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Mr. American
No one knew who Mark Franklin was when he disembarked at Liverpool in 1909 with a copy of Shakespeare's works, an old Mexican charro saddle, and two long-barrelled Remingtons in his battered luggage. He was just another American, tall and gently spoken and alone, and what he was looking for none of them could guess, although they wondered - at Scotland Yard, in City offices, in the glittering theatreland of the West End, in the highest circles of Society and in the humble bar parlour of the little pub at Castle Lancing. To all of them, royalty and rustics, squires and suffragettes, the women who loved him and the men who hated and feared him, he remained a disturbing mystery, for while he came from a far frontier in another world, he was not altogether a stranger...even old General Flashman, who could see further than most, never guessed the whole truth.
585 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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About the author
George MacDonald Fraser
116 books690 followersGeorge MacDonald Fraser is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings and praise from critics. P.G. Wodehouse said of Flashman, “If ever there was a time when I felt that ‘watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet’ stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
April 8, 2012
And there I was thinking that I’d read everything George MacDonald Fraser wrote about Flashman.
The reason this novel leapt off the shelf at me at the local book emporium, was the realisation that Harry Flashman played some part in this tale. The blurb to my copy reads “even old General Flashman, who knew men and mischief better than most, never guessed the whole truth about ‘Mr American’” That was of course enough to make me reach for my wallet, although I was fully suspicious that old Flash might be appearing for five pages or so before shuffling off. As it turned out the now elderly general has a far more substantial role than I envisaged, however the spark and liveliness of his appearances shows up the great flaws in this book. For the main part ‘Mr American’ is quite a flat and insipid tale, while only come to life occasionally. The Flashman scenes are amongst the best here, so that when he disappears the reader truly misses him. Indeed this reader wished he could abandon the central character and go off to see what his aged friend was up to, as it had to be more interesting than what else was taking place in the tale.
Mark Franklin, an American from the Wild West who sports his own wild past, arrives in Edwardian England with a fortune from a silver mine. By chance he ends up connected to the English aristocracy and creates himself as a gentleman, but his past is very difficult to hide from.
It takes a good two hundred pages before the book is really gripped by a sense of adventure, and even there that sense soon dissipates. Indeed a constant problem with this novel is the way interesting looking plot strands are raised only to be hit back down again. In the main it’s a bore, a dull read which fails to grip or involve the reader with the characters or the action. Of course it’s great to see old Flashy again, but I just wish he’d been centre stage – as he’s a lot more bloody fun.
The reason this novel leapt off the shelf at me at the local book emporium, was the realisation that Harry Flashman played some part in this tale. The blurb to my copy reads “even old General Flashman, who knew men and mischief better than most, never guessed the whole truth about ‘Mr American’” That was of course enough to make me reach for my wallet, although I was fully suspicious that old Flash might be appearing for five pages or so before shuffling off. As it turned out the now elderly general has a far more substantial role than I envisaged, however the spark and liveliness of his appearances shows up the great flaws in this book. For the main part ‘Mr American’ is quite a flat and insipid tale, while only come to life occasionally. The Flashman scenes are amongst the best here, so that when he disappears the reader truly misses him. Indeed this reader wished he could abandon the central character and go off to see what his aged friend was up to, as it had to be more interesting than what else was taking place in the tale.
Mark Franklin, an American from the Wild West who sports his own wild past, arrives in Edwardian England with a fortune from a silver mine. By chance he ends up connected to the English aristocracy and creates himself as a gentleman, but his past is very difficult to hide from.
It takes a good two hundred pages before the book is really gripped by a sense of adventure, and even there that sense soon dissipates. Indeed a constant problem with this novel is the way interesting looking plot strands are raised only to be hit back down again. In the main it’s a bore, a dull read which fails to grip or involve the reader with the characters or the action. Of course it’s great to see old Flashy again, but I just wish he’d been centre stage – as he’s a lot more bloody fun.
March 27, 2012
What a remarkable read. On the face of it, a simple tale which tells the story of a mysterious American who arrives in England, in 1909, with a small fortune and a checkered past. But it is set against the backdrop of an era in England, and indeed the world, where changes in industry and warfare would alter life as we knew it. Having read most of the Flashman series (and Fraser brilliantly includes his most famous creation in a cameo role here) I knew GMF was a master storyteller, but this is easily his best work. I left his characters with real regret, especially Mr American. The ending was left slightly open, so I wonder if the author had planned to go back and write a sequel at some point. Alas, Fraser is no longer with us, so we will have to content ourselves with rereading these classic stories. I for one will find this no hardship.
May 11, 2021
"And to those imagined people on the road away, so very long ago, who had travelled so far and so well, so that he might travel back, and in the way of things, set out again." (pg. 550)
The cover of George MacDonald Fraser's novel Mr. American includes one line cherry-picked from a review in The Times, which states: 'Every page is sheer unadulterated pleasure.' Even though Fraser is my favourite writer – and to date I've read twelve Flashman novels, two memoirs, one film history, one complete collection of McAuslan stories and two more novels without encountering anything less than sheer unadulterated pleasure – I was still sceptical about this line. Despite knowing and loving Fraser's work as I did, I did not see how The Times' assertion could be true of every page for near-600 pages. But it is.
The writing is joyous, with Fraser's typical mastery of free-flowing prose that nevertheless contains lots of rich detail and unhurried diversions into interesting avenues that never cause drag to the pacing. The characters are as realized and lifelike as they always are, and whilst Mr. American is not a comic novel like many of his others Fraser finds plenty of easy humour. The plot is sweeping and yet meticulous, staging everything from Western gunfights to playing bridge with the King, and much more besides. Fraser even finds room for his most cherished literary creation, Harry Flashman, still the shameless rogue even at ninety years old. And it's not just a token cameo as I thought it might be: Flashy not only makes a number of appearances throughout but often stays for supper, treating us to his inimitable outspoken views and behaviour. As Fraser says, he bestrides this novel "like an elderly and debauched eagle, imbibing heroic quantities of champagne without visible effect, and occasionally making unnerving pronouncements" (pg. 195). For those of us who have devoured all the Flashman novels, further in-depth encounters with England's finest is like manna from heaven. First-rate indeed!
It's is not a book without its faults; it is longer than it needs to be, though Fraser's indulgences and divergences are always fascinating (with the possible exception of the extended game of bridge). Our protagonist Mark Franklin's encounters with upper-class British society and all the "affectation, and snobbery, and brittle emptiness, all the cruelty and shallowness and false values" that compose it (pg. 562) get you heated up, although they are no doubt designed to. But the plot is rather circular, which means stoking the reader's emotions becomes rather unnecessary when there is no payoff, tragic or otherwise. The ambiguous ending also seems unfair to readers who have invested in nearly 600 pages and have come to care about the characters.
That said, Fraser is a master of storytelling and though there is no overt conclusion or theme or closure for the reader to digest, Mr. American reminded me in many ways of the books of Charles Dickens, where the message is intangible and is revealed solely through the mood and tone of the exquisite storytelling. We really get a sense of time and place, of how the complacent moral bankruptcy of the Edwardian era collapsed into the reckoning of the First World War. Fraser appropriates that Dickensian knack of making setting and plot itself transport us into a new constructed world, where what the reader learns and understands depends entirely on how much they observe and invest. There's more to Mr. American than just basking in ars gratia artis, but if you want to bask decadently in prose there is scarcely any finer than that of George MacDonald Fraser.
The cover of George MacDonald Fraser's novel Mr. American includes one line cherry-picked from a review in The Times, which states: 'Every page is sheer unadulterated pleasure.' Even though Fraser is my favourite writer – and to date I've read twelve Flashman novels, two memoirs, one film history, one complete collection of McAuslan stories and two more novels without encountering anything less than sheer unadulterated pleasure – I was still sceptical about this line. Despite knowing and loving Fraser's work as I did, I did not see how The Times' assertion could be true of every page for near-600 pages. But it is.
The writing is joyous, with Fraser's typical mastery of free-flowing prose that nevertheless contains lots of rich detail and unhurried diversions into interesting avenues that never cause drag to the pacing. The characters are as realized and lifelike as they always are, and whilst Mr. American is not a comic novel like many of his others Fraser finds plenty of easy humour. The plot is sweeping and yet meticulous, staging everything from Western gunfights to playing bridge with the King, and much more besides. Fraser even finds room for his most cherished literary creation, Harry Flashman, still the shameless rogue even at ninety years old. And it's not just a token cameo as I thought it might be: Flashy not only makes a number of appearances throughout but often stays for supper, treating us to his inimitable outspoken views and behaviour. As Fraser says, he bestrides this novel "like an elderly and debauched eagle, imbibing heroic quantities of champagne without visible effect, and occasionally making unnerving pronouncements" (pg. 195). For those of us who have devoured all the Flashman novels, further in-depth encounters with England's finest is like manna from heaven. First-rate indeed!
It's is not a book without its faults; it is longer than it needs to be, though Fraser's indulgences and divergences are always fascinating (with the possible exception of the extended game of bridge). Our protagonist Mark Franklin's encounters with upper-class British society and all the "affectation, and snobbery, and brittle emptiness, all the cruelty and shallowness and false values" that compose it (pg. 562) get you heated up, although they are no doubt designed to. But the plot is rather circular, which means stoking the reader's emotions becomes rather unnecessary when there is no payoff, tragic or otherwise. The ambiguous ending also seems unfair to readers who have invested in nearly 600 pages and have come to care about the characters.
That said, Fraser is a master of storytelling and though there is no overt conclusion or theme or closure for the reader to digest, Mr. American reminded me in many ways of the books of Charles Dickens, where the message is intangible and is revealed solely through the mood and tone of the exquisite storytelling. We really get a sense of time and place, of how the complacent moral bankruptcy of the Edwardian era collapsed into the reckoning of the First World War. Fraser appropriates that Dickensian knack of making setting and plot itself transport us into a new constructed world, where what the reader learns and understands depends entirely on how much they observe and invest. There's more to Mr. American than just basking in ars gratia artis, but if you want to bask decadently in prose there is scarcely any finer than that of George MacDonald Fraser.
April 13, 2013
I am really torn on what to say about this book. I liked it, but boy it really could have been 100 pages shorter. There were a few sections that just rambled a bit. But man, it is one of those stories that kind of sticks with you. Plus the ending was just crazy, I had a flip back and forth a few times to make sure that was it.
I also had to ponder this one awhile for me to really determine how much I liked it. The characters are written really well. You get to the point where you really do not like the shallowness of certain people of the polite society in London. But you also struggle to really understand Franklin's motive.
I think my favorite characters were Samson the butler and Pip the 'show' girl. They really played well to some of the different story arcs that Franklin goes through.
I also had to ponder this one awhile for me to really determine how much I liked it. The characters are written really well. You get to the point where you really do not like the shallowness of certain people of the polite society in London. But you also struggle to really understand Franklin's motive.
I think my favorite characters were Samson the butler and Pip the 'show' girl. They really played well to some of the different story arcs that Franklin goes through.
January 13, 2017
In my opinion, this is GMF best work of fiction. Better than Flashman. It is a picture of Britain in the years just before the First World War with all the beauty and cynicism portrayed through the eyes of a visiting American. Utterly superb.
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September 20, 2020Mr American is a weighty novel split over two parts detailing five years in the life of a mysterious mid-thirties American. It's a long meandering tale that takes its sweet time explaining itself. It's almost 300 pages in before we even discover just who Mr American really is but it turns out that who this Mr American is isn't the main crux of the book after all. Written by George MacDonald Fraser we have another of his lively and historically fascinating fictions, which he excelled at, that is 'technically' a Flashman novel. It manages to keep Harry Flashman at a distance though and unusual for books featuring him it remains staid in tone throughout. What we eventually discover is that the book is actually about a moment in time, a period where history changed gear and a new age was born. It's this NEW history that conflicts so much with our main character and his dream. He himself is from a different age, a different world, and arriving in England with fantasies of his own only makes for a car crash of emotions. He arrives slap-bang at the end of an era which will all too soon run headlong into a colder, meaner, next age. His dream is to return to where his family originally came from and live his life quietly thanks to his new found fortune. All goes some what well until (as with a lot of MacDonald Fraser's work) a chance meeting with an old man, who turns out to be much more famous than our Mr American knows, pushes him into the high society. A swirling and romantic turn soon follows and things sweep by unchecked and carefree until one night the past from his old life catches up to him.
Dreams, nostalgia, delusions and pride slam right into walls of reality and selfishness and the reader is challenged to pick a side. Which character is the biggest liar? Which character is the most foolish for feeling how they do? It's not a judgmental story but the characters certainly are and so we read their points of view and feel a bit helpless to fix them. All we can do is keep on and hope things will get better but are we any more of a dreamer, than Mr American, for thinking this way? Things aren't neat. Things are complex, and often hurt, but you can't keep running away from them. Only, the book leaves a lot of that open to you to decide. At least one character does run away from things but are they selfish for running? What are morals, and can you expect people within a class system to behave differently just because your own personal morality is different just because you want them to?
It's a beautifully written, slow burning, semi-tragedy that evolves into new directions every other chapter. It has a lot to say, this book, but as it says it all at once it makes for something you'll keep thinking about for a long after it's finished. This strange period of time sets up a curious culture clash and it's a weird thought, for a modern person, that all of these elements happened so close together. Cowboys and fox hunting, vile bodies and world war.
Dreams, nostalgia, delusions and pride slam right into walls of reality and selfishness and the reader is challenged to pick a side. Which character is the biggest liar? Which character is the most foolish for feeling how they do? It's not a judgmental story but the characters certainly are and so we read their points of view and feel a bit helpless to fix them. All we can do is keep on and hope things will get better but are we any more of a dreamer, than Mr American, for thinking this way? Things aren't neat. Things are complex, and often hurt, but you can't keep running away from them. Only, the book leaves a lot of that open to you to decide. At least one character does run away from things but are they selfish for running? What are morals, and can you expect people within a class system to behave differently just because your own personal morality is different just because you want them to?
It's a beautifully written, slow burning, semi-tragedy that evolves into new directions every other chapter. It has a lot to say, this book, but as it says it all at once it makes for something you'll keep thinking about for a long after it's finished. This strange period of time sets up a curious culture clash and it's a weird thought, for a modern person, that all of these elements happened so close together. Cowboys and fox hunting, vile bodies and world war.
October 19, 2025
Originally published on my blog here in October 1999.
In what was not quite a break from his Flashman series, Fraser wrote this novel about an American, Mark Franklin, who struck it rich and travelled to England, to the village his family had emigrated from many years previously. In 1909, despite being both American and nouveau riche, Franklin is able to move in the highest circles of English society, helped by amusing Edward VII at a chance meeting.
As in the Flashman books, Fraser includes a lot of historical detail in his narrative, including tales of the Wild Bunch, the Curragh mutiny, the music hall, the behaviour of suffragettes at the Royal Academy exhibition. And Flashman, at ninety still chasing pretty girls, makes several appearances.
The main reason that Mr American is not as good as the Flashman series is because of the blandness of the main character. I suspect that the realisation of this is the motivation for bringing Flashman into the story, to spice it up a bit. The Flashman novels contain almost all of Fraser's best work (I have an affection for Pyrates as well) and should probably be stuck to except by real fans.
In what was not quite a break from his Flashman series, Fraser wrote this novel about an American, Mark Franklin, who struck it rich and travelled to England, to the village his family had emigrated from many years previously. In 1909, despite being both American and nouveau riche, Franklin is able to move in the highest circles of English society, helped by amusing Edward VII at a chance meeting.
As in the Flashman books, Fraser includes a lot of historical detail in his narrative, including tales of the Wild Bunch, the Curragh mutiny, the music hall, the behaviour of suffragettes at the Royal Academy exhibition. And Flashman, at ninety still chasing pretty girls, makes several appearances.
The main reason that Mr American is not as good as the Flashman series is because of the blandness of the main character. I suspect that the realisation of this is the motivation for bringing Flashman into the story, to spice it up a bit. The Flashman novels contain almost all of Fraser's best work (I have an affection for Pyrates as well) and should probably be stuck to except by real fans.
August 1, 2011
Better known for his Flashman books... and said character makes several appearances in Mr. American (though as an old retired general). Mr. American is quite a good read... very interesting premise, a cowboy more-or-less, retires to England and seems to have a large amount of money and a shady background. Fraser captures the Edwardian time quite nicely with his descriptions and speech patterns, and the plot kept me reading. But after about the 75% mark... the reader has discovered most of the main characters secrets, the major confrontation is done, and the book keeps going on. The remaining 25% is concerned with the main character's midlife crisis and his estranged wife. In my opinion, this wasn't needed, though I kept reading it simply because I knew there would be more Flashman appearances and was (mildly) curious as to how he deals with his retirement situation. The book would have gotten another star had it not dragged on. I found the pragmatic cowboy's approach to "Britishness" very funny at times, being a midwesterner living in London I even empathized a couple times.
September 14, 2009
The build up to WW1 and the trouble in Ireland form the backdrop to this sort of homecoming story.
A fish out of water in the form of the Mr American mixes with the cream of English gentry...imagine Bullock from the TV series Deadwood turning up on Upstairs Downstairs.
Nothing given away by the blurb on the back, so I'll give nothing away here...not that it's a mystery in any way.
The fact that it is old Flashy's last bow is nice, but he isn't the reason for reading this. Though you'll find his muttered stories leaving you remembering events from his "papers".
Mr Franklin's voyage through the aristos and showgirls with his frontier morals clashing against society allows us a look into the last days of the "green and pleasant land" before the horrors of war and revolution.
Well worth a read.
A fish out of water in the form of the Mr American mixes with the cream of English gentry...imagine Bullock from the TV series Deadwood turning up on Upstairs Downstairs.
Nothing given away by the blurb on the back, so I'll give nothing away here...not that it's a mystery in any way.
The fact that it is old Flashy's last bow is nice, but he isn't the reason for reading this. Though you'll find his muttered stories leaving you remembering events from his "papers".
Mr Franklin's voyage through the aristos and showgirls with his frontier morals clashing against society allows us a look into the last days of the "green and pleasant land" before the horrors of war and revolution.
Well worth a read.
May 27, 2009
Mark Franklin is a quiet, mysterious American who is starting a new life in England. As he assimilates into country manor life, he encounters several interesting characters, including a suffragette with a penchant for violence, a fun loving chorus girl, the King of England, and on top of it all, starts an unusual friendship with the outrageous, elderly Harry Flashman. Meanwhile,both his past and his future begin to haunt him in in unexpected but believable ways.
I kept trying to guess what would happen next,and felt I knew where the ending was going. But I could not have predicted any of the turn of events and was not disappointed in the thought-provoking ending. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. As soon as I finish the Flashman Papers, I will be re-reading this.
I kept trying to guess what would happen next,and felt I knew where the ending was going. But I could not have predicted any of the turn of events and was not disappointed in the thought-provoking ending. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. As soon as I finish the Flashman Papers, I will be re-reading this.
February 25, 2018
One I always go back to- gorgeous descriptions of Edwardian England and the Indian summer leading up to WW1, in some ways agonising to read because we know about the soul-stumping horror looming in the background. Impossible for a man to read this and not want to be Mr Franklin, absolutely loved the descriptions of him going around buying stuff and making himself a gentleman.
A big selling point is of course the cameo appearances of the aging Flashman- delightful if you're a fan, but in no way a problem if you're not. I reckon what Flashy says about how we should stay out of a European war was GMF's own theory- that few sentences from Flashman in 1914 has made me fascinated by the question of what would have happened if we hadn't, and how long we could feasibly have dragged out Pax Brittanica.
Fabulous and masterful.
A big selling point is of course the cameo appearances of the aging Flashman- delightful if you're a fan, but in no way a problem if you're not. I reckon what Flashy says about how we should stay out of a European war was GMF's own theory- that few sentences from Flashman in 1914 has made me fascinated by the question of what would have happened if we hadn't, and how long we could feasibly have dragged out Pax Brittanica.
Fabulous and masterful.
January 15, 2019
Twice I have started this book and twice given it up. The first 200+ pages are interesting, then it bogs down.
I love George MacDonald-Fraser and have all his books, but this one I can't seem to finish. I feel the story though not that exciting or funny in the beginning, is interesting and the premise is good, but the story then just goes flat and I found I was stopping to care what happened to the characters, except for the Samson the butler and Pip the show girl. Yes, Flashman is there and is as much fun to read about as usual but as for the rest? Blaagh. I wonder if part of the problem is that the story is not written in the first party like Flashman or the MacAuslan stories? I have other GmD-F books in the third party that work, but not this one. So sorry. Maybe I will try again in a couple of years.
I love George MacDonald-Fraser and have all his books, but this one I can't seem to finish. I feel the story though not that exciting or funny in the beginning, is interesting and the premise is good, but the story then just goes flat and I found I was stopping to care what happened to the characters, except for the Samson the butler and Pip the show girl. Yes, Flashman is there and is as much fun to read about as usual but as for the rest? Blaagh. I wonder if part of the problem is that the story is not written in the first party like Flashman or the MacAuslan stories? I have other GmD-F books in the third party that work, but not this one. So sorry. Maybe I will try again in a couple of years.
August 12, 2017
An American, once a compatriot of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, strikes it big as a silver miner. He brings his riches to England and returns to the village his family left in 1624 when they were on the losing side in the English Civil War. How he becomes an English gentleman and fits into a new society makes the first half of the book fascinating, as does the threat to his new situation, wealth, and life by a former associate with Butch and Sundance (the genuinely scary Kid Curry). About three-quarters of the way through the book, it loses steam or changes direction in ways that we aren't prepared for sufficiently, but it's still an interesting novel about Edwardian England and social adjustment, and Fraser's greatest creation, General Harry Flashgun, pops up a time or two.
Read
August 20, 2018George MacDonald Fraser is, what he always is, brilliant in the extreme. I read one of the reviews in this section that describes the story as boring. In my opinion, this is totally untrue! The book is not a fast paced book and was never meant to be so. It takes its time and meanders along at its own speed, introducing the characters of the story as it evolves and draws you into the time of the period in a natural progression. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute reading the yarn and, for myself, this is one of my favourite stories that GMF has written - and I’ve read them all. I would encourage anyone who appreciates reading the words of a master storyteller to read this.
June 24, 2017
One of GMFs better works that evokes a pre WW1 England, soon to disappear forever, through the eyes of an American newcomer with a past of his own. Do not expect the raciness of the Flashman novels, but as ever Fraser recreates an era with absolute authority. The occasional inclusion of an ageing Sir Harry is welcome for its comedy, realistic insight and characteristic cynicism. The ending is cleverly and thoughtfully executed; it is a cause of immense sadness to recognise that it is unlikely that we will see the like of this outstanding author again.
August 21, 2007
My favorite Geroge MacDonald Fraser book so far. The Flashman series is wonderful, and "The Pyrates" is absolutely hilarious, but there was something about his book... . I liked the main character so much, and the slowly-developing plot moves at just the right pace to explore the problems we encounter when we try to be someone we're not. A fabulous read.
September 1, 2019
Very mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's a very detailed picture of the setting. On the other hand, its a very blinkered view of the setting, with a very Society-centric look at things. There's no real character arc for the central character, and some of the supporting characters descend to caricature.
June 21, 2018
GMF hits the jackpot again! He is such a good narrator - and Flashman rides again!
The ending is a bit ambiguous- deliberately so - and I was left wanting more.
Unfortunately, Fraser's death a few years ago means no more books of this quality.
The ending is a bit ambiguous- deliberately so - and I was left wanting more.
Unfortunately, Fraser's death a few years ago means no more books of this quality.
April 30, 2023
Mr American is a book that probably shouldn't have worked.
Fraser was at his absolute best combining 4 elements : deeply researched & vivid history, action & adventure, social satire, and broad comedy. This worked brilliant for him, producing the masterful Flashman series & his own autobiographical stories about his time in the Army.
Changing that key formula gave varying works. When he left broad comedy out of the mix, the result was Black Ajax, a wonderful historical tragedy. When he left out the satire & embraced comedy, the result was two deeply unsatisfying pastiches - The Reavers and The Pyrates. When he stuck to writing about modern society in a number of essays, the result was even worse : Fraser, an exceptionally keen observer of other people & times, was revealed to have an immense blind spot for his own.
Mr American goes just as far outside of Fraser's usual comfort zone as his essays. It is almost a pure work of literature. It's set in Fraser's England just a generation before his own life, so it's only arguably historical, although it is an extremely vivid depiction of bygone England. The action is limited to a single scene. The broad comedy is almost nonexistent. There is an element of social satire, but even that somewhat deviates from Fraser's normal approach.
If I can be forgiven for a shameful over-generalization, Fraser often wrote from the standpoint of "I'm going to show you why these people were so awful, but I'm going to make you fall in love with them anyway." Mr American, on the other hand, takes the stance "these people are more or less pretty crappy, albeit with a few redeeming qualities, but I like them." There's no real effort to eviscerate or ennoble his targets.
Mr American is essentially a comedy of manners, but the normal comedy of manners is fairly harsh on the manners it satirizes. Mr American hints at what Fraser's non-fiction made abundantly clear - the society he depicts is one that might be in need of some reform, but you absolutely must NOT go further than that. Don't you DARE question the fundamental order of things!
That should make it rather toothless, and it perhaps it's not the best comedy of manners, but taken as pure literature, it's a wonderful story of class, identity, heritage, and love. Just try to set your own politics aside.
Fraser was at his absolute best combining 4 elements : deeply researched & vivid history, action & adventure, social satire, and broad comedy. This worked brilliant for him, producing the masterful Flashman series & his own autobiographical stories about his time in the Army.
Changing that key formula gave varying works. When he left broad comedy out of the mix, the result was Black Ajax, a wonderful historical tragedy. When he left out the satire & embraced comedy, the result was two deeply unsatisfying pastiches - The Reavers and The Pyrates. When he stuck to writing about modern society in a number of essays, the result was even worse : Fraser, an exceptionally keen observer of other people & times, was revealed to have an immense blind spot for his own.
Mr American goes just as far outside of Fraser's usual comfort zone as his essays. It is almost a pure work of literature. It's set in Fraser's England just a generation before his own life, so it's only arguably historical, although it is an extremely vivid depiction of bygone England. The action is limited to a single scene. The broad comedy is almost nonexistent. There is an element of social satire, but even that somewhat deviates from Fraser's normal approach.
If I can be forgiven for a shameful over-generalization, Fraser often wrote from the standpoint of "I'm going to show you why these people were so awful, but I'm going to make you fall in love with them anyway." Mr American, on the other hand, takes the stance "these people are more or less pretty crappy, albeit with a few redeeming qualities, but I like them." There's no real effort to eviscerate or ennoble his targets.
Mr American is essentially a comedy of manners, but the normal comedy of manners is fairly harsh on the manners it satirizes. Mr American hints at what Fraser's non-fiction made abundantly clear - the society he depicts is one that might be in need of some reform, but you absolutely must NOT go further than that. Don't you DARE question the fundamental order of things!
That should make it rather toothless, and it perhaps it's not the best comedy of manners, but taken as pure literature, it's a wonderful story of class, identity, heritage, and love. Just try to set your own politics aside.
June 21, 2025
I will confess up front that George MacDonald Fraser’s “Mr. American” was not what I was expecting. Anyone who has journeyed with Flashman or experienced his hilarious swashbuckling romp, “The Pyrates”, I think will know what I mean. “Mr. American” is not a comedic clash of cultures, and there is no cowboy adventures across the fashionable districts of London after the turn of the last century.
It is still a triumph, however, written with the same historical detail that transports the reader back in time. The American West has been largely tamed, and the protagonist, Mr. Mark Franklin, after his own adventures in the West and having struck it rich in a Nevada silver mine, is returning to Castle Lancing in England, the original home of his people to settle down. For a time I thought this was Fraser’s homage to John Ford’s great film “The Quiet Man” but favoring England over Ireland. But as the tale gently winds along, more of Franklin’s past catches up to him, and he also is discovering too late after marriage that his own homespun American Puritanism is clashing with a decadent moral culture revealing its hollowness during the short reign of King Edward VII. Franklin takes a series of stomach punches, and as a reader I found myself aching alongside him. The backdrop of the novel is the growing crises in Ireland and with Germany, and the lack of awareness for how the assassination in Sarajevo was to spark a global upheaval. An age of innocence certainly describes the period and Fraser does a marvelous job depicting it. One can also perceive that the conflicts between Fraser’s characters are an allegory for the stark differences between the Old and New World, and the latent mistrust that Americans even today still have for European affairs and motives.
One delightful feature, and perhaps a bit of a spoiler for those who are still working through the Flashman series, but the old rogue shows up first as a celebrated octogenarian, and again five years later in his early nineties. Perhaps there is a hidden meaning in this, or simply a reward to the old soldier for the many close calls he escaped in so many exotic locations. Either way, this book is recommended to readers who enjoy truly excellent historical fiction.
It is still a triumph, however, written with the same historical detail that transports the reader back in time. The American West has been largely tamed, and the protagonist, Mr. Mark Franklin, after his own adventures in the West and having struck it rich in a Nevada silver mine, is returning to Castle Lancing in England, the original home of his people to settle down. For a time I thought this was Fraser’s homage to John Ford’s great film “The Quiet Man” but favoring England over Ireland. But as the tale gently winds along, more of Franklin’s past catches up to him, and he also is discovering too late after marriage that his own homespun American Puritanism is clashing with a decadent moral culture revealing its hollowness during the short reign of King Edward VII. Franklin takes a series of stomach punches, and as a reader I found myself aching alongside him. The backdrop of the novel is the growing crises in Ireland and with Germany, and the lack of awareness for how the assassination in Sarajevo was to spark a global upheaval. An age of innocence certainly describes the period and Fraser does a marvelous job depicting it. One can also perceive that the conflicts between Fraser’s characters are an allegory for the stark differences between the Old and New World, and the latent mistrust that Americans even today still have for European affairs and motives.
One delightful feature, and perhaps a bit of a spoiler for those who are still working through the Flashman series, but the old rogue shows up first as a celebrated octogenarian, and again five years later in his early nineties. Perhaps there is a hidden meaning in this, or simply a reward to the old soldier for the many close calls he escaped in so many exotic locations. Either way, this book is recommended to readers who enjoy truly excellent historical fiction.
December 12, 2022
I have a terrible habit of reading 3-4 books concurrently, which usually works pretty well as I read whatever matches my mood. Sadly, in the last couple of months I have chosen long books, all of which bog down in the middle. Seriously, if you've written more than 300 pages and haven't reached some kind of resolution, you need to go back and edit. A lot. I should bail on all 3 of them but for some reason I trudge on.
I first picked this book up in about 1982; it was a borrow at the beach when I had nothing to read, and I think I must not have finished it. At this re-read, I enjoyed the first 60% or so, but then it began to drag. I think it must have dragged for the author as well; the closer we got to the end the more he repeated himself, until he was just c/p ing whole swaths of text from the start of the novel, poorly disguised as the main character's memories. To me it looked suspiciously like page-filler, and I basically just turned the pages of the last couple of chapters, and ran my eye quickly down them. I can't call this a "historical novel", though it does evoke some of Edwardian England's history in a very superficial way, as well as talking a lot of rot about the Wild Bunch. But as always, the "American" character talks and acts very much like a Brit.
I understand there is a whole series of novels about Flashman. The only Flashman I know about is the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays. If all the books are as long and boggy as this one, I think I pass.
I first picked this book up in about 1982; it was a borrow at the beach when I had nothing to read, and I think I must not have finished it. At this re-read, I enjoyed the first 60% or so, but then it began to drag. I think it must have dragged for the author as well; the closer we got to the end the more he repeated himself, until he was just c/p ing whole swaths of text from the start of the novel, poorly disguised as the main character's memories. To me it looked suspiciously like page-filler, and I basically just turned the pages of the last couple of chapters, and ran my eye quickly down them. I can't call this a "historical novel", though it does evoke some of Edwardian England's history in a very superficial way, as well as talking a lot of rot about the Wild Bunch. But as always, the "American" character talks and acts very much like a Brit.
I understand there is a whole series of novels about Flashman. The only Flashman I know about is the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays. If all the books are as long and boggy as this one, I think I pass.
July 3, 2024
I am sorry to give this such a low rating especially since I have enjoyed the Flashman series so much and Fraser's "Quartered Safe Out Here," an autobiographical tale of his time as a young man of 19 in Burma in the last year of WWII, is as fine a war memoir as there is. The man can't write a bad paragraph. However, the trouble with this novel, which I wanted very much to like, is that after 200 pages, I still wasn't sure where it was going. The protagonist, Mark Franklin, is a Yank whose great-grandparents (great-great?) emigrated to North America well over a century before, and while his family didn't make their fortune in Americay, Mark did, and somewhat by accident (his share of a silver mine in Nevada). So with both parents dead and no siblings, alone in the world and not finding anyplace that feels like home, he goes to England to ... find a home? his roots? His motivation never seems all that clear to me, nor was his character. He's tall, raw-boned, handsome and brave, though he also is polite and almost modest in behavior yet unafraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone. I had the strong impression of the kind of character Gary Cooper played. But other than seeing this Cooper-esque fellow walking and talking through various scenes in the Norfolk area of England, interacting with the gentry and the villagers, and falling in love with a lovely local lass (couldn't resist that), I couldn't see what the point of the story was. It felt like finding someone's family album and looking through it. I couldn't connect and put it down after 200 pages. Stick with Flashman.
June 30, 2023
An astonishingly wonderful novel. The humanity so brilliantly captured by GMF in this book is spliced with his well-known excellence at weaving historical narratives into the personal adds up to a story that does several things at once, all incredibly. An examination of early 20th century Englishness, including the often overlooked potential for (and passion for) cold violence that lurks at the English heart, a paean to a soon-to-be-lost world, exploring the agony of a contractual marriage, all wrapped in GMF's trademark mix of wit and knowledge. This book will stay with me forever!
Finally, I consider this book the official end of the story of Flashman, GMF's greatest character. I never thought I'd get to read the clear-eyed analysis of a man who saw the brutality, hypocrisy, and glory of British Imperialism, cast over the dark events of August 1914 ... but here it is, and damn, if Flashy ain't as right as he ever was ... although, with a sly nod of wise historical knowledge, GMF probably puts the most Flashman of lines in the mouth of none other that a young Churchill ... "money and power, that's what counts".
Finally, I consider this book the official end of the story of Flashman, GMF's greatest character. I never thought I'd get to read the clear-eyed analysis of a man who saw the brutality, hypocrisy, and glory of British Imperialism, cast over the dark events of August 1914 ... but here it is, and damn, if Flashy ain't as right as he ever was ... although, with a sly nod of wise historical knowledge, GMF probably puts the most Flashman of lines in the mouth of none other that a young Churchill ... "money and power, that's what counts".
May 19, 2021
A lengthy book that read relatively fast and easy. Although I definitely liked the book and the main character, and would go ahead and give this a thumb's up in regards to a recommended reading, it being well-written and engaging, there did seem to be somewhat of a lack of actual plot. More of a 5-years in the life story than a normal beginning, middle, and end story. Also, slight spoiler in book tone, not plot, since there wasn't much of one, the first half of the book had a fresh, somewhat optimistic, good-feeling (for the most part) tone, whilst the second half, although still quite a good read, was often uncomfortably negative in-so-much as what happens to our protagonist. And the ending was quite good, in that it very much made me want to know what happens next, and seemed like a great place to get that missing plot going, but it just ended, leaving me wishing the author could have spared, at the least, after so many pages, an additional paragraph or short afterword. A lot of kvetching for a book I found to be quite good, but there you go.
June 9, 2024
Compelling and fun for the first three quarters, and typical for Fraser, brings the historical period vibrantly to life, as the mysterious, stoic and newly wealthy American Mark Franklin arrives in Edwardian England. Franklin, despite his criminal background, is honest and honourable, almost an anti-Flashman. Things take a dark turn in the final act, as the world approaches the first world war - Franklin's past catches up with him, and it transpires that he's put trust in the wrong people.
A few guest appearances by the ancient General Flashman liven things up.
Franklin has shades of some Sherlock Holmes characters, especially the haunted American from the Valley of Fear. With Fraser's taste for meta textuality, and an appearance by Holmes in the Flashman series, I kept expecting Holmes to appear here. He didn't...
A few guest appearances by the ancient General Flashman liven things up.
Franklin has shades of some Sherlock Holmes characters, especially the haunted American from the Valley of Fear. With Fraser's taste for meta textuality, and an appearance by Holmes in the Flashman series, I kept expecting Holmes to appear here. He didn't...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
A book that is almost Dickensian in style, since its enjoyment is as much in the England of the early 20th century it portrays as in any storyline. The storyline is also Dickensian: it has varied high points which other novels might construct as a single plot-line. It also has sub-plots. Its emphasis is more on characters who are vividly portrayed. The novel goes nowhere in particular yet ends leaving one with regret at its departure. And, like some of Dickens' novels, it is probably too long. The detail, at times, is excessive. If you've only read Flashman of Fraser before, it takes a bit of getting used to something different, but the Fraser style is all there, and a real pleasure to read.
September 4, 2021
The Goodreads description of this book does it a disservice. It's not in any way a 'riotous Edwardian adventure'. It's a quiet novel about a particular point in European history and a particular class of English men and women, as seen by an American man who steps innocently into it and slowly becomes involved in the upper tiers of society.
The writing is utterly beautiful. The characterisation is exquisite. It's a book to be read slowly, and then read again.
The writing is utterly beautiful. The characterisation is exquisite. It's a book to be read slowly, and then read again.
June 6, 2024
Odd
A strange book, and seemingly pointless. The author clearly despises the upper classes, preferring working class people, and even they are inferior to the Scottish, but the actual point of it all eluded me. If there was one. It was all very slow and rather boring and there wasn't much of a story. And what there was -the whole Kid Curry thing- was silly. I wasn't expecting anything near as good as a Flashman book but even so it was disappointing.
A strange book, and seemingly pointless. The author clearly despises the upper classes, preferring working class people, and even they are inferior to the Scottish, but the actual point of it all eluded me. If there was one. It was all very slow and rather boring and there wasn't much of a story. And what there was -the whole Kid Curry thing- was silly. I wasn't expecting anything near as good as a Flashman book but even so it was disappointing.
September 10, 2018
Not quite what I was expecting, considering all the George MacDonald Fraser I have read thus far has been Flashman. I ended up liking this a lot. It's the tale of American westerner becoming acclimated to post-colonial British upper-class society. Seems like an odd subject, but if anyone can make a compelling story from the subject, it's Fraser.
November 3, 2018
Picked this up because of the Flash series, loving the picaresque time travel of that epic hero. Mr American doesn't disappoint and carries the brash, bold American west to proper Victorian England where he's cheated, bamboozled and finally beaten. He picks up the best of the old world to bring home to the new and leaves the worst behind.
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