Sunday, 12 May 2019

Victor Canning - Mr Finchley Goes To Paris


Rating: 3/5

Review:
Not quite as good as its predecessor

I enjoyed Mr Finchley Discovers His England. This, the second book of the series, didn’t have quite the same appeal for me.

Mr Finchley Goes To Paris is amiable and pleasant enough, as Our Hero is despatched to Paris on business and then finds his stay unexpectedly prolonged, allowing mild, improbable adventures. Canning’s eye for interesting characters and delight in detail is still there, but of course it lacks that deep love for England and its vagaries which made the first book so enjoyable. Here, I found a slight air of “Oh, those funny foreigners and their amusing ways” at times, which I wasn’t keen on, and although Mr Finchley remains an engaging character, and I wasn’t nearly so taken with this instalment.

This is a perfectly decent read but I can only give it a qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)

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