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Kipps
Orphaned at an early age, raised by his aunt and uncle, and apprenticed for seven years to a draper, Artie Kipps is stunned to discover upon reading a newspaper advertisement that he is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman - and the inheritor of his fortune. Thrown dramatically into the upper classes, he struggles desperately to learn the etiquette and rules of polite society. But as he soon discovers, becoming a 'true gentleman' is neither as easy nor as desirable as it at first appears.
399 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
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About the author
H.G. Wells
4,180books10.7kfollowersHerbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
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Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
May 11, 2023
A solid satire by H G Wells: ordinary man Kipps inherits, and is thrust, unprepared, into the farcical world of the English gentlemen; a tale in which Wells does not hold back with a cutting satire. 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2009 read
2009 read
November 12, 2019
A really interesting examination of class and culture in the late 19th century, with great characterisation and moments of humour and poignancy. It has a touch of Great Expectations about it and is definitely my favourite HG Wells so far.
April 6, 2017
This is a story of wealth, manners, society, etiquette, class and social mobility, money, inequality and aspiration�
Whilst initially not seeming light years away from Alfred Polly, the character and story of Arthur Kipps turns out to be something quite, quite different.
Again there are echoes of Dickens here (see Great Expectations in particular) to an extent his style, narrative and in attempting to address and examine socio-economic issues � but what we have here is something that (the very prolific) H G Wells has created which is very much his own. As with ‘The History of Mr Polly� again it must be stressed that although there are similarities with the Dickensian tradition, it should be stressed that this is neither ‘Dickens-lite�, nor some sort of pale imitation or pseudo Dickens work � far from it. It has also been said that because Wells was writing in a time which was less remote from our own when compared with that of Dickens, that this may make his works easier for the reader to connect with? Whilst there may be some truth in that for some readers, to my mind, the best Dickens novels are very much timeless � hence one element of his greatness.
What we have here then is an examination and juxtaposition of wealth and the absence wealth, of ‘society� and those outside of it, of the ‘haves� and the ‘have-nots�. This is a great story (a very English story) about the life of our main protagonist, whilst at the same time shining the spotlight on society, on the socio-economic, cultural and political divides. By way of the turn of events, Arthur Kipps undergoes an internal psychological, moral and political struggle and Wells looks here at least to some extent at inequality in society and the barriers (perceived and actual) to social mobility.
I do not share the view of some reviewers that Kipps is merely the subject of ridicule by the author and merely a figure of fun. (Admittedly Kipps is however the subject of ridicule at the hands of other characters). Moreover, the story is narrated by and perceived from the point of view of Arthur Kipps. Here Kipps does become very much the veritable ‘fish out of water� � but to me Wells is ultimately exposing the pretensions, the confines and the vacuous and shallow bedrock which form the meaningless foundations of what may be considered ‘society, manners and etiquette�. The expectations of wealth, society and position; the constraints (both self-inflicted and those imposed by society) of having or not having wealth, influence and power.
The story as told from Kipps perspective is either sympathetic or at the very least ambivalent to his situation, the challenges he faces and his subsequent actions � regardless of whether these challenges arise out of his own doing or not. Neither do I think that the message here is - 'be happy and content with your lot and station in life' - this novel has far more to it than that.
This is a compelling, engaging and thought provoking novel, which whilst not having quite the same strengths as ‘The History of Mr Polly� (which is a more complete, homogeneous and well-rounded novel) � nevertheless this is a very strong story and well worth reading.
Whilst initially not seeming light years away from Alfred Polly, the character and story of Arthur Kipps turns out to be something quite, quite different.
Again there are echoes of Dickens here (see Great Expectations in particular) to an extent his style, narrative and in attempting to address and examine socio-economic issues � but what we have here is something that (the very prolific) H G Wells has created which is very much his own. As with ‘The History of Mr Polly� again it must be stressed that although there are similarities with the Dickensian tradition, it should be stressed that this is neither ‘Dickens-lite�, nor some sort of pale imitation or pseudo Dickens work � far from it. It has also been said that because Wells was writing in a time which was less remote from our own when compared with that of Dickens, that this may make his works easier for the reader to connect with? Whilst there may be some truth in that for some readers, to my mind, the best Dickens novels are very much timeless � hence one element of his greatness.
What we have here then is an examination and juxtaposition of wealth and the absence wealth, of ‘society� and those outside of it, of the ‘haves� and the ‘have-nots�. This is a great story (a very English story) about the life of our main protagonist, whilst at the same time shining the spotlight on society, on the socio-economic, cultural and political divides. By way of the turn of events, Arthur Kipps undergoes an internal psychological, moral and political struggle and Wells looks here at least to some extent at inequality in society and the barriers (perceived and actual) to social mobility.
I do not share the view of some reviewers that Kipps is merely the subject of ridicule by the author and merely a figure of fun. (Admittedly Kipps is however the subject of ridicule at the hands of other characters). Moreover, the story is narrated by and perceived from the point of view of Arthur Kipps. Here Kipps does become very much the veritable ‘fish out of water� � but to me Wells is ultimately exposing the pretensions, the confines and the vacuous and shallow bedrock which form the meaningless foundations of what may be considered ‘society, manners and etiquette�. The expectations of wealth, society and position; the constraints (both self-inflicted and those imposed by society) of having or not having wealth, influence and power.
The story as told from Kipps perspective is either sympathetic or at the very least ambivalent to his situation, the challenges he faces and his subsequent actions � regardless of whether these challenges arise out of his own doing or not. Neither do I think that the message here is - 'be happy and content with your lot and station in life' - this novel has far more to it than that.
This is a compelling, engaging and thought provoking novel, which whilst not having quite the same strengths as ‘The History of Mr Polly� (which is a more complete, homogeneous and well-rounded novel) � nevertheless this is a very strong story and well worth reading.
Read
July 25, 2022This is my favorite so far by the author, and I know very clearly why!
The eponymous Kipps unexpectedly inherits a fortune from his grandfather. Overnight he finds himself no longer struggling and poor but now wealthy. The central question that the book poses is if money brings happiness, and if it does not, what does?
Money and social class are intertwined. And yet, one’s social class cannot be rapidly changed. Even if one tries to fit in, the chance of being accepted is remote. Perhaps the most essential question is if one really wants to fit in. Old friends and ways of being are not necessarily something one wants to discard.
I like this story for its message. I think it‘s realistically drawn. Although having plenty of money may be fraught with difficulties, being without is certainly no piece of cake either! We see both. We see a couple engaged to be married and then later the ups and downs of a marriage; yes, there is a love story too. I like that the author has us smiling and laughing at how people behave. The humor is at times good natured and at other times, it has a sharp edge. And I like Kipps, although we learn that this is not his real name. He’s modest, and he’s generous, and he tries very hard to do what is right. This is fiction, but it does have some autobiographical content.
I knew I had to give the book four stars when I noted that I actually did get upset when calamities hit the fan. I realized I cared what happened to these characters. OK, maybe I am just an empathetic sucker�..
Parts are kind of predictable, but there are some surprises too. We see both London and provincial English life at the turn of the twentieth century. This is quite simply a good story, and it’s well told. It leaves you happy.
Here is the bad news. Me, I personally disliked the audiobook narration. Sam Kelly narrates the audiobook. The characters originating from the lower classes are given a very thick accent. I often had trouble figuring out what was being said. That they speak in the way they do make sense in the story’s context, but I dislike not understanding every word! The narrator's thick accent on top of the characters' grammatical errors makes sections almost incomprehensible! I wish I could have read the paper book; I think it would have been easier. If YOU like dramatization, I'm guessing you WILL like the narration. That the upper classes and the lower classes do not express themselves in the same way is an important element of the story. Anyhow, I have given the narration two stars because for me it was just OK.
**
* 4 stars
* 3 stars
* TBR
* 3 stars by
The eponymous Kipps unexpectedly inherits a fortune from his grandfather. Overnight he finds himself no longer struggling and poor but now wealthy. The central question that the book poses is if money brings happiness, and if it does not, what does?
Money and social class are intertwined. And yet, one’s social class cannot be rapidly changed. Even if one tries to fit in, the chance of being accepted is remote. Perhaps the most essential question is if one really wants to fit in. Old friends and ways of being are not necessarily something one wants to discard.
I like this story for its message. I think it‘s realistically drawn. Although having plenty of money may be fraught with difficulties, being without is certainly no piece of cake either! We see both. We see a couple engaged to be married and then later the ups and downs of a marriage; yes, there is a love story too. I like that the author has us smiling and laughing at how people behave. The humor is at times good natured and at other times, it has a sharp edge. And I like Kipps, although we learn that this is not his real name. He’s modest, and he’s generous, and he tries very hard to do what is right. This is fiction, but it does have some autobiographical content.
I knew I had to give the book four stars when I noted that I actually did get upset when calamities hit the fan. I realized I cared what happened to these characters. OK, maybe I am just an empathetic sucker�..
Parts are kind of predictable, but there are some surprises too. We see both London and provincial English life at the turn of the twentieth century. This is quite simply a good story, and it’s well told. It leaves you happy.
Here is the bad news. Me, I personally disliked the audiobook narration. Sam Kelly narrates the audiobook. The characters originating from the lower classes are given a very thick accent. I often had trouble figuring out what was being said. That they speak in the way they do make sense in the story’s context, but I dislike not understanding every word! The narrator's thick accent on top of the characters' grammatical errors makes sections almost incomprehensible! I wish I could have read the paper book; I think it would have been easier. If YOU like dramatization, I'm guessing you WILL like the narration. That the upper classes and the lower classes do not express themselves in the same way is an important element of the story. Anyhow, I have given the narration two stars because for me it was just OK.
**
* 4 stars
* 3 stars
* TBR
* 3 stars by
July 15, 2017
I read this book for a very specific reason, which will not be of relevance to too many readers—I have just bought an apartment in Folkestone, where Kipps is set, and I was curious to read an account of it in its brief late-Victorian moment of glory. Kipps didn’t disappoint on that front. Wells portrays Folkestone quite vividly, as a wealthy, showy, brittle, snobbish, look-at-me resort town, contrasted with humbler Hythe, where the protagonist feels more at home.
This parochial interest aside, I enjoyed the novel. The plot is a bit throwaway, to the extent that I don’t think that a spoiler would spoil anyone’s potential enjoyment of the book —it’s essentially rags to riches to rags to riches, accelerating noticeably at the end. This element of social snakes and ladders enables much close, satirical observation of the dynamics of class, which I suspect was distinctly hard-hitting at the time the novel was published, and which remains historically interesting (at the very least) today.
In the edition in which I read Kipps (Penguin Classics), there was an interesting early appreciation of the novel by Henry James, who was a friend of Wells at the time, though they later fell out. After gushing away for a while about how wonderful the novel is in what sounds suspiciously like a bad parody of himself (“But of course you yourself know how immitigably the thing is done—it is of such a brilliancy of true truth�), James finally makes two specific points about Kipps—that it is “the first consistently and intelligently ironic or satirical novel� (James contrasts it with Thackeray, whose irony is tainted by “sentimental or conventional interference�); and that Wells has for the first time treated the English lower middle class without the “picturesque, the grotesque, the fantastic and romantic interference� he sees in Dickens and George Eliot. Wells has “handled its vulgarity� in a “scientific & historic spirit, & seen the whole thing all in its own strong light.�
Abstracting from the business about vulgarity—which says more about James than Wells—I think James has a point. Something that is unusual and refreshing in the novel is its humane and sympathetic—though immitigably ironic—take on characters of a kind who are generally seen in novels of this era as, precisely, “picturesque� and exotic. Wells’s mother was a housemaid and he started life, like Kipps, in a drapery store; he knows whereof he speaks.
Apart from its interest from the point of view of social and literary history, Kipps is an engaging read, insouciant in its use of hokey plot devices like coincidence, and generally not taking itself too seriously. Kipps is a good comic character, and Ann—one of the women he is involved with—another. I laughed out loud reading it a couple of times. The writing is very sharp; I liked a description of Kipps’s headmaster’s wife as “a small partially effaced woman�, and another of the cough of Kipps’s social mentor Coote as sounding like “a very very old sheep a quarter of a mile away being blown to pieces by a small charge of gunpowder.� I hadn’t read anything Wells before, but I’ll certainly read more.
This parochial interest aside, I enjoyed the novel. The plot is a bit throwaway, to the extent that I don’t think that a spoiler would spoil anyone’s potential enjoyment of the book —it’s essentially rags to riches to rags to riches, accelerating noticeably at the end. This element of social snakes and ladders enables much close, satirical observation of the dynamics of class, which I suspect was distinctly hard-hitting at the time the novel was published, and which remains historically interesting (at the very least) today.
In the edition in which I read Kipps (Penguin Classics), there was an interesting early appreciation of the novel by Henry James, who was a friend of Wells at the time, though they later fell out. After gushing away for a while about how wonderful the novel is in what sounds suspiciously like a bad parody of himself (“But of course you yourself know how immitigably the thing is done—it is of such a brilliancy of true truth�), James finally makes two specific points about Kipps—that it is “the first consistently and intelligently ironic or satirical novel� (James contrasts it with Thackeray, whose irony is tainted by “sentimental or conventional interference�); and that Wells has for the first time treated the English lower middle class without the “picturesque, the grotesque, the fantastic and romantic interference� he sees in Dickens and George Eliot. Wells has “handled its vulgarity� in a “scientific & historic spirit, & seen the whole thing all in its own strong light.�
Abstracting from the business about vulgarity—which says more about James than Wells—I think James has a point. Something that is unusual and refreshing in the novel is its humane and sympathetic—though immitigably ironic—take on characters of a kind who are generally seen in novels of this era as, precisely, “picturesque� and exotic. Wells’s mother was a housemaid and he started life, like Kipps, in a drapery store; he knows whereof he speaks.
Apart from its interest from the point of view of social and literary history, Kipps is an engaging read, insouciant in its use of hokey plot devices like coincidence, and generally not taking itself too seriously. Kipps is a good comic character, and Ann—one of the women he is involved with—another. I laughed out loud reading it a couple of times. The writing is very sharp; I liked a description of Kipps’s headmaster’s wife as “a small partially effaced woman�, and another of the cough of Kipps’s social mentor Coote as sounding like “a very very old sheep a quarter of a mile away being blown to pieces by a small charge of gunpowder.� I hadn’t read anything Wells before, but I’ll certainly read more.
June 27, 2016
Bis zum Ende bin ich nicht warmgeworden mit dem Buch, obwohl die Story durchaus nicht unspannend ist. Artie Kipps aus der Unterschicht erbt unverhofft sehr viel Geld und wird dadurch automatisch irgendwie zum Mitglied der besseren Gesellschaft, ohne wirklich dazuzugehören.
Die Sprache des Romans ist extrem geschraubt und gestelzt, kein Wunder das Buch ist ja schon sehr alt, aber es ist mehr als das - das Parlieren in der guten englischen Gentlemen-Gesellschaft und der damit einhergehende Sprachstil, war es, der mir derart gehörig auf die Nerven ging. Auch diese wahnwitzigen gesellschaftlichen Konventionen sind zwar beim ersten und zweiten Mal schaurig interessant zu betrachten, wenn sie sich aber durch das ganze Buch ziehen, wird es irgendwann gähnend langweilig und man fragt sich "Haben die keine anderen Probleme?". Am meisten gestört hat mich am Ende der Umstand, dass alle wichtigen Ereignisse, in denen ein bisschen Handlung und Drama entstehen, wie z.B. die Informierung des Ziehonkels über die Erbschaft oder die geplante Heirat oder die Geburt der Tochter ganz geflissentlich nebenbei erwähnt werden, wobei die Verwendung der falschen Gabel beim Dinner, irgendein nicht sitzender Knopf am Hemd oder die Nichtannahme einer Einladung raumgreifend und seitenfüllend endlos lang thematisiert werden und auch noch darüber philosophiert wird. Mir ist schon klar was H.G. Wells damit ausdrücken wollte, aber die feine Gesellschaft in ihrer tumben, nichtssagenden, ständig plappernden Nutzlosigkeit gibt für mich einfach nicht genug interessanten Stoff, um sie derart ausführlich zu betrachten. Das ist laaangweilig.
Die Botschaft, die der Roman vermittelt, hat mir dann wieder gut gefallen, obwohl sie ein bisschen plakativ ist. Artie Kipps geht durch den Betrug eines derartigen Gentlemen bankrott, ist irgendwie froh darüber und wird dadurch endlich aus der feinen Gesellschaft, mit der er so hadert, herauskatapultiert. Unverhofft schlägt das Schicksal erneut zu, und die "ehrliche Unterschicht", von der er nie erwartet hätte, dass sie siegen könnte, verschafft ihm einen erneuten Erfolg.
Fazit: Die Hintergrundgeschichte finde ich gut die Ausführung hat mir nicht ganz so gut gefallen, vielleicht schaue ich mir mal die Film- oder Musicalversion an :-)
Die Sprache des Romans ist extrem geschraubt und gestelzt, kein Wunder das Buch ist ja schon sehr alt, aber es ist mehr als das - das Parlieren in der guten englischen Gentlemen-Gesellschaft und der damit einhergehende Sprachstil, war es, der mir derart gehörig auf die Nerven ging. Auch diese wahnwitzigen gesellschaftlichen Konventionen sind zwar beim ersten und zweiten Mal schaurig interessant zu betrachten, wenn sie sich aber durch das ganze Buch ziehen, wird es irgendwann gähnend langweilig und man fragt sich "Haben die keine anderen Probleme?". Am meisten gestört hat mich am Ende der Umstand, dass alle wichtigen Ereignisse, in denen ein bisschen Handlung und Drama entstehen, wie z.B. die Informierung des Ziehonkels über die Erbschaft oder die geplante Heirat oder die Geburt der Tochter ganz geflissentlich nebenbei erwähnt werden, wobei die Verwendung der falschen Gabel beim Dinner, irgendein nicht sitzender Knopf am Hemd oder die Nichtannahme einer Einladung raumgreifend und seitenfüllend endlos lang thematisiert werden und auch noch darüber philosophiert wird. Mir ist schon klar was H.G. Wells damit ausdrücken wollte, aber die feine Gesellschaft in ihrer tumben, nichtssagenden, ständig plappernden Nutzlosigkeit gibt für mich einfach nicht genug interessanten Stoff, um sie derart ausführlich zu betrachten. Das ist laaangweilig.
Die Botschaft, die der Roman vermittelt, hat mir dann wieder gut gefallen, obwohl sie ein bisschen plakativ ist. Artie Kipps geht durch den Betrug eines derartigen Gentlemen bankrott, ist irgendwie froh darüber und wird dadurch endlich aus der feinen Gesellschaft, mit der er so hadert, herauskatapultiert. Unverhofft schlägt das Schicksal erneut zu, und die "ehrliche Unterschicht", von der er nie erwartet hätte, dass sie siegen könnte, verschafft ihm einen erneuten Erfolg.
Fazit: Die Hintergrundgeschichte finde ich gut die Ausführung hat mir nicht ganz so gut gefallen, vielleicht schaue ich mir mal die Film- oder Musicalversion an :-)
April 19, 2013
I wound up thoroughly enjoying the second half of _Kipps_, where Wells stops his merciless mockery of the eponymous anti-hero and begins instead to poke fun at himself. Favorite lines include Kipps's enthusiastic determination to set himself up as a bookseller because all books are the same -- "If you don't like one book, you take up another; it's not something that really matters, like print dresses or serviettes."
April 11, 2023
Stāsts par to, kas viegli nāk - tas viegli iet. Misters Kipss pēkšņi ieguvis lielu mantojumu, kas ļauj pakāpties pa sociālajām kāpnēm, taču viņam nav iemaņu kā šādā sabiedrībā uzvesties. Kipss gan beigās izvēlas apprecēties ar sociālā statusā zemāka slāņa meiteni (draudzeni no bērnības), zaudē arī gandrīz visu mantojumu. Patīk, ka tomēr autors visu atrisinājis uz pozitīvas nots, pēc visiem pārdzīvojumiem, ļaujot iekārtot dzīvi atbilstoši un laimīgi. Bija tiešām aizraujoši lasīt.
October 12, 2017
After looking for 'Kipps' in bookstores for about a year, I finally found this book in my university library! I wanted to read it as Tommy Steele in 'Half a Sixpence' is one of my absolute favourite films. So I had to compare it to the original source! What was really cool was the fact that the copy that I read had a beautifully ornate green cover, and had not been checked out of the library since the '70s! I gave that book new life.
I really liked the differences between the book and film/musical. I can understand why some things were omitted in the musical but it was very nice to read that material. I think the Walshinghams were even more insufferable in print than on film! And I had a bad feeling about Chester Coote from the start. Kipps' aunt and uncle were decent, but I preferred him being all on his own as he was in the film.
(SPOILER! I particularly loved the way that the Kippses opened their own bookstore at the end, and how Wells says that Kipps is a real man, and that the reader should go and find him. What a fascinating notion.)
I also loved how some of the dialogue from the movie was ripped directly from the book for the film/play, such as when Artie asked Ann to be his girlfriend ("I wouldn't mind."), when he asked him to marry him ("I've been engaged. I want to be married to you!"), and Artie and Ann's marital argument ("I've improved, why don't you?!"). Even the new iteration of the musical takes a line ("Why do I never get anything right?") and makes an entirely new song out of it.
Anyhow, I think that this is a very underrated book. It took me twenty-two days to read it in between all of my coursework, but if you aren't so busy you can read it much faster than this. It's an easy read, and quite fun. I understand why it was Wells' own favourite book! I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoyed Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield', as it's a bit reminiscent.
That's 5/5 stars from me!
I really liked the differences between the book and film/musical. I can understand why some things were omitted in the musical but it was very nice to read that material. I think the Walshinghams were even more insufferable in print than on film! And I had a bad feeling about Chester Coote from the start. Kipps' aunt and uncle were decent, but I preferred him being all on his own as he was in the film.
(SPOILER! I particularly loved the way that the Kippses opened their own bookstore at the end, and how Wells says that Kipps is a real man, and that the reader should go and find him. What a fascinating notion.)
I also loved how some of the dialogue from the movie was ripped directly from the book for the film/play, such as when Artie asked Ann to be his girlfriend ("I wouldn't mind."), when he asked him to marry him ("I've been engaged. I want to be married to you!"), and Artie and Ann's marital argument ("I've improved, why don't you?!"). Even the new iteration of the musical takes a line ("Why do I never get anything right?") and makes an entirely new song out of it.
Anyhow, I think that this is a very underrated book. It took me twenty-two days to read it in between all of my coursework, but if you aren't so busy you can read it much faster than this. It's an easy read, and quite fun. I understand why it was Wells' own favourite book! I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoyed Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield', as it's a bit reminiscent.
That's 5/5 stars from me!
November 28, 2023
A bit of a strange story, I got the distinct impression that Wells had situations he wanted to include and that he was going to do it come hell or high water.
November 7, 2022
H. G. Wells benim en sevdiğim bilimkurgu yazarlarındandır. Elimi attığım bütün kitaplarını soluksuz bir şekilde okumuşumdur. Kipps diğer kitaplarına nazaran daha farklı bir yerde duruyor çünkü bilimkurgu romanı değil. Bunun da ötesinde kapağında belirtildiği gibi sıradan bir adamın hikayesini anlatıyor. Sınıf farklılıkları, zengin/fakir ayrımı İngiltere’de toplumsal hayat derken dönemin ufak bir yansıtmasını Kipps karakteri üzerinden yapıyor. Toplumun ikiyüzlülüğüne, zengin sınıfın umursamazlığına fazlasıyla yer veren bir kitap. ‘Parayla mutluluk olur mu� sorusunu da bir yerde fazlasıyla irdeliyor. Kipps’in üst bir sınıfa ait olma çabası ama bir yandan da temelini oluşturduğu alt sınıftan kurtulmayı başaramaması, görgü kuralları kitabı okuyarak uyum sağlamaya çalışması derken gerçekçi hissi uyandırabilen bir karakteri okuyoruz. Bir taraftan da mizahi yönü verildiği için anlatılanların ağırlığını aktarmayı reddeden bir anlatım var. Tesadüfler, şanslar, talih kuşları ve birden bütünüyle değişen yaşamla dolu bir roman. Bana bir kısımda Martin Eden’� bir başka yerde Müşterek Dostumuzu fazlasıyla anımsatan bir kitap oldu ve bu iki kitabı çok sevdiğimden Kipps’i sönük bulduğumu itiraf etmem gerek. Bir de sonlara doğru kitabın bir an önce bitmesini beklerken buldum kendimi. Wells’in bilimkurgularını okumaya kesinlikle devam edeceğim ama Kipps tarzında başka bir eseri varsa muhtemelen es geçerim.
Want to read
January 5, 2012Anna says this is Wells parodying Dickens, which sounds FUCKING GREAT, MAN.
Want to read
August 11, 2014Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg:
August 13, 2022
3.5 stars
Another comic novel by Wells, in the same vein as The History of Mr Polly, only not as good.
Another comic novel by Wells, in the same vein as The History of Mr Polly, only not as good.
August 12, 2018
I picked this book having an open mind. I had never heard of it or knew what it was about. The book starts with the main character Arthur Kipps. He's a young orphan living with his aunt and uncle. Through several chapters we learn that he has been an apprentice to a draper for seven years. We also learn that his aunt and uncle live a modest life. They are not wealthy but neither are they poor. This is very important because later on Kipps finds out that he is the grandson of an incredibly wealthy man. With this inheritance he now has to accomodate himself to the life of a wealthy upper class gentleman. The book goes through his experiences with the upper class society and his struggle to fit in. Overall it's an extremely enjoyable book and provides many life lessons.
March 1, 2020
From TIA:
Two part radio dramatisation of H G Wells' novel of the draper's assistant who is bequeathed a fortune.
Raised in the respectable gloom of his uncle's shop and looking forward to a career of unremitting drapery, Kipps finds his life changed by an astonishing bit of luck after being hit by a bicycle. Dramatised by Mike Walker.
Producer/Director John Taylor
Kipps: Bryan Dick
Uncle: Donald Sumpter
Aunt/Mrs Walshingham: Deborah Findlay
Helen: Lesley Vickerage
Shalford: Jonathan Keeble
Chitterlow: Robert Whitelock
Coote: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Young Arthur: Myles Taylor
Young Sid: Jordan Clarke
Young Ann: Megan Jones
Ann: Sinead Matthews
Sid: Simon Balfour
Two part radio dramatisation of H G Wells' novel of the draper's assistant who is bequeathed a fortune.
Raised in the respectable gloom of his uncle's shop and looking forward to a career of unremitting drapery, Kipps finds his life changed by an astonishing bit of luck after being hit by a bicycle. Dramatised by Mike Walker.
Producer/Director John Taylor
Kipps: Bryan Dick
Uncle: Donald Sumpter
Aunt/Mrs Walshingham: Deborah Findlay
Helen: Lesley Vickerage
Shalford: Jonathan Keeble
Chitterlow: Robert Whitelock
Coote: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Young Arthur: Myles Taylor
Young Sid: Jordan Clarke
Young Ann: Megan Jones
Ann: Sinead Matthews
Sid: Simon Balfour
February 27, 2023
نري منذ الفصول الأولي طموح كيبس المتقد الذي دفعة اللي مغادرة بلدته ومدرسته بحثا عن حياة أفضل يعمل كيبس في محل الاصواف ويمر بوقت عصيب في أسفل هرم الحياة العملية ليجد نفسة بين ليلة وضحاها وريث لثروة هائلة لتمنحه هذه الثروة الفرصة لتسلق الهرم الطبقي ، ويحاول أن يقحم نفسه عنوه الطبقة الارستقراطية التي لا تشبهه ولا ينتمي إليها ، نري كيبس مشتت بين الطبقة التي يريد أن تتقبله و الحياة البسيطة العادية التي يريد أن ينعم بها وادراكة أنهم لا يمكن أن يأتيا معاً .
رواية مختلفة عن أسلوب ويلز تتسم بالهدوء ، ندرك منذ الصفحات الأولية تأثر ه.ج.ويلز الجلي بأسلوب ديكينز
حيث أنك لو لم تقرأ أسم الكاتب لظننت أنا أحدي روايات ديكينز لما تحمله من تشابة مع أعمال مثل ديفيد كوبر فيلد و أمال عظيمة ولكنها رواية أجتماعية هادئة لا بأس بها ع الاطلاق ترينا جانب أخر من قلم ويلز .
رواية مختلفة عن أسلوب ويلز تتسم بالهدوء ، ندرك منذ الصفحات الأولية تأثر ه.ج.ويلز الجلي بأسلوب ديكينز
حيث أنك لو لم تقرأ أسم الكاتب لظننت أنا أحدي روايات ديكينز لما تحمله من تشابة مع أعمال مثل ديفيد كوبر فيلد و أمال عظيمة ولكنها رواية أجتماعية هادئة لا بأس بها ع الاطلاق ترينا جانب أخر من قلم ويلز .
November 22, 2021
A funny, nuanced accounting of a shop assistant’s financial rise, fall and eventual rehabilitation. Along the way we experience the realities of attempting to be someone/something we are not. A wonderful novel for detailing the social perils of trying to turn an inheritance into a gentlemanly lifestyle! In particular Wells, who began his working life in a drapery shop, plays on the social and cultural chasm separating the lower middle class from the middle class proper. But he also introduces his thoughts on the moral code that ultimately grounds our hero.
August 18, 2017
رواية عادية جدا لا اعرف الغرض منها حيث نتعرف على اليتيم كيبس الذي كان تحت رعاية عمه والذي يدُخله إلى المدرسة الابتدائي حيث يتعرف على الطفل سيد واخته أنا ثم يذهب بعد الانتهاء من المدرسة الابتدائية إلى دكان لبيع الأقمشة ثم يفاجأ بأنه ورث من جده ثروة كبيرة ويصبح بين ليلة وضحاها من الاغنياء ثم يحب فتاة تدعى هيلين ولكنه بعد فترة لا يحس بأي شي ناحيتها ويعاوده حبه القديم لاخت سيد الجميلة أنا فيتزوجها ثم تسرق ثروته ثم يسترجع جزء منها ثم يرزق بمولود وتنتهي الحكاية
July 24, 2022
�"لا يمكنك أن تتزوج كل من تقابلها يا كيبس"..
رواية مختلفة عن أعمال ويلز المشبعة بالخيال العلمي ، تحكي القصة عن تجربة إجتماعية لشاب فقير ويتيم اسمه كيبس يربيه عمه، سيترك المدرسة ويذهب للعمل بمحل صوف سيصاحب أصدقاء ويحب فتاة يوعدها أنه لن ينساها ولكن بمجرد أن يقابل أخريات يحبهن ويبقى في حيرة من أمره ومشاعره ثم بدون حسبان تنزل عليه ثروة مفاجأة لتتركه فى تخبط مستمر بين حياة الأغنياء التى يود حشر نفسه عنوه فيها وبين حياته وأصدقاءه القدامى لذا لن يكف عن نعت نفسه بالأحمق لأنه دائمًا ما يتصرف بشكل خاطئ ودائم الشعور بالضياع.
رواية مختلفة عن أعمال ويلز المشبعة بالخيال العلمي ، تحكي القصة عن تجربة إجتماعية لشاب فقير ويتيم اسمه كيبس يربيه عمه، سيترك المدرسة ويذهب للعمل بمحل صوف سيصاحب أصدقاء ويحب فتاة يوعدها أنه لن ينساها ولكن بمجرد أن يقابل أخريات يحبهن ويبقى في حيرة من أمره ومشاعره ثم بدون حسبان تنزل عليه ثروة مفاجأة لتتركه فى تخبط مستمر بين حياة الأغنياء التى يود حشر نفسه عنوه فيها وبين حياته وأصدقاءه القدامى لذا لن يكف عن نعت نفسه بالأحمق لأنه دائمًا ما يتصرف بشكل خاطئ ودائم الشعور بالضياع.
January 25, 2025
I only read this because I found out that the musical “Half a Sixpence� is based on it. This is not your usual H. G. Wells novel but is a great look at social and class distinctions in England in the late 19th century. It was slow going at times but I’m glad I stuck with it to the end.
September 3, 2021
Very nice read. Enjoyed it a lot while also listening to the audiobook narrated by Sam Kelly, it gave that authentic British atmosphere, with all the accents and dialects
Read
October 26, 2021Managed to get through 44% before we were discussing it in class, so I’m logging it as if I’ve finished it, sue me!
July 23, 2020
رواية كلاسيك من روايات H.G. Wells
له روايات اكثر منها شهرة و اثارة
هى رواية اجتماعية و ليست خيال علمى كما هو معتاد منه
يقال انه سيرته الذاتية و التنقل ما بين الفقر ثم الغنى ثم الفقر ثم الغني
الرواية اجتماعية حبكتها بسيطة جدا يعيبها التطويل و الملل الذى يصيب روايات الادب الانجليزى فى ذلك العصر
لبسهم و حفلات شاى مملة للطبقة دى ...
و لذلك تستق 2.5 / 5
و لعد وجود انصاف نجوم تأخذ 3 / 5
الكتاب القادم :
له روايات اكثر منها شهرة و اثارة
هى رواية اجتماعية و ليست خيال علمى كما هو معتاد منه
يقال انه سيرته الذاتية و التنقل ما بين الفقر ثم الغنى ثم الفقر ثم الغني
الرواية اجتماعية حبكتها بسيطة جدا يعيبها التطويل و الملل الذى يصيب روايات الادب الانجليزى فى ذلك العصر
لبسهم و حفلات شاى مملة للطبقة دى ...
و لذلك تستق 2.5 / 5
و لعد وجود انصاف نجوم تأخذ 3 / 5
الكتاب القادم :
February 6, 2017
I read this as I had been to see the new production of Half A Sixpence and wanted to read the source material. It is really interesting to read it and see which parts have been taken out from all versions of the musical and additionally which parts have been put into the new version. I thoroughly enjoyed the musical and enjoyed most of the novel.
I had only ever read the science fiction works of Wells so this was a big change. It is a real insight into the turn of the century period and I feel I was guided through the town of Folkestone. Unsurprisingly it is a lot more political than the musical and most of this gave the novel more depth. The characters of Anne and Helen are very much there to help us understand Kipps and could do with more development -- something that does happen in the new version of the musical. This is possible because of the autobiographical element of Kipps but fuller characterisation of the secondary characters would have benefitted the novel.
The parts in London were great and an effective contrast with Folkestone. Still not sure what I feel about the end of the novel but overall I really enjoyed the novel.
I had only ever read the science fiction works of Wells so this was a big change. It is a real insight into the turn of the century period and I feel I was guided through the town of Folkestone. Unsurprisingly it is a lot more political than the musical and most of this gave the novel more depth. The characters of Anne and Helen are very much there to help us understand Kipps and could do with more development -- something that does happen in the new version of the musical. This is possible because of the autobiographical element of Kipps but fuller characterisation of the secondary characters would have benefitted the novel.
The parts in London were great and an effective contrast with Folkestone. Still not sure what I feel about the end of the novel but overall I really enjoyed the novel.
December 7, 2013
On the surface this may seem like a satiric and stilted tale of an "everyman", but as I took it in and reflected on the story, it seems more a deeply personal journey in reaching some level of self-actualization amidst confusing and overbearing social pressures. Set around the early 20th century in Great Britain, Arthur Kipps experiences the everyday challenges of boredom and the relentless tortures of social expectations as he's growing up, and as a young man faces the harsh realities of barely making a living with the unforgiving callousness of post-industrial capitalism. Existing near the lower rung of the middle class, he becomes well acclimated to what his life is to be like and how he is to behave. But by happenstance, his circumstances change dramatically, and he must face the stresses of a different type with an opportunity to pull himself up to, as the they call it, a "higher class" of people. Kipps, in his neurosis and ability to dredge himself through many a blundering crisis, must travel a varied road of challenges to learn for himself, finally, who he really is.
June 29, 2016
In actuality, I stopped reading around page 50. I'm an H.G. Wells fan, and grabbed this without reading the description, because the book could have been about anything and I would have tried it. BUT, this book was just. so. boring.
I wanted to like it, but nothing happened, not really, just endless paragraphs of narration about this boring guy named Kipps. About his childhood, in which nothing really happens. And then of his schooling, where nothing really happens either. On page 22 there's an actual scene. An actual scene! And I thought, "okay, here we go", but then a few pages later the whole idea just putters out, and it goes back to boring narration. Then Kipps gets a job (mind you, he's still maybe 16 here) at a haberdashery in another city, and I thought, "okay, here we go" and it was just so, so boring.
So I gave up.
I will continue to read HG Wells books, but not this one. And it sucks that I'm getting rid of it, as it's a really good copy of a third edition, printed 90 years ago, and looks great on my shelf. LOL
I wanted to like it, but nothing happened, not really, just endless paragraphs of narration about this boring guy named Kipps. About his childhood, in which nothing really happens. And then of his schooling, where nothing really happens either. On page 22 there's an actual scene. An actual scene! And I thought, "okay, here we go", but then a few pages later the whole idea just putters out, and it goes back to boring narration. Then Kipps gets a job (mind you, he's still maybe 16 here) at a haberdashery in another city, and I thought, "okay, here we go" and it was just so, so boring.
So I gave up.
I will continue to read HG Wells books, but not this one. And it sucks that I'm getting rid of it, as it's a really good copy of a third edition, printed 90 years ago, and looks great on my shelf. LOL
June 18, 2015
HGW is pitiless in his portrayal of the emptiness of contemporary middle class pretension. This compares with honest "what you see is what you get" socialism.
Arthur Kipps gets off to a bad start. He's a "love child" passed on to an aunt and uncle to rear and then apprentice to the drudgery of the Drapery trade. His luck improves however when he gets rich quick but then must learn how to behave "proper" -ie as a "gentleman". He makes a dogs breakfast of it. Artie is a silly little rich boy/man and Wells sadistically makes him suffer for it. This is until he sees the light and can start to be true to himself and cast off the shackles of convention as the irrelevance we'd all like it to be.
Arthur Kipps gets off to a bad start. He's a "love child" passed on to an aunt and uncle to rear and then apprentice to the drudgery of the Drapery trade. His luck improves however when he gets rich quick but then must learn how to behave "proper" -ie as a "gentleman". He makes a dogs breakfast of it. Artie is a silly little rich boy/man and Wells sadistically makes him suffer for it. This is until he sees the light and can start to be true to himself and cast off the shackles of convention as the irrelevance we'd all like it to be.
July 17, 2016
not sure about hilarious- but it has some funny moments. The attempt at accents is a bit clumsy and it comes across as very dated.
I did read it for local interest as well as to see what HG Wells wrote outside science fiction.
It did show how much class is less defined than it was in the past but in many ways its is just as hierarchical and divided.
I did read it for local interest as well as to see what HG Wells wrote outside science fiction.
It did show how much class is less defined than it was in the past but in many ways its is just as hierarchical and divided.
September 7, 2017
رواية رائعة وكلها عبر ومواعظ اولها ان المال السهل مثلما ياتي بسهولة يذهب بسهولة
وايضا الانسان يجب ان يتبع قلبه احيانا عندما يتعلق الامر بحب حياته
وكذلك تنطبق هذه الرواية مع ان الناس خلقوا درجات فمثلا الفقير عندما يصبح فجاة غنيا فليس شيئا سهلا بالنسبة له لانه يحتاج الى من يرشده في استخدام المال
اعتقد ان الكاتب ابدع بهذه الوراية ووضع الكثير الكثير من الدروس المستفادة
وايضا الانسان يجب ان يتبع قلبه احيانا عندما يتعلق الامر بحب حياته
وكذلك تنطبق هذه الرواية مع ان الناس خلقوا درجات فمثلا الفقير عندما يصبح فجاة غنيا فليس شيئا سهلا بالنسبة له لانه يحتاج الى من يرشده في استخدام المال
اعتقد ان الكاتب ابدع بهذه الوراية ووضع الكثير الكثير من الدروس المستفادة
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