - as distinguished a cast of actors as anyone could wish for, and all at the top of their form.
August 10, 2013
When I read the title of this book, I thought it would be a dark horror story but I was wrong. This book is extremely humorous and funnny. I had never imagined! It is very well written and has a mischievous tone and ironic because the author makes fun of the misfortunes that happen to the characters. Also entertains the reader and it invites you to be part of this unique adventure
This story is very different from what he wrote in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" but it shows the versatility of the writer and editorial quality.
This story is very different from what he wrote in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" but it shows the versatility of the writer and editorial quality.
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