Rumpole at Christmas: A collection of hilarious festive stories for readers of Sherlock Holmes and P.G. Wodehouse by John Mortimer

Rumpole at Christmas: A collection of hilarious festive stories for readers of Sherlock Holmes and P.G. Wodehouse Reviews

• 
  Nigeyb

  Reading
  Clinging to the Wreckage: A Part of Life, one of John Mortimer's memoirs, reminded me of Rumpole Of The Bailey. I used to watch the UK TV adaptation in the late 1970s and early 1980s when I was a teenager. I can't remember much about the programme but I know I always enjoyed it.
  
  So it was I tried this Rumpole book.
  
  
  Rumpole at Christmas is a slim collection of short stories that were originally written for magazines and newspapers. The stories are highly predictable and formulaic, and frequently the ending is obvious well before the story's end, however none of this matters as the charm is all in the Rumpole character: his personality, foibles, humour and those he meets along the way, frequently colleagues, judges and criminals, and most memorably his wife Hilda aka "she who must be obeyed".
  
  If you're after an undemanding and entertaining seasonal read then this book has much to enjoy. I look forward to reading more Rumpole who can be classified alongside
  P.G. Wodehouse as a dependable comic treat.
  
  
• 
  Clare

  Listened to in audio format.
  
  I have the complete box set of Rumpole of The Bailey on DVD which I have watched again and again. I associate Rumpole with the late actor Leo Mckern, but Bill Wallis narration did not disappoint.
  
  Rumpole at Christmas comprises of two long stories and 3 bite sized stories. If you are expecting a hard hitting legal thriller you will be disappointed in this book. Rumpole is a British defence barrister whose chambers are at Equity Court in the shadows of the Old Bailey. Rumpole thinks no one is guilty 'until 12 good minded people's decide they are'.
  
  Rumpole gives us his pithy observations about his clients and his enemy Justice Graves (Gravestone). During his cases at the Old Bailey he likes a glass of Chateau Thames Embankment from Pumaroys wine bar.
  
  The old favourites appear in this book his long suffering wife Hilda - She who must be obeyed. Claude Erskine Browne QC and his wife Justice Erskine Browne otherwise known as Porsha.
  
  I think all Rumpole fans will enjoy this book.
• 
  Alex Sarll

  Never having read, seen or heard any Rumpole, I had from somewhere acquired a vague intention to investigate further. Possibly a vague sense of him representing the comfortable certainties of the second half of the 20th century which, for all their flaws, I have been missing lately? The only one in my local library was this, which was obviously no use to me until December, but at that point becomes ideal – I'm a sucker for a Christmas story, even in a vein I wouldn't normally tap. Still, without knowing anything of peak Rumpole, it's clear that these late pieces are also minor ones, sometimes with a curdled tendency to harrumph at the modern world such as is to be expected when some were first published in the Mail or Express. On top of which, the obligation to tick off familiar bits of Rumpole-ness, fine if they're being read over the course of several years, can get a bit much once they're all in one book. But they still intermittently capture a certain laudable strain of Britishness, devious in the pursuit of fair play, of which we could use a bit more right now, ruled as we seem to be by the version which is not only cowardly and evil, but not even very good at carrying that off.
• 
  Insidebooks

  If you are looking for a bit of humour, tales that have an outcome that involves great insight into human character and heavy doses of coincidence and a bit of humbug then this is a great book to consume against the backdrop of tinsel and fairy lights.
  
  This collection brings together a series of seven yuletide themed stories that have not been collected together like this before. Rumpole is the old but wise barrister who manages to win cases despite most of the legal establishment being against him. She who must be obeyed, his wife Hilda, provides light relief and bosses the old boy around when he is not in the Old Bailey.
  
  Over the course of the stories Rumpole manages to get his clients off on lighter charges, solve a murder and spend one Christmas break with a judge he can't stand.
  
  There is some repetition that perhaps could have been edited out given that by the seventh story you know all about how the Rumpole's spend Christmas and how Hilda gets lavender water each and every year. But once you get past that repetitive scene setting theses stories, which have a recent feel about them thanks to topical references to the internet etc, do take hold of you.
  
  If you fancy buying a Christmas book at this time of year and are open to spending time with an aging and outwardly rude barrister who has a heart of gold and a flair for solving crimes and getting justice then this is a perfect choice.
• 
  Peter Dunn

  I waited to Christmas Eve to read this collection for fairly obvious reasons, and it hasn’t disappointed. While a few of the stories are on the flimsy side, both in size and in plot, they all exude what many of us really, really want which is simply our beloved Rumpole, a witty imp, resigned to everything around him except every defendant’s right to a decent defence. This collection definitely delivers on that simple need.
  
  I know that I am not alone in feeling that Leo McKern is the definitive Rumpole, despite many fine and enjoyable performances of Rumpole on radio by other great actors, and to me this collection gives me much more Leo as Rumpole.
  
  Yes there are many continuity errors in the stories, and one of most annoying is the change to Rumpole’s nickname for Injustice Graves. However these are really just annoyances, and if you feel that they are so horrendous as to lead you to give this collection poor reviews then I wouldn’t try reading any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories if I was you. You are not going to like them. Watson’s ever moving injury, and the Moriarty brothers’ name sharing antics are far more annoying than puzzling over Rumpole’s chambers move from 1 to 4 Equity Court.
  
• 
  ^

  John Mortimer had a wonderful talent for writing short stories. Rumpole owns his irrepressible zest and poise to word-perfect timing and the assurance of knowing that it’s best not to take life too seriously.
  
  In this volume, my favourite story is “Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder.” It says something to the credit of Mortimer that he was able to inflict an out-and-out predictable plot on his reader; yet get away with that because he executed the humour with aplomb, even delivering a copious number old chestnuts. In exactly the same manner as the jokes in Christmas crackers, this reader could not suppress a groan and a smile:
  (1) Hilda: “You’re on the way to becoming obese, …” Rumpole: Is that a more serious way of saying I’m fat?”
  (2) Hilda: “Minchingham Hall is a health farm, Rumpole. They’ll make sure there’s less of you by the time you leave.”
  (3) Rumpole: “But I don’t need a healthy Christmas. I don’t feel ill.”
  
• 
  Kathe

  When you crave some light but not brainless reading, there is nothing better than Rumpole. It's utterly predictable in the best possible way. And if you watched all the TV versions once upon a time, as I did, you can even hear Leon McKern's grumbly voice speaking Rumpole's lines... Perfect reading for a hibernating day just after Christmas.
• 
  David Charnick

  It's Rumpole, so there's an inevitable familiarity to the style. The opening story has the characteristic pair of stories that turn on the same concept. 'Rumpole and the Christmas Break' has more than an echo of 'Rumpole at Sea'. But the stories do read well, and of course have the kind of positive messages suitable for Christmas consumption: blackmail and theft expose humanity, and there's even a country house murder.
  
  Apart from the first story, which opens 'Rumpole Rests his Case', none of them have appeared in book form before. They all appeared in The Strand Magazine and other periodicals such as Woman's Weekly and newspapers.
• 
  David Robert Bloomer

  Festive cheer?
  
  It's laced with Christmas references but it could be without them and work just as well. I'm afraid I can't be objective in this review as I love the character of Rumpole, so as ever I enjoyed it. Very well paced and enjoyable stories.
  It does seem odd for Rumpole to be more in the modern world. He doesn't exactly seem out of place but he does seem a bit anachronistic. As I said before, I enjoy reading his stories.
  I'd recommend this book because it is an easy and enjoyable read. Maybe try earlier Rumpole books first and leave this till you know the main characters a bit better.
• 
  Cindy

  "Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces" - How Rumpole/a rector 'blackmailed' an ex convict.
  "Rumpole and the Christmas Break" - Rumpole vs "Justice Gravestone" in a case of a Moslem student accused of murder.
  "Rumpole and the Boy" - Rumpole and a boy admirer.
  "Rumpole and the Millennium Bug" - the new tech-savvy clerk.
  "Rumpole and the Christmas Party" - Rumpole and Hilda at a Christmas party.
  "Rumpole and Father Christmas" - a thieving Santa Claus repented.
  "Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder" - Rumpole solved a murder.
• 
  Alexandra Daw

  I'm undertaking a Christmas reading challenge, as you do. Thankfully it's so hot this weekend that all I can do is hide in air conditioning and read. These short stories are deeply consoling. I enjoy reading about Rumpole and She Who Must be Obeyed rubbing up against each other like sandpaper. The ritual exchange of lavendar water and ties, the nicknaming of odious work colleagues, the eternal optimism of the criminal class; all are succour to the world weary.
• 
  Thomas

  I found this to be a very amusing and enjoyable set of stories. I have heard of Rumpole of The Bailey but never seen or read any until now. This book was very good and thoroughly entertained me tonight. He's such a good character and his clashes with the witnesses and Judge Graves made me chuckle. My favourite story was The Boy (I think it was titled).
  
  All in all a short and sweet read and one that was a nice introduction to the character, a series to be added to my reading list.
• 
  BJ Hal

  It's been a long time since I've read any Rumpole stories so these stories were a bit of a throwback to earlier days. Horace Rumple and She Who Must Be Obeyed (otherwise know as Hilda) make a brilliant double act, and the gentle humour is enjoyable. The stories do feel a bit dated, given the smoking and drinking, but that adds to the charm.
• 
  Andy Gore

  Fabulous Rumpole.
• 
  Nullifidian

  John Mortimer never disappoints, so this collection didn't either. A delightful, charming, and witty read for the holiday season.
• 
  Jinx

  This was what I needed at the moment - some light, humorous stories for the Christmas season. Fulfilled some of my #cloakanddaggerchristmas prompts as well.
• 
  Nancy

  A fun collection of Rumpole short stories. I love John Mortimer's play with language. We got lots of laughs from this. Bill Wallis did a great job reading.
• 
  Michael Macdonald

  Rumpole miscellany
  
  The delightful Rumpole leads a sextet of legal tales about Christmas, all seem very brief and felt in your previous love of the irascible barrister.
• 
  Kelly Greenwood

  Entertaining seasonal reading.
• 
  Felicity Terry

  Though I haven't previously read any of the Rumpole stories and have only the vaguest recollection of the TV series, Rumpole of The Bailey, Rumpole is one of those quintessential English characters that most people of my age (and older) would be hard-pressed to not know about.
  
  A series of seven yuletide short stories previously published in various newspapers and/or magazines.
  
  Alas slight (even for short stories), formulaic and, well, repetitive; something that was probably made all the more noticeable by the fact that here they were presented all in one publication rather than as a series as was originally intended. But then again it could be argued how many of us read the book not so much for the stories but rather the grumpy and larger than life barrister whose personality and foibles prevail throughout?
  
  Copyright ... Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper
• 
  Tony

  I started reading this because a) it's Rumpole, and as I discovered not long into the first novel, Rumpole is a smartarse who speaks my language, so I know I can turn to him for a chuckle and some comfort, and b) because I'd just spend a chunk of December on a Covid ward, missing some conventional Christmas reading, so it was a way of recapturing some of the festive spirit, albeit a little late.
  
  For the most part, this collection doesn't disappoint - the stories deliver exactly what is promised on the cover: stories of Rumpole, the Old Bailey hack, the barrister who will never take a case for the prosecution but spends his pompous, often self-revolving but generally harmless life showing the fundamental goodness of his heart by working tirelessly in defence of the pre-judged - at Christmas.
  
  As such, there's much more of an anthology feel about the collection than you get with many Rumpole novels, because necessarily, the cases and crimes have to be spread out across several Christmases.
  
  That can occasionally leave you feeling slightly lost - the ages of the children of his esteemed colleagues, Phyllida and Claude Erskine-Brown, yo-yo throughout the collection, and the Christmas arrangements of the Rumpoles change from year to year - one at a health spa, one with Hilda Rumpole (She Who Must Be Obeyed) staying with her old school friend, leaving Rumpole to his own devices at home, etc.
  
  I am trying to pace my progress through the Rumpole books, because I could too easily binge them and then be left bereft of fresh Rumpole to enjoy, which means I don't know if all these Christmas stories have appeared in other books.
  
  All but one of them, I believe, were fresh to me on this reading, the only one to ring bells of memory involving Rumpole's rash act of generosity in volunteering to take the young Erskine-Browns to a pantomime.
  
  It's perhaps peculiar that Rumpole should even HAVE a Christmas collection - he's very stuck in his ways, travelling the circuit of his life between the Old Bailey, various criminal courts, the chambers where his work is assigned, Pomeroy's wine bar, and the mansion flat in which he and Hilda, for the most part, rub along.
  
  But if these festive stories show anything, it's that with his general inclination to bonhomie, good living, and a forgiving nature, he has enough about him that is Santa-like to succeed as our host for some Christmas fun.
  
  There are a few stories here that subvert that jolliness though, and bring a darker, almost Agatha Christie note to the adventures of Rumpole. One set in a health spa is particularly nasty, with Rumpole on site when a murder is committed, and we hear Rumpole as Nemesis, relentless and questing in pursuit of the murderer.
  
  If you, like me, are on a slow but steady Rumpole-athon, the anthology nature of this collection can act as a pause in the ongoing chronology of the set, as you share several Christmases with the Rumpoles.
  
  If on the other hand, you're just looking for some festive fun with Rumpole, it delivers everything you could want, and, particularly in that health spa story, a little bit more besides.