Title: Sir Michael & Sir George

Author: J. B. Priestley

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 250

Rating: 9/10

J. B. Priestley – Sir Michael & Sir George

This is the first Priestley novel that I’ve ever read (although I did study An Inspector Calls at school), and boy, was I impressed – definitely impressed enough to want to check out some more of his work. I actually picked this book up from the book exchange at my local arts centre, which makes the story line even more interesting.

Basically, Sir Michael and Sir George are the administrators of two rival arts groups, and the story follows their struggles as it’s announced that one (or both) of the groups might be closed. There’s a lot of politics and infighting, and although the plot might not be considered to be necessarily ‘explosive’, it did make for a fascinating read, especially because I was able to identify who the characters‘ real-life counterparts might be.

If you’re a fan of Graham Greene or Ernest Hemingway, like I am, then you’re probably going to love this as well – it was similarly simultaneously simple and spectacular, a tour-de-force in characterisation with an ending that I didn’t see coming. I’m not going to give away what that ending was, but I can tell you that it was a pleasant surprise, and it was the main factor in me rating this book as a nine instead of an eight. Whether you’ve read Priestley before or not, I’d recommend giving this a go.

J. B. Priestley

Click here to buy Sir Michael & Sir George.