Mr Dalloway: an Oxford tale

by Michael Pockley

A Sunday in Oxford. A middle-aged man makes preparations for a middle-class party. It would be a dull event, but for the intervention of love, art, mathematics, evangelism, war, maternity, racism, teaching, suicide, royalty and rabbits liberated from a lab.

203 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2019

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Virginia Wolfe's book was titled 'Mrs. Dalloway' this book is called 'Mr. Dalloway' so it is more honestly an update of Robin Lippincott's novel 'Mr. Dalloway', a novel published by a mainstream publisher and by a respected and widely reviewed author (both for 'Mr. Dalloway' and his other novels) which looked at the story of Ms. Woolf's 'Mrs Dalloway' through Mr. Dalloway. My objection to and annoyance with Mr. Pockley's work is that looking at events through the eye of Mr. Dalloway is not original, even if it has been updated to a modern period and a different setting. I refuse to believe that the author is unaware of either Mr. Lippincott's or his novel (just to be clear I do not know nor have I any connection with Robin Lippincott and I am not a great fan of his novel though I respect him as a writer) and if he insists that he knows neither I would regard that as an even more embarrassing admission than admitting appropriating an idea and title from someone else.

Also if you remove a story from its original setting it ceases to be even a homage or a pastiche and simply becomes a new work trying to steal kudos from an original. This is very much that sort of book - think of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' without the very limited wit or giggles that are provided by the silly title. Fortunately we will never have to sit through a dreadfully unfunny film version, as we do with P&P&Z, but we can hardly give the author credit for that.

Exactly what you can say about the author is hard to know, considering how hard it is to get any information on the authors of excellent books on a goggle search (please see my footnote *1 below), it didn't surprise me to find that he has numerous entries all of which appear to be self authored. There are also an amazing amount of photographs on-line of Mr. Pockley looking like an even more untrustworthy Bill Murray at the time of Meatballs and Caddyshack but fatter looking and without any charm.

This 'novel' is trash by a delusional fantasist whose every self promoting and published word I question.

Maybe I am being over particular, maybe the things I am complaining about don't matter as much as they used to, but I think they matter and I think it is wrong to use others as a way of advancing your non existent talent.

*1 For example look up Tennesse Jones the author of the superb short story collection 'Deliver Me From Nowhere' or James Russell Mayes author of another brilliant collection of short stories 'Small Favors' (sic). I can find no biographical details anywhere - if you can please let me know as I want to add them to their GR entry.

[Samantha Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Dalloway is a clever, modern take on a modern classic, bringing to life several larger-than-life characters whose story is comic and compelling. Like the original novel, on which this is based, Mr Dalloway and his wife Clarissa are preparing for a party. The story follows the events of one day as the Dalloways, and their acquaintances, prepare for the evening. And what a collection of characters there are - an admissions tutor hopelessly in love with the title character; an intelligent, warm and compassionate wife; a funny, enthusiastic, rather manic hero; a couple of his students, including Justin - a Chinese schoolboy who is tutored within an inch of his life. Each character has their troubles as well as their humour and one in particular is suffering from the expectations heaped upon him. How each protagonist will fare is very much what drives the story onwards, and the narrative is accomplished, slick, and very very funny.

Underneath the comedy is a layer of pathos that makes the characters more rounded and three-dimensional. As a resident of Oxford, I recognised some of the stereotypes (very true to life!) and thought the characterisation and portrayal of some of the aspects of academic life in this city very accurate and well observed.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and did so in two sittings. That's quite unusual for me nowadays with my busy schedule. Anyone who is a fan of David Lodge's fiction will find a more than accomplished pastiche in Michael Pockley's novel.