| Title | : | Rumpole Misbehaves (Rumpole of the Bailey #15) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0670018309 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780670018307 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 198 |
| Publication | : | First published November 15, 2007 |
Anti-Social Behavior Orders, commonly known as ASBOs, are the New Labour government’s pride and joy. A child who plays or even loiters in an unfriendly street can, on the complaint of neighbors, have an ASBO slapped on him. If he offends again he’ll be found in breach of his ASBO and thrown in jail without a trial. All this, of course, raises the wrath of everyone’s favorite barrister Horace Rumpole when he is called upon to defend a Timson child who has earned an ASBO for playing soccer on a posh street.
As Rumpole tries to get to the bottom of it all, his fellow barristers in chambers decide to highlight the ridiculousness of ASBOs by citing Rumpole for bringing food and his beloved wine into his room, and for causing global warming by lighting small cigars. Another witty tale sure to please the legions of Rumpole fans who eagerly await each new installment.
Rumpole Misbehaves (Rumpole of the Bailey #15) Reviews
-
The song remains the same, but there's something so likable about Rumpole, that old curmudgeon of a London barrister, that it doesn't matter if each book feels a little like a repeat.
On the surface, this story is just another Rumpole petty crime court case with the Timsons in-tow, however, sex slave trafficking turns out to be the seedy underbelly.
On the home front, Rumpole's wife Hilda is intrigued by the advances of a judge into studying for the bar, as well as participating in her usual pastime of pushing Rumpole towards a silk robe, the garment of a judge. This time around even Rumpole himself seems interested in seeing that become a reality, but longtime readers know the likelihood of it happening is slim indeed.
Why? Well, look at it this way. Rumpole is very much like The Highlander in that he never ages. He is perpetually on the verge of retirement for decade upon decade. The series started in the late 1970s and ran for 30 years. Rumpole's age is hard to pinpoint exactly, but he always appears to be in his late 50s to early 60s irregardless of the hippies, discos, punks, Johnny Depp movies, iPods or the post 9/11 world whirling about him. Fashions came and went, events befell humanity, but Rumpole motored on, never changing right up to the end.
Rumpole Misbehaves was one of, if not, the last book in the series that John Mortimer published before his death (I only know of one collection of Christmas stories that came after this and that was published posthumously,) so I found myself actually investing some real hope that Rumpole might finally succeed in getting silk for himself and rising from lawyer to judge. I thought, heck, maybe Mortimer sensed the end was nigh and threw the old boy a bone. Not likely?
I don't feel I'm spoiling anything terribly important here. No, because the real moral of Mortimer's stories is morality. Rumpole maybe be rough around the edges, but what we like about him is his willingness to put right before wrong regardless of the consequences to himself. This fat, cigar-puffing grouch is as close as a white knight as you'll get these days. -
This is a short book in the Rumpole series in which Rumpole hopes to be accepted as a QC and take the silk. Of course we know that it will never happen since he has teed off every judge on the bench but She Who Must Be Obeyed uses her relationship with one of the judges to push Rumpole to the forefront. In the meantime, the "Old Bailey hack" is defending one of the infamous Timsons.....this time it is a 12 year old who is accused of anti-social behavior. Not much of a case but it turns out there is more involved than initially appears.
Who doesn't love Rumpole? These books are so delightful and the continuing cast of characters is equally appealing. Another winner from the late John Mortimer and well worth your time. -
Once more, aging barrister Horace Rumpole, defiant to the last, takes on hopeless cases (his favorite kind) intent on winning them. What begins as an apparently trivial case of a 12-year-old Timson boy being served with an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (or ASBO) soon has ties to the murder of a prostitute and a human trafficking ring.
As he fights the good fight, Rumpole must contend with being served himself with an ASBO by fellow barristers of his own chambers for consuming food and wine and smoking cigars in his room. All the while, the elderly junior barrister is taking on what is perhaps the most hopeless case of all: applying for silk and becoming Queen’s Counsel (or as Rumpole calls it, “Queer Customer”).
As always, John Mortimer’s tales of everyone’s favorite barrister are a treat as he battles for his clients, despite such obstacles as obstinate judges like Sir Leonard “Mad Bull” Bullingham, petty bureaucrats such as his head of chambers, “Soapy” Sam Ballard, and of course, Rumpole’s wife Hilda, otherwise known as She Who Must Be Obeyed. I look forward to reading more books in the series (although at this point, they’re getting scarce; I’ve read a lot of Rumpole this year). Four stars. -
It's mildly peculiar that this is the first book of the renowned Rumpole series that I have read (and evidently it's the last one). I suppose the Rumpole books are simply always checked out at the library. Anyhow, I enjoyed it--it's short, funny, and a satisfying romp in which the barrister Rumpole wins a round for justice despite colleagues who tend to stand in his way.
-
Loved the show!
And I am glad to be able to add the novels to my collection.
Rumpole RULES! -
RUMPOLE MISBEHAVES (The Anti-Social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole) by John Mortimer
How bittersweet! John Mortimer died soon after writing this last Rumpole story. It begins with Horace receiving a brief from the ever-reliable clients, the Timsons. Twelve-year-old Peter Timson is charged with anti-social behavior – retrieving a football (soccer ball here in the colonies) by a spiritual healer living in a posh town section just adjacent to the seedy Timson neighborhood. Of course, Rumpole saves the day, but this leads into several other threads brought up later in the book, including clients to be defended in the case of a murdered Russian prostitute and a lorry driver accused of human trafficking. Horace also seeks silk – the elevated status of QC (Queen’s Counsel – or to Horace, Queer Customer). Hilda decides to read for the bar – it was so easy for “Daddy” and Horace wins so many cases so it must be a breeze. Horace’s dodgy chamber mates decide his eating, drinking and smoking in chambers are anti-social to the point of charging him for it. And so much more.
Some readers find the recurring formula used by Mortimer in these stories to be tiring. I think it depends on the reader’s mood. After reading several nasty books I sought dear old Horace as a safe humor-filled refuge from nastiness. If feeling adventurous I might have agreed with his more severe critics.
The last sentences in the book are: “The life of an Old Bailey hack, I think to myself, has more ups and downs in it than the roller-coaster on the end of Brighton Pier. This is where it will all begin again.” Alas, not, unless someone with the cynical and astringent spirit of Horace rises like a Phoenix from the ashes of a world now all too serious and puts poison pen to paper. -
Rumpole is back for a new adventure, based on the 2007 novel.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2008.
The magician of the Old Bailey is at his implacable best as he defends our ancient freedoms, while remaining uneasy about exactly what Hilda is up to in her continuing friendship with a high court judge. Having avoided an ASBO, Rumpole is hoping to become a QC at last, as he prepares to defend a young man on a charge of murder.
Horace Rumpole ...... Timothy West
Hilda Rumpole ...... Prunella Scales
‘Soapy Sam’ Ballard ...... Michael Cochrane
Bonny Bernard ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Prosecutor Parkes ...... Roger May
Madam Chair of Magistrates ...... Jillie Mears
Graham Wetherby ...... David Holt
Lars Bergman ...... Matthew Morgan
Judge Bullingham ...... David Shaw-Parker
Fig Newton ...... Geoffrey Whitehead -
Horace Rumpole is a perpetually 70 year old barrister, comfortably ensconced in his chambers, smoking stogies, drinking Pomeroy's Very Ordinary Claret, and quoting Wordsworth. His low points (he would have you believe) are at home with his wife, She Who Must Be Obeyed. His high points are in court when he "rears up on his hind legs" for a cross-examination, battling against the prosecutor, the judge, and occasionally his partners to protect the presumption of innocence and defend his client.
Reviewing an individual Rumpole book is like reviewing a P.G. Wodehouse - if you've read one you already know what you are getting. Those of us who have already been introduced will greet the faded barrister's wig and the rumpled waistcoat with a pleased smile. -
Rumpole becoming a QC? Hilda reading for the bar? Judge "Mad Bull" Bullingham actually supporting both applications? Has the world gone mad? Not quite, but close enough for it to be yet another delightful outing for my favorite Old Bailey hack. Few things are as delightful as revisiting these magnificent characters and seeing them spar brilliantly in and out of court. Pardon my gushing: I've yet to find a poor Rumpole story, and I'm likely to be a staunchly partisan judge of the books in this series. Mortimer left behind a magnificent collection of delights, for language, for legal sparring, for the sheer cleverness of the eldest junior barrister in London; delve deeply into its treasures -- read 'em all!
-
It's very ironic that I just finished reading this 2 days ago, and then heard that the author, John Mortimer, died today. I have read ALL the Rumpole books and adore them. I've also read just about everything John Mortimer wrote. The Rumpole books are wonderful and I've loved every one of them. The reason I gave this only 3 stars is that it was a little fluff of a book -- very short and the story was pretty fluffy too based on the other books. But still...Rumpole will always be one of my favorite characters, along with She Who Must Be Obeyed, Soapy Sam Bollard, The Timson clan, and all the others.
-
As a long-time Rumpole fan, I enjoyed reading this, one of the last books about the elderly junior barrister written by the great John Mortimer. I didn't think it was quite up to the standard of some of his earlier books, but fun for all that.
-
Delightful quick read (2 hours). Rumpole fights the Anti-Social Behaviour Order laws, first for a young client, then for himself. The application of these laws seemed so ridiculous to me that I thought the author was making them up, but Wikipedia says they were actually passed in 1998.
Some of my favorite quotes:
-"Rumpole, you must move with the times."
"If I don't like the way the times are moving I shall refuse to accompany them.
- "I wasn't defending myself... I was defending the British constitution".
- "The test of democracy is the tolerance shown by the majority to minority opinions. Didn't darling John Stuart Mill say something like that?" -
ASBOs are the latest unfair edict against the poor and underprivileged, and Rumpole's not having it.
Anti-Social Behavior Orders are silly, rude, and nasty ways of getting at someone you don't like. Absolutely ridiculous, and yet, legal. I expect one filed against me at any moment, for laughing too loudly.
Of course, there's a more serious case, too, involving sex slaves. Bad stuff, and not conquored, but fought bravely.
John Mortimer's last gasp. Get it now. He went out fighting bad laws. Props. -
A pleasure, as always, to spend some time with Rumpole. This must be one of the last Rumpole stories and the world continues to change round about him while Rumpole doesn't. That is part of the charm though the real attraction is justice being done, and being seen to be done, in court and elsewhere.
-
This is classic Rumpole but not one of the best. It is essentially a sort story stretched to fill the size of a book. The Rumpole elements like poetry, Pomeroy's Chateaux Thames Embankment, She who must be obeyed, never plead guilty, etc are all present and accounted for, but the story is a bit lacking in originality. Nevertheless, it is still an enjoyable read.
-
Absolutely nothing in the plot or characters in this that hasn't been in at least half a dozen previous volumes and all the better for that. Happy New Year folks. You live in a world in which Rumpole has been created. It is a much better world than parallel universes where this has not yet happened.
-
Stories about Rumpole always provide quite a bit of fun, and this is no exception. But what is also great is the social satire that comes along. This one focuses on the notion of anti-social behavior. And so we see Rumpole in trouble for drinking wine and smoking cigars, but it was also a good look at what it MEANS to "misbehave" and what is worse--petty offenses or human trafficking?
-
A worthy distraction. Rumpole defends a 12-year-old accused of creating a disturbance in the course of playing football and a young clerk accused of strangling a prostitute. Those who seek justice must often travel a winding path.
-
Listed to this in audio. The narration was superb. My first Rumpole experience. Nothing too deep within the stories but very entertaining.
-
An excellent conclusion to the Rumpole series, although it wasn't intended to be. I wish there were more.
-
A light read. Same old Rumpole. Same complaints. Same villians on both sides of the law. It fit like an old friend.
-
The last of the Rumpoles, this was enjoyable but not quite up to the brilliance of previous outings for the old barrister.
-
This was my first try at this series and I don’t think I will continue. Cute idea though.
-
Rumpole is glorious as a champion of subversiveness.
