Jeremy and Hamlet: Large Print

Jeremy Trilogy #2

by Hugh Walpole

Jeremy and Hamlet by Hugh Walpole

Genres: British Literature

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large readership in the United Kingdom and North America. A best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s, his works have been neglected since his death.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apr 24, 9pm ~~ In the first book of the Jeremy trilogy, young Jeremy was celebrating his eighth birthday and then went off to boarding school. Here we begin with the household (including Hamlet the dog) waiting for Jeremy to arrive back home for the first time since then, because in the previous holidays Jeremy had gone to visit at a school friend's home. So no one has seen Jeremy for nine months, and Hamlet does not even really remember him. Besides, he has settled into a different part of the house. Instead of spending all of his time in the nursery/school room, he went
below stairs to the kitchen for the affection he (and treats) that he wanted and deserved.

"He had sold his soul to the cook."

That line in the early bits of the first chapter is what attracted my attention to this book in the first place, but I am still glad I read Jeremy (book #1) first, because that way I knew everyone in this story already, except for a new uncle (Percy) who came to visit from New Zealand in the final chapters.

Anyway, in the first chapter Hamlet was the star, but Jeremy quickly took over once he got home. To tell the truth, the parts featuring Hamlet were much more interesting. I don't know if I was merely bored with Master Jeremy or if the author had a defter touch when talking about the dog, but any chapter that related Hamlet's adventures (his fight with the white poodle Mephisto, for example) were simply more entertaining to me than the ones about Jeremy.

Jeremy does do some growing up here. He is more concerned about his sister Mary, tries harder to be friends with her, even protects her from some bullies on their trip to the countryside. He also has a horrible clash with his father and turns to Uncle Samuel in his distress, and so discovers that Uncle Samuel is not merely someone who dresses sloppily and smells of paint. He also understands.

School bullying, the daring adventures of a ten year old boy's life (run around the cathedral twice at the stroke of midnight ~~ I dare you!!) and such like events fill the book. It was not so much Jeremy and Hamlet as it was Jeremy, then Hamlet, then Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy.

The book was was okay; there were some lovely phrases here and there, and I suppose Walpole did a good job of describing Jeremy (I know he did an excellent job with Hamlet!) but overall I was a little disappointed with the book, and skimmed through pretty large chunks of it.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming if dated short novel about a boy and his dog enjoying Victorian provincial life.

[Katrin V · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little in the vein of Stalky and Co, but with more sympathy and articulated understanding of the young's emotional development. A pretty accurate 1923 picture, and still for some today, of what a wrench it is to head off to boarding school for boys at 10. The stories bring up sticky issues of bullying and the code of 'not telling,' that is relevant long post prep school.

[M B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Jeremy

This is the second book of the Jeremy series I've read. Walpole does a really good job of portraying the thoughts of independent youth. It's probably a good read for parents or young children. It's also written with decent enough stories within the story, that the chapters break nicely for bedtime reading.