Classic Books for Boys Part 1
Our Man in Havana (1958) Graham Greene
The archetypal Greene work, the novel is set in Cuba prior to Castro coming to power. James Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman, is enlisted by the British secret service and agrees to ‘spy' for them in order to cover his teenage daughter's very expensive tastes. However, Wormold's spying is at first entirely imaginary, but his life begins to unravel when his fantasy world and the real world begin to coincide.
A classic work for boys in terms of its subject matter, but more importantly Greene's direct yet poetic prose style has turned many a sceptic into an enthusiastic reader.
Rogue Male (1939) Geoffrey Household
A British sportsman attempts to assassinate Hitler in his rural retreat. However, he is captured and tortured although he finally manages to escape. He then finds himself on the run from a mysterious figure and the two engage in a riveting and deadly game of hide and seek (the scenes in the London Underground are a particular highlight).
Part military survival manual, part thriller, part old fashioned heroic tale, the pace is gripping, the descriptions of the protagonists' plans and tactics for survival are compelling and right triumphs at the end. A boy can ask for no more.
The 39 Steps (1915) John Buchan
Prior to the outbreak of World War I, Richard Hannay has returned to London from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) when a mysterious man calls upon him and desperately seeks his help to stop a group of German spies known as the Black Stone. However, when the man is murdered in Hannay's flat he is forced to go on the run.
A complicated and twisting plot, treachery, betrayal and some good old fashioned murder and mayhem make this the father of all ‘man on the run' novels and films. This, combined with the glimpse back in time to a world that no longer exists, makes it a vital and necessary part of every young man's education.
Right Ho, Jeeves (1934) PG Wodehouse
Bertie Wooster finds himself in one of his usual scrapes: trying to reunite his friend Tuppy Glossop with his estranged fiancée Angela, avoiding getting married to the soppy Madeline Bassett and trying to stay on his Aunt Dahlia's good side so that she doesn't ban him from eating any more of her peerless chef Anatole's ("God's gift to the gastric juices") sumptuous dinners. Thankfully, at Bertie's side throughout is the inimitable Jeeves, his gentleman's personal gentleman, who is always there to ensure that he avoids the ultimate peril. A classic set piece is the laugh-out-loud scene in which Bertie's friend Gussie Fink-Nottle drunkenly presents the prizes at Market Snodsbury Grammar School, which once read will be never be forgotten.
Quite simply, this is the funniest, most well-written, warmly generous book in twentieth-century English literature. Life would be unbearable without it.
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