The History Of Mr. Polly

Written by H. G. Wells

Narrated by Geoffrey Giuliano and The Arc

Mr. Polly, also known as Alfred Polly, is a fictional character created by the renowned English writer H.G. Wells in his 1910 novel "The History of Mr. Polly." The novel follows the life of Mr. Polly, an ordinary and discontented middle-aged man living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mr. Polly is a relatable figure who embodies the struggles and frustrations of the average person in the face of societal expectations and personal dissatisfaction.

Set against the backdrop of the Edwardian era, "The History of Mr. Polly" offers a profound exploration of the human condition. Mr. Polly's life is characterized by a series of disappointments, failed ventures, and a general sense of aimlessness. Frustrated with his monotonous existence and a loveless marriage, he reaches a breaking point, deciding to escape the confines of his mundane life and pursue a different path.

Wells paints a vivid portrait of Mr. Polly's journey of self-discovery and reinvention. The narrative takes readers through a range of emotions, from the bleakness of Mr. Polly's initial struggles to the optimism and hope that emerges as he embarks on a new adventure. Ultimately, "The History of Mr. Polly" serves as a thought-provoking exploration of the universal human desire for freedom, happiness, and the pursuit of a meaningful existence in an ever-changing world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Audio Arts
• Release date: Jun 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887679761

H. G. Wells

H.G. Wells is considered by many to be the father of science fiction. He was the author of numerous classics such as The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The War of the Worlds, and many more. 

Reviews for The History Of Mr. Polly

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite different from Wells' science fiction classics. I found that I often saw the humor rather than felt it; certain aspects of Mr. Polly's character were clearly intended to be funny (such as his mistakes with words) but didn't really tickle my funny bone. The last 2 chapters were the best for me.For the LibriVox recording I listened to I would award 3* - Adrian Praetzellis did a fine job but unfortunately, his voice and pacing weren't for me. I found it hard to focus on (especially in the car) and often ended up having to reread portions in the Kindle edition to find out what happened.

[ma_washigeri · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read it a few times many years ago - so one of my favourites then. From long past the other side of 40 (Mr Polly's age half way through the book when his history finishes and the actual narrative resumes and about the age of Mr Wells when he wrote it) this is a really miserable and uncomfortable read. Enjoyable once Alfred Polly starts his adventures. Very strongly based inside Mr Polly's consciousness - the only other characters that have anything going on inside their head at all are his youthful friend Parsons, and Jim, the potential nemesis of the Pot Inn - no one else has any internal life. On the surface quite a simple tale - but the more you think about it the more complex it becomes. Have another 3/4 star.

[danielstj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel was not really to my liking. I didn't really *get* at what H.G Wells was trying to accomplish here and I felt that the result fell flat quite often. It wasn't the worst thing to read, but definitely not recommended.2 stars.

[jonfaith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The esteemed M.J. Nicholls dryly encircled the genius of this novel. It was fitting to conclude my week-long tour of Britons electing paired initials as Christian names - to rest easy under the warm praise of the Scotsman with his love of completeism and exhumation.

Alfred Polly is my hero. His neologisms are remarkable. I thought of citing a half dozen examples but feel that out of context, it would prove to be shit. His suspicions and pleasures appear to be my own. One can't just sit around forever. Such is my paraphrase of the novel's amazing conclusion.

[lisahistory · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mr Polly uses wonderful malapropisms and created words to describe things - a fun story.

[baswood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Hole! said Mr Polly, and then for a change and with greater emphasis “Ole!” He paused, and then broke out with some of his private and peculiar idioms. “Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!”. Our first encounter with Mr Polly who is nearly at the end of his tether. He is an unhappy shopkeeper facing bankruptcy and has taken himself off after lunch to launch a tirade on the miserable world around him, suffering as he does every afternoon with indigestion. He hates his wife, he hates his neighbours and above all he hates his shop. Published in 1910 The History of Mr Polly became one of H G Wells best loved novels. Graham Greene was in the habit of labelling his books either as novels or entertainments, if H G Well had done something similar Mr Polly would have been an entertainment. After the darkness of Ann Veronica (his previous novel) Wells again has written another book of social commentary, but this one hides any seriousness in the glorious comic figure of Mr Polly. After our initial meeting with our hero, Wells then embarks on the History. Mr Polly’s education was a mess, he was not particularly intelligent and failed to grasp much of what he was taught, he liked to read and lost himself in adventure stories. He got an apprenticeship as a drapers assistant and his life in the shop would have been unending drudgery, but for his meeting up with two likeminded youths with an interest in books and all things literary. Mr Polly hides his lack of education by a sort of deliberate mispronunciation of words, which can be funny, but often serves to puzzle those around him. Wells has much fun with Mr Polly’s own peculiar language for example: thrusting competitors for jobs became the “Shoveacious Cult”. Mr Polly is the opposite to being a thrusting competitor, he has difficulty in rousing himself to do much that he doesn’t like and he soon loses his job when his apprenticeship is finished. “You have merely anti-separated me by a hair” Mr Polly said politely when he was being fired.Unemployed and at a loose end he is saved temporarily from the rat race by the death of his father who has left him a little money. At the funeral he meets his three female cousins the Larkin girls.”Hen-witted Gigglers” and it soon becomes obvious that he will marry one of them, however he needs to do something with his fathers money to secure his livelihood and so he does what so many lower middle class people aspired to do in Edwardian times: He buys a little shop. He holds out from doing this as long as he can because he has an inkling it will be a prison sentence and that is just what it turns out to be. He has no aptitude for selling, he has no enthusiasm for his shop, and he soon falls out with his neighbours and is at war with the wife he has never loved. The reader has now caught up with Mr Polly on that fateful day after lunch when he puts the finishing touched to his plan to burn down his shop, cut his throat with a razor and incinerate himself. Mr Polly’s plan usually go astray and while he is successful in burning down his shop and many of his neighbours shops, he forgets to cut his throat. While it is clear that Mr Polly has not the character to be a successful business man, it is also clear that being a small shop owner at the turn of the century was the undoing of many people. The big commercial concerns were beginning to cut the ground away from the owner occupiers and all of Mr Polly’s neighbouring shop owners were facing ruin. Wells can't help himself in pointing his finger at disorganised capitalism and an unplanned economy, but limits himself to a rant of only a couple of pages. There are some marvellously funny set pieces in this book. Mr Polly’s fathers funeral where he becomes an instant hit with the Larkin girls, his meetings with Christabel the girl on top of the wall that surrounds her school with whom Mr Polly falls desperately in love, his own more than successful arson attack and finally the showdown with the diabolic Uncle Jim. All the while Mr Polly dreams of something better and embarks whenever he can on his ‘Exploratious menanderings “ In many ways this is one of H G Wells’ most thought through novels. He had previously demonstrated his ability to make his readers laugh in Kipps and The Invisible Man, but here he has created a comic figure with which many people can identify. Mr Polly does not set out to be funny but he undeniably is and when at the end of the novel he has fought his battles and come out; if not winning at least more content then we applaud. Wells’ message might be that you can change your world. A wonderful entertainment and a five star read.

[dazzyj_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lively satire by Wells, displaying his deep and detailed first hand knowledge of the Edwardian lower middle class.

[scatterall-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this not long after reading Orwell's Coming Up For Air. This one is a much better novel, but they're interesting as two books about very similar characters in very similar circumstances; in the wrong class in Britain at the wrong time, badly educated, badly married, dreams lost, no real prospects or hopes or pleasure left in life when the books begin. Wells is much more subtle about the blind ignorant ways in which people can make themselves miserable themselves in life, and get what they put out.

Also, in this one, the author has sympathy for his protagonist, warts and all, and he shows the internal forces shaping his life just as strongly as the external. Nobody in it is a simple caricature. And it is funny. I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but I was smiling a lot, and wincing too. The story is slower at first, and then starts leaping along in all kinds of startling and funny ways. The fire chapter is well worth the price of admission all by itself.

[eglinton_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Slacker tale of the turn of the last century, a welcome corrective from an era usually depicted as earnest. Mr Polly enjoys 'talking bosh and laughing', and is an uncontrollable phrasemonger, like Reggie Perrin or Schweik. He has an imaginative streak, an amusing way with words, and a twinkle for the ladies: "Lill dog" he says, as a kind of verbal joker, whenever the going gets too hot. The book conveys some kind of ethical injunction, as one would expect from Wells, but the significance is a bit lost these days, in what comes down to us as more of an enjoyable rompThe picaresque supporting cast  are straight caricatures, but make for a lively and comical read, as in say the Pickwick Papers. Mr Polly's spirits do get ground down by the bleakness of a clerk's prospects, but he is eventually restored to Pooter-ish optimism, his new lease of life leaving him feeling "as the grass and daisies must do when you move the garden roller away to a new place." 

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can see that this would have been very witty when it was published, but I just could not get into it, despite being at the same time of life as Mr Polly.