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★★★★★ 3
Jone's Tome
This book seems more likely to be enjoyed by literary academics than by folks looking for a good story. While Henry Fielding is indeed a learned man of letters and does write in a fine and high style with many subordinate clauses, the actual substance thereof is no better than more earthy pedestrian fare.
To put it plainly, I found most of the book a rather tedious slog. This is my personal subjective opinion only as I do believe Henry Fielding is well esteemed by serious literary scholars who undoubtedly see the matter quite differently. I am judging this book purely by my own personal enjoyment of the actual narrative and plot construction, and by my difficulty in teasing out the subordinate clauses which are so bound up with this age of writing. Imagine a very learned and erudite professor trying to tell you a common bawdy tale, but taking forever to do it while using the most stuffy language.
I had thought that my deeper background in reading many Victorian era novels would qualify me to enjoy this one, but the language was a little too dense to make it an enjoyable read. I was however able to follow the story as well as the side epistles the author directly addresses the reader with (which I find to be an annoying device also much used in that era).
I did read the whole thing and did take pleasure in some parts, but I must confess my bias towards this earlier era of novel writing. It takes very learned men of their age and has them writing long-winded tales of inferior construction when compared against later centuries. I know this is not their fault any more than you can blame a champion athlete of his time for having his record broken decades later when methods have universally improved.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2015
