A collection of McManus' humorous short stories about his life as a sportsman, spouse and stories from his childhood.
McManus is at his best when he recounts stories of his childhood. This book does have a few of these but mostly the settings are those of his adult life. They are also amusing but just not as funny as his tales of life as a youngster.
Publishers Weekly has a review of Real Ponies Don't Go Oink!
In about 1908, Elliot Paul, fresh out of college, moved from the northeast to Louisville, Kentucky to take on an engineering job. He lived in a boarding house while there and became quite close to some of the other boarders and to the family that ran the boarding house. He may have actually become a little too involved in their lives, but he was young and inexperienced and he got caught up in their drama. He also experienced the thrill of jazz music and became a lifelong fan of jazz and of jazz musicians. And he fell in love with a beautiful Spanish woman who was a bit older than he was. She kept him at arms length, romantically, but was quite happy to use him to help keep her slightly loony mother entertained. And the son of the boarding house owner happily introduced him to the various whore houses in town.
This was actually an enjoyable read. Though it certainly has its racist moments. Not just about blacks but also a Jewish man. But the author does address the unfairness of discrimination later in the book:
I tried to understand how a man like Bud, one of the advance guard of an advancing people, and one who wished everyone well, could enter so thoroughly into his small foster-son's experience and not worry himself sick about the boy's future. At that time, I was sure that if I were a Negro I would kill myself, and miss a wonderfully good time rather than face the hourly indignities to which a black man was subjected. It is one thing to acknowledge that another kind of man can throw a boomerang farther than one could hope to do, or add figures faster, or find more small talk for women's entertainment. But how would it feel, I asked myself, again and again, to have another race assume superiority, and impose their assumptions on me, denying my fundamental equality as a man, however young?
Kirkus has uploaded a review of the book dating from when it was first published in 1949. It does cast some doubt on the truthfulness of Eliott's narrative. Find it here: Kirkus Reviews.
Poor Philip Jettan. Both the girl he loves, Cleone, and his own father view him as a country bumpkin. He doesn't dress right, he doesn't fight right, he doesn't dance right, he just doesn't measure up. Goaded by their criticisms and by an ignoble defeat in a duel by a man he dismissed as a painted puppy, Philip leaves England and goes to Paris in order to learn the airs and graces his father and Cleone claim they want him to acquire.
So off to 1740s France to study the ways of the French nobility. In the process, however, Philip discovers he has knack for it. He becomes the darling of French high society and learns to dress well and dance well and fight a duel well. After some adventures in France, he soon comes back to Cleone and his father, the painted puppy they thought they wanted. But somehow, Cleone views the changes with disfavor, thinking that Philip is no longer a manly man, but has been transformed into a vain, shallow and weak dandy! Little does she know that underneath that beautiful, dainty exterior beats the heart of the country bumpkin she used to know. And then some.
This was an OK read, if a tad unbelievable. Here is a fellow who is more interested in cows than in society manners who transforms himself in the space of less than a year into an expert at everything high society values, including learning to speak French like a native and becoming expert at fencing. I actually felt kind of sad for Philip who becomes the darling of French society by putting aside the country life he loved for the superficial trappings that really mean very little in the long run. All for the love of a girl who didn't value his true worth because he wasn't polished enough.
Another thing that I really didn't like was the constant appearance of French throughout the book. I don't comprehend French. Maybe English people of Heyer's generation were familiar enough with French to understand what Philip is saying every time he spouts French. But that's not me and probably not most people who read her books over fifty years later. At one point she includes a poem by Philip that is twelve lines long and entirely in French with no English translation except for the title, "To the Pearl that Trembles in her Ear." Seems a tad pretentious to me. Or maybe just snooty.
Here is a review by Lucy Bertoldi on Austenprose.
Sir Waldo Hawkridge is known as the Nonesuch. In his time, the early 1800s, this was a man who was an accomplished and talented and admired all-around sportsman, good at everything the upper classes considered a worthy pursuit. Like boxing, hunting, fencing, horsemanship. It also helped that Waldo was tall, good looking, personable and extremely wealthy. The whole package, as the saying goes.
Ancilla Trent, a humble governess, did not approve of men who spent their time pursuing sports. So when she got to meet Waldo and found out what a good-hearted and genuine person he was, it was a bit confusing for her. He was totally not what she pictured a sportsman to be. And bit by bit, she lost her heart to Waldo, even though, as a mere governess, she was not on the same social level as he.
But Waldo didn't care who society thought was the appropriate mate for a man of his wealth and standing. He thought Ancilla was the only woman for him. But when he began to pursue her in earnest, she spurned him. But why? Then he discovered that she knew about what his friends called "Waldo's brats." Oh, dear!
This was an OK read. Not as engaging as some of Heyer's romances. At over 240 pages, it a bit on the long side and really doesn't cover much ground other than two adults meeting and falling for each other. And clearing up a slight misunderstanding before true love triumphs. And the bad behavior of Ancilla's teenage student, Tiffany Wield, beautiful, selfish, wealthy and very spoiled. Really not much of a plot there at all. But it is still quite a pleasure to read and enjoy, even if not as dynamic as some of her stories.
Here is a review by Marie Burton on Austenprose.
