A Man of Parts Audiobook (Unabridged)

" Much of this book was tedious - quotes from letters, far too much Fabian philosophy. I found myself furious at HG Wells wife for allowing him to change her name and for supporting his numerous affairs. I was never very engaged with this book and I only finished because it was for my book club. The discussion should be very interesting "

" I don't know if this is a bad book (weird, for David Lodge) or H.G. Wells was just an awful person. I got really tired of hearing about Wells's sex life. Some of his relationships were with really young women - not only should the older Wells have known better - it constitutes almost an abuse of power. I think Wells's wife, Jane, would have been a much more interesting subject for a book. I listened to the audio and Steven Crossley was wonderful even if the book wasn't. "

" This book was interesting bringing to life a man who was well before my time but has influenced so much of the modern world. The narrator of this talking book edition was well chosen. "

" I didn't so much finish it as drift away of it. Lodge is a thorough and amusing writer, but H.G. Wells as presented here is too annoying to spend time with, and though Lodge paints the early twentieth-century London scene well, he gives us little to hang our emotions on. Tried to get through this book for a long time, but it was never compelling enough to make me stay. I did make it 3/4 through, while waiting for other books to come into the library. I am too old to spend time on books that I don't devour. "

" Wells may be a man of parts, but the focus of the book is on only one, and I grew weary of reading about this man's sexual appetite. I quit mid book, something I rarely do. "

" a fantastic look at the paradoxical life of H G Wells. hightly recommended "

" The man in question is H G Wells: writer, visionary and womaniser. David Lodge has not written a biography, but he has used letters and other biographical sources to create a fascinating portrait. As other reviewers have noted, this is not really a novel either, but falls somewhere between the two. "

" I just couldn't get in to this and I'm sorry to admit I gave it up when I was half way through. I guess I was expecting more about his novels and less about his liaisons! Found it very dull I'm afraid. "

" I finished this book out of stubborness. It passed my 50 page rule but has made me think I need a 100 page rule. I am a Lodge fan but am unsure what the purpose of this book was. I'll be checking out the Wiki entries on H. G. Wells and Rebecca West, so I guess there's that... "

" Read several of his works as a child. Had no idea about the back story and his other political activities. Fascinating to read this. I now have a completely different view of his - not the stuffy science fiction writer from the Edwardian times any more. "

" It's a biography of H.G. Wells told in novel form. That's a very clever idea. Who knew that H.G. was such a ladie's man? "

" Live of H. G. Wells surveyed almost like a critical biography with the emphasis on his politics, his writing and especially his sex life--although the latter though talked about often is never really treated in any detail that could be considered pornographic. "

" I loved reading this book. It is always interesting to hear one writer discussing a colleague and I enjoy David Lodge's books. I wish I had time to write more. Thank you David for signing this copy for me! "