One of the greatest prose writers and social commentators of the twentieth century, Aldous Huxley here introduces us to a delightfully cynical, comic, and severe group of artists and intellectuals engaged in the most freethinking and modern kind of talk imaginable. Poetry, occultism, ancestral history, and Italian primitive painting are just a few of the subjects competing for discussion among the amiable cast of eccentrics drawn together at Crome, an intensely English country manor.
When the quirky group has gathered for the house party, Henry Wimbush, the owner and self-appointed historian of the estate, relates Crome's history; apocalypse is prophesied, and a young, sensitive poet suffers from unrequited love. This stunning satire of the fads and fashions of the time is not to be missed.
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"I guess I have been away from earth reading this book, it took me two days and still I'm visiting this magnificent house with those extraordinary free-thinkers. I will never forget the story about the dwarf. And it was Oh so wonderful English! Also a book for free-thinkers and about getting a grip on what is going on in modern times. Have to read more by Mr. Huxley."
— Francine (5 out of 5 stars)
“Crome Yellow—Huxley’s first novel—is famous for its technique, ideas, and acute psychological descriptions. As such, it ranks alongside Antic Hay, Eyeless in Gaza, and Point Counter Point.”
— Times (London)“Not only is it intrinsically amusing and ingenious...the book is a completely accurate piece of observation.”
— Spectator“The merit of (Huxley’s) comedy is that it becomes always more amusing as it grows.”
— Times Literary Supplement“What Mr. Huxley has...is a literary skill which only sound learning coupled with ripe talent could produce.”
— Nation“Fine satirical writing. Crome Yellow is determinedly eccentric and unflaggingly delightful.”
— Bookman“Robert Whitfield [a.k.a Simon Vance]’s unabridged reading of Huxley’s first novel is a triumph of one man’s vocal capacities…Whitfield’s vocal acrobatics in portraying the cast of characters…makes for dazzling aural entertainment. Otherwise fatuous goings-on become intriguing shenanigans, and the characters’ psychological portraits are rendered accurately through the unique voices Whitfield assigns them. With each change of the five cassettes, the listener is more captivated.”
— AudioFile" A little dated at this point, but a fine read. "
— Maxfield, 2/20/2014" A week at Downton Abbey with an emo host. "
— Zach, 2/19/2014" A witty story filled with other witty stories. Gotta love it. "
— Kiwi, 2/16/2014" This book. This book... it was quite hard to read at points, and often made me feel very tired. But it was hilarious, with many brilliant end-of-chapter one liners and the bizarrest stories. More than a once since i finished it i've wanted to still be reading it. It may have almost sent me to sleep a few times, but it was a wonderful book to be inside of. "
— Wendy, 2/16/2014" Very witty. Nothing much resembling a plot, but each of the characters were very interesting. I especially liked Wimbush's remarks towards the end about how he looked forward to a day when people no longer had to interact with other people, we could just interact via machines... I suppose he "lived" a century too early. "
— Jennifer, 2/11/2014" I really liked this book, all the way to the end where it just fizzled out. I was hoping for more stories from the family history or a triste with Mary. "
— Amanda, 2/10/2014" This is one of the few books I have read for which my only reaction was to wonder why it was written. It seems exceedingly pointless. "
— Robert, 2/2/2014" Even allowing for the fact he wrote it in 1921 and trying to remember and understand the issues of the day and also Malcom Bradbury's Introduction which helps set the scene and gives background and explanations - quite frankly I was disappointed and in my opinion it is now difficult to really derive the pleasure etc that this book probably gave in the 1920s. Nearly 100 years on it has lost its relevance in our much changed world. It reminded me of a Bertie Wooster type house party setting but without the humour and quite as many engagements. "
— Rob, 1/20/2014" Hilarious, nothing happens but yet every page is perfect. Best anti-hero ever! "
— Ebony, 1/18/2014" A bore, but the inset stories in chapters 13 and 19 are fun. "
— Seth, 1/8/2014" Wonderful. Who knew they needed peach stones in WW1? Not me. Not a lot happens in Crome but the characters are worth the stay. Poor Denis is faced with his impotency as a lover, as a poet (if you write poetry you will know that feeling only too well), as a person, and the pointlessness of life in general. I thought the ending was a bit half-hearted. "
— Meredi, 1/3/2014" Huxley's first novel illustrates the futility of social engineering on the personal level "
— Laurele, 1/2/2014" An easy, relaxing book. Good for vacation. A taste of authentic England. "
— Alyona, 12/31/2013" This book gave a very interesting perspective but it really had no plot. "
— Emma, 12/30/2013" No one can do description quite like Huxley. I love the way he writes. however I simply hated the way this book ended. It was just so unsatisfying. Morbid as it sounds, I think Denis should have jumped off the parapet or at least confronted Anne. There were so many weak attempts at showing her how he felt, no wonder she laughed at him. The only characters I could really like were Denis, Ivor and Henry Wimbush. I felt Priscilla could have been expanded upon. Also Mary was rather confusing. At the beginning she was desperate for love in any form and by the end she was the sensible one. Having said all that, I still loved the book and I continue to enjoy the country house novels. "
— Adele, 12/11/2013" Really nice introduction to Huxley. I did relate to Denis and was hooked into reading it from start to finish in virtually one sitting (with tea breaks and a nap!) but it definitely makes me want to read more of his work. "
— Ashleigh, 12/7/2013" I love this book because Huxley wrote it in his twenties. The main character, Denis, is simply a reflective view of Huxley himself. I was able to get into his young and unsure mind. It made me smile; but it made me sad, too. Perfect vision of a twenty-something searching for his identity. "
— Lindsay, 11/1/2013" Worth your time if you are a Huxley fan or want to impress Huxley fans. Good in conjunction with Brave New World. "
— Jason, 10/27/2013" Knowing this was Huxley's first novel, my expectations were low. But I enjoyed this quite a bit. The characters were somewhat one dimensional, but the plot kept surprising me. Very cynical book. "
— Christine, 10/26/2013" I loved this book. Hercules and his dwarf kingdom...enough said. "
— Kara, 9/16/2013" What a silly book! I mean that quite literally. Huxley did a fantasic job of pointing out the ridiculous qualities of his society and the relationships that people have. It was definitely a queer book but I enjoyed it. "
— Dani, 9/11/2013" Very tongue-in-cheek which was lots of fun. Had me wondering about whether people actually had conversations like this - I imagine they did! "
— Lindsay, 8/12/2013" This is one of the few books I have read for which my only reaction was to wonder why it was written. It seems exceedingly pointless. "
— Robert, 3/29/2013" imaginative, light, and.. well, absolutely hilarious. :) "
— Диана, 2/5/2013" British country house novel, funny and intellectual. Uneven tone? Didn't somehow grab me. "
— Remy, 9/11/2012" An easy, relaxing book. Good for vacation. A taste of authentic England. "
— Alyona, 9/10/2012" Well, I actually really like Aldous Huxley - I loved Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited, but this was pretty disappointing. Even accounting for the time period and style it was written in, which is pretty different from most of the books I read. Perhaps I'm missing the point. Or not. "
— Susanne, 9/5/2012" A little disappointing. Aphoristic like Cyril Connolly, with a few moments that stagger, but mostly I felt like Huxley couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to be Ivy Compton-Burnett, Waugh, Woolf, or the undersung Elizabeth Taylor. I'm hoping things improve... "
— Elizabeth, 7/12/2012" A witty story filled with other witty stories. Gotta love it. "
— Kiwi, 7/8/2012" Haughty people who are total bitches and some vaguely pathetic guy hang out in this country side house and fall for each other and basically make a mockery of themselves and the other people in their income bracket. "
— Lukas, 4/18/2012" Really nice introduction to Huxley. I did relate to Denis and was hooked into reading it from start to finish in virtually one sitting (with tea breaks and a nap!) but it definitely makes me want to read more of his work. "
— Ashleigh, 3/19/2012" This was an enjoyable read. It's a satire of early 20th Century English classism, and I am a big fan of satire. This is the first Huxley book that I have read, and I am left wanting to read more. "
— Rlhubley, 2/27/2012" A country house weekend, but like Island, the plot, such as it is, just seems an excuse to contrive situations for various cardboard characters to pontificate about life, philosophy, culture etc, rather than the driving force. "
— Cecily, 10/23/2011" Amusing and maybe not laugh out loud funny (due in part to some satire lost because of the time/setting in which it was written). Still, very charming and fun to read. "
— Craig, 2/24/2011" Quick and entertaining but ending is worthless "
— Brian, 2/22/2011" Worth your time if you are a Huxley fan or want to impress Huxley fans. Good in conjunction with Brave New World. "
— Jason, 2/7/2011" A story, stories within a story, and philosophical meanderings -- all told with a heavy dose of satire and deprecating humor. This book will live forever! "
— Heather, 1/12/2011" What a silly book! I mean that quite literally. Huxley did a fantasic job of pointing out the ridiculous qualities of his society and the relationships that people have. It was definitely a queer book but I enjoyed it. "
— Dani, 12/30/2010" Average read about a bunch of stupid people "
— Ant, 12/18/2010" So far. I am loving it! "
— Annette, 12/17/2010" Huxley's first novel. It lacks the organization and amazing storytelling of <u>Brave New World</u> but you can see that he is toying with the ideas that he will later use in <u>Brave New World</u>. This is a decent read, but I'd only recommend it for people who really enjoy Huxley. "
— April, 8/3/2010" This is his first novel, and it is rather short and to the point. It's about a writer and his amazing typing ability with the aide of a mysterious position. I felt it wasn't his best work, but it was certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination. "
— Benjamin, 7/4/2010" Very tongue-in-cheek which was lots of fun. Had me wondering about whether people actually had conversations like this - I imagine they did! "
— Lindsay, 6/13/2010Aldous Leonard Huxley (1894–1963) was an English poet, novelist, dramatist, essayist, and humanist philosopher. He attended Eton and Oxford and briefly taught at Eton before devoting himself solely to writing. His fifth novel, Brave New World, is one of the most read books in literary history.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.