Topper [Mass Market Paperback]

Thorne Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1939

comedy book

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books; Second Printing edition (1939)
• ASIN: B000HGTVDY
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,900,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High and Low Spirits, September 6, 2000

By 

"laddie5" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Topper (Modern Library) (Paperback)

The movie and TV versions of "Topper" have always emphasized the trick of ghosts appearing and disappearing... but the novel is really about Mr. Topper's love/hate relationship to middle-class conformity, and how he's drawn toward love and death. As with many of Smith's books, there's an undertow of sadness about how brief and unsatisfying life can be, and a true satirist's rage at hypocrisy and repression. Set in the same period as "The Great Gatsby," this is almost a companion piece -- another story about longing and belonging, fast driving and fast living, and dropouts living a very different life than those around them.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Jazz-era story, funny and thoughtful, March 5, 2000

By 

J. G. Heiser (Sunninghill, Berks) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Topper (Modern Library) (Paperback)

Who hasn't fallen in love with a ghost at least once in their life?

Topper is absolutely delightful. While in some ways it was considered scandalous at the time, it certainly seems innocent today. It has a lightness and freshness lacking in his later works. Some contemporary readers may be unused to fiction that lacks violence and overt sex, but the appeal of this story is Cosmo's mid-life crisis and its sucessful resolution with the supernatural assistance of a carful of hard-drinking, carefree spirits.

Whoever coined the phrase 'witty repartee' probably had this book in mind. It's a fun read that kept me entertained all the way from Seattle to Virginia.

One word of advice before you start. Smith uses an interesting motif in this book over and over again. Keep your eyes open for it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Topper's midlife crisis., January 17, 2002

By 

Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Topper (Modern Library) (Paperback)

Thorne Smith's fantasy of Cosmo Topper and ghostly George and Marion Kerby is more thought provoking than one might expect. Although rich with humor, the story has pensive undertones. The story is of Topper's rebellion against his dull life and marriage. After the wild and crazy Kerby's perish in a road accident, middle-aged Topper buys their repaired sporty automobile. He discovers their ghostly presence, and joins the playful spirits in a road trip that takes up much of the novel. His flirtation with the delectable Marion Kerby may have seemed racy 'way back when, but it is mild stuff today. George Kerby is absent for part of the story. While George is away, Topper and Marion play, mostly at Marion's instigation. The snickering references to drinking, ladies lingerie, and compromising positions offers amusement. One needs to understand the old term "step-ins." Typical of the TV and movie versions, Topper deals with a number of awkward situations when ghostly happenings occur before bewildered onlookers. This evokes chuckles, but there is more of yearning in the book than laugh-out-loud comedy. This book is a beguiling relic of the 1920s. It's worth a look. To enhance your appreciation of the book, avoid the pitfall of preconceived notions based on the films and TV versions. Multiple readings are recommended. ;-)