The first novel by this English journalist and short-story writer, a rather self-consciously and “madcap and ” satire: the jacket blurb promises and “amazing swoops of cuckoo fun and general insanities, and at the same time grand satire and a healthy if absurd romance. and ” The wackiness centers around the Cadwallows, who in addition to being and “one of the noblest and nuttiest families in England and ” also happen to be teetering on the brink of impoverishment. Potential salvation from their financial plight arrives in the person of Miss Wilhelmina Harkaway, known as and “Bill, and ” a nine-foot-tall giantess who has been brought from Australia by the family’s youngest son. She is readily adopted by the Cadwallow clan, and with the patronage of a wealthy friend, a scheme is hatched to launch her on a prizefighting career, and thereby reap a fortune. Not surprisingly, her enormous size and commensurate strength permits her to defeat all challengers, and in no time at all she becomes a somewhat freakish celebrity, even at one point going on an American tour. The human-freak-boxing angle is of interest, as the author did a little amateur boxing himself as a young man and later garnered praise for a series of short fantasy stories about a and “dwarf surrealist boxer and ” named Engelbrecht.

A Strong Man Needed PDF

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