The flying inn (original 1914; edition 1958)

See The Flying Inn and the Dun Cow at From Word to Word

4269 The Flying Inn, by G. K. Chesterton (read 3 Feb 2007) In my English Literature book from college there are 16 novels listed for further reading under the "Modern Era" and over the years I have read all but this one and one other, including the most remarkable one: Lady into Fox, by David Garnett (read 30 July 1950). So I decided to read this 1914 novel. I found it unrelievedly boring. I know there is some allegorical meaning to it, but such never came thru to me. It seeks to show how nonsensical prohibition is, involves putting a sign in front a of place which permits drinking there. There is a lot of palaver about that, some poetry, and a lot of uninteresting talk. I was glad to get to the last page. Maybe one should not draw reading suggestions from 60 year old lists. ( )

One of the more enjoyable books by Chesterton. His language is simply breathtaking, and the plot is humorous and quite exiting. Chesterton is nostalgic for an England that may or may not have existed. Probably not, to me at least that sounds rather unlikely. But he certainly makes us believe that something of great value has been lost. The characters are so loveable that they kind of make us forget how muddled and reactionary Chesterton's thinking actually was. This is also the one novel where his rather nauseating religiosity does not show which is probably one of the reason why this really is good reading. ( )

Curious book about a British PM who becomes enamored (oops, enamoured) with a Muslim mystic and proceeds to attempt to turn the society to fit with the mystic's notion of the good society. He's thwarted by a lusty soul who believes in a good strong drink, if only he could find (or establish) an inn that would sell it. Chesterton's novels are not as good as his essays or non-fiction. ( )