Inspiradora de una de las comedias televisivas más famosas de todos los tiempos, Caída y auge de Reginald Perrin es una obra maestra del género humorístico en el ámbito anglosajón. Su protagonista, Reginald Perrin, es un hombre gris; un mediocre e infeliz ejecutivo de ventas cuarentón, que malgasta sus días en la empresa Postres Lucisol, sometido a un jefe estúpido para el que desempeña un trabajo alienante, mientras lleva una vida suburbana al lado de su esposa y una familia plagada de gorrones. Hasta que un día, entregado a continuas fantasías que le apartan momentáneamente del sopor, decide tirarlo todo por la borda y dar el gran paso: desaparecer sin dejar el menor rastro, simular su propio suicidio, y adoptar una segunda identidad para volver a comenzar desde cero.

This classic fell a little bit flat with me. Satire is not my favourite genre so it is not surprising I found the story lacking in warmth and too cynical and revelling in the sordid to provoke many laughs. ( )

One of those books that is very funny on the surface, but quite serious underneath. Reggie Perrin is a fairly absurd character, and there is comedy in the repetition of his everyday life, and that of the people around him. It's very funny. But it's also a midlife crisis and a breakdown and so quite tragic at the same time. ( )

A somewhat surreal and bizarre book, revolving around the more serious issue of a man having a rather caricatured mid-life crisis. I loved the first sentence, though it went a little downhill thereafter. Perhaps worth reading once; the occasional humorous moment but not the laugh-aloud hilarity I was promised on the blurb. ( )

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin - David Nobbs ****

What is it about?

I remember watching the tv programme as a child with my father, but never realised it was based on a book. So when I came across a copy I decided to give it try. The novel follows Reggie Perrin, a senior executive in Sunshine Deserts, a man who’s daily routine becomes so monotonous that it edges him further and further into a mid life crisis. Reggie’s behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre and we follow his descent into a near complete nervous breakdown. Struggling to hold onto his youth and unhappy with a seemingly bleak future he decides to dramatically change things.....

What did I like?

The tv series mirrors the book almost exact, but there were more than a few surprises with a number of the ‘riskier’ elements being left out (these will be more than apparent). Unusually for me I actually found myself laughing out loud on a number of occasions. The book is extremely well written with individuals that we can relate to in our own lives and work places. We get to know Reggie so well that whether we like it or not there are certain aspects of his character that we begin to recognise in ourselves, and that just adds to the humour.

What didn’t I like?

My only criticism, and the reason for not getting 5 stars, was that at times the plot just became slightly repetitive and the situations a little unrealistic. I won’t go into that any further as it would spoil various plot lines, but now and again I found myself thinking ‘Would he really get away with that?’

Would I recommend?

I very rarely venture in to the comedy aisle in a bookshop, and to be honest usually steer clear of the genre, but this is one of those occasions when I am glad I tried something different. So would I recommend it? Definitely. So much so that I have just ordered the next book in the series, ‘The Return of Reginald Perrin’. ( )