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Lädt ... The Adventures of Hiram Hollidayvon Paul Gallico
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Fantastisch om de oorsprong van de TV-serie uit de jaren 50, waar ik in de jaren 60 als 8-jarige zeer groot fan van was te lezen. Nog steeds is de beschrijving van de romantische held die steeds met verstand en gevoel werkt zeer goed te lezen. Ben benieuwd wat de oorspronkelijke versie nog te bieden heeft. A wonderful book. The fact that it was written about 1939 and is very much a period piece makes it kind of strange to read now. For a modern reader with the hindsight of later events some of the plot points at first seem incongruous. However it's right on about many feelings of the time. It's also rather "America First and Best", but if you can get just below that you'll realize it's really about Everyman. This book is hard to come by, but it's well worth seeking out or picking up if you come across. Zeige 3 von 3 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.91Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Hiram Holliday is a copy edition for the New York Sentinal. Because he spotted a punctuation error in a story which saved the newspaper millions in a possible libel suit, a grateful publisher gave him a handsome bonus and paid leave so Hiram could fulfill his wish to go to Europe for an extended stay. During his fourteen years as a copy edition, Hiram has lived a secret life. He imagined himself a hero and in his spare time he studied fencing, became a crack shot, achieved superior skills in martial arts. He learned foreign languages and honed his ability to judge people. He also learned he had a mild sixth sense which enabled him to get "vibrations" from objects so he knew something about their owners. All of this was hidden under a rather bland and, as Gallico keeps reminding the reader, stocky exterior.
And Hiram does find adventures. During his first week in London he rescues a young woman and her nephew from a gang of Nazis in a London park. He uses his furled umbrella as a epee and manages to put out the eye of one kidnapper, sweep the girl who is an Austrian princess and the child who is the heir to the Austrian throne into a taxi, and successfully lead them to safety. Of course, he falls hopelessly in love with the beautiful girl. And so it goes through the capitals of Europe. Hiram is the one who spots danger and through his abilities and his unassuming appearances either exposes evil or saves the day.
The problem for the contemporary reader is that the villains are cartoons and some of Hiram's observations are now ludicrous. Londoners did not cower in fear and jam the train stations to get out of the city. The English ports were not full of people bribing their way onto ships going anywhere. The Austrian monarchy was not going to be reestablished.
This is Gallico's first attempt at a novel-length book. It should be enjoyed as a piece of daring-do and not much more. ( )