You Can't Do Both

by Kingsley Amis

Robin Davies is both observer and actor throughout the trials of a pre-war adolescence in South London and the travails of his rites of passage to adulthood. Strongly autobiographical, You Can’t Do Both is classic Amis – funny, outrageous and alive to every social nuance.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Coming Of Age, British Literature, Adult Fiction

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Best known novels of British writer Sir Kingsley William Amis include Lucky Jim (1954) and The Old Devils (1986).

This English poet, critic, and teacher composed more than twenty-three collections, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered Martin Amis.

William Robert Amis, a clerk of a mustard manufacturer, fathered him. He began his education at the city of London school, and went up to college of Saint John, Oxford, in April 1941 to read English; he met Philip Larkin and formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, the Army called him for service in July 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the royal corps of signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. He worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, and then decided to devote much of his time.

Pen names: [authorRobert Markham|553548] and William Bill Tanner

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a bit of a tedious read because of the unsympathetic protagonist, Robin Davies, who grows up in the thirties in a London suburb.
It's a coming of age novel about someone who never really engages properly with anyone and always looks after himself.
2.5 stars

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Can’t Do Both by Kingsley Amis, my favorite author, more than twenty of his books are reviewed on my blog, where the best thing is at https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...

10 out of 10

Just like the other more than twenty novels, a biography and the fabulous The King’s English https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... all mesmerizing magnum opera, and You Can’t Do Both is in the same superb category, a book I enjoyed tremendously

It is disappointing to see that it has only 189 ratings (190 now) and only fifteen (updated at 16, with this one) reviews, but to go about my old horse – in a world where the orange gangster is leader in the ‘greatest democracy’, what can we expect, there would be much worse outcomes than this book having such a tiny audience
Robin Davies is the main character, I was going to say hero, but he is not exactly a role model, and that makes him more accessible, as in it would be difficult for me to identify with somebody who is near perfect, but given his flaws, well, I can be that ungrateful, evasive, however, the protagonist has a lot to admire in is character

Religion is one of the topics: What kind of love is it that has to be asked before it’ll give, asked nicely too, so you’re supposed to go down on your bended knees to plead for whatever it is? Art thou troubled? Yes. And what’s God’s answer to that? Not, In which case I’ve clearly fallen down on the job, but, Right, you just follow the laid-down procedure and I might consider doing something or other about it one day. And secondly, Rector, there are some situations where mere help isn’t much of a help. What about ugly girls or blind people or deformed people or people with the wrong taste in sex that no amount of trying will ever take away? When that kind of thing comes along God’s answer is not, Whoops, here I go slipping up again, but, Get into the groveling position and thank me for giving you such a spiffing chance to be brave, and if I feel like it I might give you a hand. By helping you to be brave, nothing more constructive or troublesome or serious than that. So please don’t tell me how nice God is, what with him always answering our prayers and all. He can’t exist without being a shit, and I wouldn’t dream of saying flatly he doesn’t exist, just that the world and everything in it are indistinguishable from a world et cetera in which he doesn’t exist.’

This is one of the most sarcastic, accurate criticism of religion that I know of, Kingsley Amis has said ‘it is not so much that I do not believe in him, I hate him’, something along these lines, and that is quite evident above, where Robin more than likely takes the opinion of the author and shares it with the readers
He has a father that is very peculiar and difficult to deal with, a climax is reached when Robin has a girl at the house, beautiful, innocent Nancy Bennett, she was allowed to be a guest, instructed to behave – she has a sister that had run with a man, and she is now a single mother, which was so much condemned decades ago, when the story takes place – she is a virgin, but she loves this young man and they cross the line

When the parents return home from a visit, the father sees somehow that the young ones have had sex, and he makes a such a fuss about it, he summons a meeting and insists that he has no choice but to throw the girl out, such a ridiculous posture – spoiler alert, he dies some chapters down the road, so, good riddance
Nancy and Robin will live together, but he is not careful one day, and she gets pregnant, nevertheless, he is not ready to commit, despite what others say, including his brother, Geroge, and he wants to ‘enjoy his freedom’, which makes so much sense in our time, but it was a completely different game back then, in the fifties

What am I saying about these days, there are a few billion that think like in the Middle Ages, elect the likes of the orange goon, who has supporters around the globe, other villains that emulate him, and these hoi polloi would act in such despicable ways, and on the matter of sex, abortion, well, look at what they do
Robin says that abortion – called curettage at that point – would be the solution, for he does not want marriage – he is very selfish, we see at this stage even better, concerned about having sex with many girls, which sounds so honest and normal, except he has met the perfect partner in Nancy and we could think…

Girl, maybe you are better without him, you are definitely superior in so many ways, except he would become (spoiler alert) a doctor and reader at Oxford, with the potential to get tenure, some time later, and she did not have his education, only certainly she understands the world better and has high principles
Most important, she knows love, incidentally, the happiest people in the world have been studied by psychologists, and the result is available – the happiest humans have strong relationships with family and friends, not money, wealth and the like, notwithstanding the fact that it is not good to be homeless, that does not gratify one

Abortion was illegal, but for one hundred pounds, a few thousand in the present currency, they find a doctor, and they travel to Cardiff, where they are minutes away from the procedure, and we have that reversal of fortune that Aristotle thought was essential in a good drama, like Oedipus Rex say, and they decide…
To keep the baby, that is the man has to have this change of heart, she was all for it, but he was not in love, and only some sense of duty, principles and the feelings he had for her, not adoration though, make him want to marry this wonderful Nancy
https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

[M.k. Yost · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robin Davies is seriously an insufferable git. So hard to get through this one.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Top & tail with the classic 1950s 'Lucky Jim' territory of young whippersnappers on the scramble for whatever is going free!...but 50 years apart!...(though this tale of a South London lad on the academic & sexual make, echoes the author's own giddy ascent to literary notoriety in the years before & after the Second World War)...is entertaining if rather predictable, & the title gives a heads-up to the dilemma at the novel's rotten heart. The characterisations are a bit lazy & very hard on the Welsh! - but the dialogues sound chronologically authentic...with Amis's trademark sardonic flavour much in evidence with the main protagonist, Robin Davies, who clearly reflects something of the author's fluid morality.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone seeking a good read unless already acquainted with the Kingsley Amis voice, which tends to jar with the almost suffocatingly-liberal consensus in the wider literary world we find so prevalent in the 'tolerant' 21st century. I doubt whether Sir Kingsley - with whom I had a brief but vivid exchange about poetry publishing policies while working in a Covent Garden bookshop not far from his club...& clearly 'well-oiled' on several glasses of wine! - would find a willing publisher these days. A self-publicist like Kingsley, however, could find a way into print...if only as a contributor to Goodreads!...or on some centre-right blog making fun of menopausal Blair babes & crazed Corbynistas! The Guardian would not be happy!

[Dr G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started rather slowly, and the main interest for me was in how much the world has changed since the middle of the twentieth century, and perhaps even since the 1990s when Amis wrote it.

From around half-way, it acquired more edge as the protagonist, Robin (I wonder how long it is since a boy in Britain was named Robin), broke away from the strait-jacket of his home and his father's authority.

Robin's changing relationship with Nancy is well written and capable of surprising the reader right up until the end of the book, with both characters eliciting some sympathy and warmth. Robin's father, Tom, reveals unexpected complexity as the story develops, and this requires the reader to re-assess early judgments.

Amis successfully surprises the reader with several turns in the plot, in a way which anticipates some of Hilary Mantel's writing. These jolts to the flow of the story tend to remind the reader that life can sneak up in unexpected ways, warning against complacency.

I did not enjoy this as much as I did "Lucky Jim" but, especially in the second half, I found it an engaging and well-crafted story.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dazzling novel that further cements Amis as one of my favourite authors. This was a profoundly engaging read, filled with wit, insights, and the rich characterisation that Amis is so renowned for. It is a portrait of a life, and as such, is filled with highs, lows, compromises, and everything else that comes with the human condition.

The novel revolves around the life of Robin Davies, an Englishman growing up in the 1930s and 40s, as he struggles to balance his mother's high expectations with his own ambitions and desires. Amis uses Robin's story to explore the universal theme of choosing one's path in life and how it's impossible to satisfy everyone.

Amis's knack for creating flawed but relatable characters shines through in Robin. His growth from a confused, aimless young man into someone who begins to understand himself and the world around him is compelling. His life is filled with challenges and conundrums, some of his own making, others a result of the societal norms and expectations he grapples with. This journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age is something that will resonate with many readers.

Amis's prose is deliciously witty and filled with astute observations. His dexterity with the English language, his knack for bringing out the absurdity of everyday life, and his ability to infuse even the most mundane moments with humour are all on full display here. And yet, despite the wit and humour, the novel never shies away from addressing more profound and sometimes darker aspects of life.

There is a depth to this novel that I found profoundly satisfying. While on the surface it may seem like a simple tale of a man coming to terms with his life choices, it's so much more than that. It's an exploration of societal expectations, of personal desires and how they clash, and of the compromises we all have to make in life.

In conclusion, "You Can't Do Both" is a brilliantly written and deeply insightful novel. It offers both laughs and poignant moments, underpinned by Amis's razor-sharp wit and wisdom. It's a book I'll likely return to, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Five stars without a doubt.

[Nataliec7]

I ended up giving up on this book. It is a good read from how far I got but it was taking me forever to get through and I found myself wishing it would just be over already. So I'm giving up but, feel free to let me know how the ending goes and how the story develops. I got to page 138. It took me about a month to get that far.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel combines a few of my favorite elements of communication: an autobiographical leaning, hill-air-ious prose, and male chauvinistic bantering that's ultimately trounced... sort of. Very satisfying!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decided to read kingsley before getting onto martin... whole father and son thing. Which is what the book is about too. Scary insight into British middle class males and their frustratingly repressed behaviour.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

KA #20, if I'm not mistaken. A big thank you to K for getting me that much closer to completion of the catalog.

[C. Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unusual book from Amis: more true than his memoirs, it covers the early life of "Robin" and shows how he became the compulsive womaniser that we all have heard Amis to be.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of a man that walks a fine line from his time as a child,to his time at Uni, both before and after the war, finishing with his life as a middle aged man. He is both a hero and an anti-hero.

[Dan Honeywell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amis at his most sentimental with funny bits here and there.

[Haxby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting character development. A very good read.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a fine witty English novel. A little unfocused but funny in places

[Peter Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative of a time and place - 1930s-late 40s/early 50s England. Rites of passage to adulthood.