Wed, 16 Apr 2003

Fading Memories

The Great Impersonation

By E. Phillips Oppenheim
Reviewed by Boudewijn Rempt on April 16, 2003

This is one you can read yourself: If you click on the buy this book link (on the right, or right here), you won't be taken to Amazon, but to Project Gutenberg, where you can download the e-text of The Great Impersonation

The Great Impersonation is generally considered the finest and best of Oppenheim's books.

I haven't read enough of the rest to be able to judge, but this completely improbably story of how a down-on-his-luck-whiskey-sodden English nobleman grabs his chance for reinstatement and impersonates the German noblement who intends to impersonate him (as himself) is tremendous fun.

Of course, from page 20 or so, there are no longer surprises to be had, except perhaps for the denouement of the ghostly bit — and the depiction of lady Dominey is as false Talens gold paint. But it's still fun.

Currently reading: Multatuli, Max Havelaar, John M. Ford, The Dragon Waiting, Dimitri Obolensky, The Byzantine Commonwealth, E.R. Eddison, A Fish Dinner in Memison, P.C Hooft, Warenar, E.R. Eddison, Mistress of Mistresses, Hope Mirrlees, Lud in the Mist, Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog), Ignace Peckstadt, De sterkte van Gods aanwezigheid, Athanasius van Alexandrië, Het leven van de heilige Antonius. (Honestly, everything is still on my reading pile, together with a smaller pile of books on veggie gardening, but I'm a bit too tired or Hope Mirrlees, for instance.)

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