It's a subtle observation of how people drift through life and the possibilities that open up to us when we pull off the blinkers of circumstance. In a key passage the narrator reminds us that, if we are strong enough and can face the consequences, we can get out of our situation.

It's a very Dickensian subject, and Wells writes with a similar wit, although the central character perhaps lacks some sympathy. The final third, being the least mundane and the most unexpected, is also the most enjoyable, but by then I'd grown a little disinterested in Polly's history and wanted something more escapist.


Escape from the Edwardian Rat Race   August 27, 2003
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

For those who, like me, were always put off HG Wells through a mistaken belief that he was a science fiction writer, The History of Mr Polly may well come as a pleasant surprise.

The book is the reassuring tale of one mans eventful stumble toward utopia, which should offer hope to fretful drifters the world over.

Three quarters of the book chronicles the painfully comic descent of Mr Polly from youthful apprentice in a leading department store to the middle aged, unhappily married and bankrupt-in-all-but-name owner of a regional gentlemans outfitters. Mr Polly manages to gain weight, while his hair recedes and number of friends dwindle. Polly retreats behind the pages of his beloved books, until he finally decides to put an end to his increasingly miserable existence. This is the turning point of Mr Polly's life. He comes out of the botched attempt a hero, yet rejects his previous life and goes off in search of a new one. This Mr Polly finds.

Although the tone of the novel is definitely black this book should definitely leave you feeling good about yourself. It offers hope that a happy life is out there for everyone and that it is never too late to go out and find it.


a cycling holiday   August 9, 2001
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This great novel gives a fantastic account of rural Enland in the early 19th century, the list given of his jobs and chores at a countryside inn is spellbinding. I imagine Wells wanted it to be long and comprehensive to show what a busy chap Mr Polly would be, today it reads like an evocation of lost arts and crafts. i wonder if anyone still does any of the repair jobs on machinery and buildings. Plus, they look very tiring, or extremeliciously fatigatious as Mr Polly might have said, his use of language an neologisms being a glorious additition to the book and dialogue.

He is not an all round good egg by any means, but you can't help but like him. His joy at finding people who listen to him and enjoy his books is infectious through the pages and reminds me of the end of Patrick Hamilton's Hangover Square when the principal character is appreciated for once due to his good nature and conversation. While he has his darker side he is one of the great fictional creations.


An enjoyable little volume, quite whimsical.   January 25, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

After 100 years or so I wasn't too sure about this book but thoroughly enjoyed it. Mr Polly is sometimes annoying but always loveable. Read it, I found it quite refreshing - surprisingly, more so than the Time Machine.